Economic Impact 2024 // Public Affairs // University of Notre Dame

Overview

$3.3 BILLION

Annual Economic Impact on region

The sum of Notre Dame’s annual impact—through its operations and capital investments, and additional spending by students, visitors, and event attendees—is $3.3 billion within the region.

21,000

JOBS SUPPORTED IN REGION

$139 MILLION

GENERATED IN STATE TAXES

The University engages in scholarship and research that creates a safer, healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable world. At the same time, Notre Dame remains committed to the community in which it resides and helps to bolster the region's competitiveness and economic prosperity. In its strategic framework, Notre Dame 2033, the University singles out South Bend as a major priority.

Strategic Framework

Sunset arial view over downtown South Bend above the St. Joe River — Sunset over downtown South Bend and the St. Joseph River, southwest of the Notre Dame campus. *(Photo by Matt Cashore, University of Notre Dame)*

Operations

$1.6 Billion

Annual Operating Budget

Includes salaries and payments for goods and services needed to run the University

8,340

People employed including faculty and staff

71%

Live in region

Professor Ellis Adjei Adams speaking with students during class — Ellis Adams, associate professor of geography and environmental policy, teaches a Keough School of Global Affairs Master of Global Affairs course. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

Juan Leyva standing in front of his taco truck — Juan Leyva, owner of Junbuggies, a Mexican grill food truck, says his business with Notre Dame is so good, he was able to purchase two additional food trucks to keep up with demand for his food. *(Photo by Matt Cashore, University of Notre Dame)*

$21 Million

Spent with 30 diverse suppliers/Vendors in region (2023)

Capital Investments

South Bend Tribune brick building — A $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment will support a planned tech and talent district encompassing the former South Bend Tribune building downtown. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

Eddy Street commons arial view lit up at night — Pictured above is Eddy Street Commons, south of campus, at dusk. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

$237 Million

Annual Capital Expenditures (Average over 10 years)

Notre Dame’s capital expenditures enhance the campus and community through physical space investments. Examples include Eddy Street Commons, completed in 2023. The public-private partnership brought to life Notre Dame's vision for a dense, walkable “college town” joining campus to the community. Also in 2023, Notre Dame acquired the former South Bend Tribune building, which will be transformed into part of a downtown technology and talent hub.

Community Engagement

The University of Notre Dame works with community partners to achieve bold goals. Such projects include:

Sustainability Initiatives

The University contributed to the restoration of South Bend’s Seitz Park as part of its investment in ND Hydro. The hydroelectric facility, situated beneath the park, generates 7 percent of the campus’s electricity and offsets 9,700 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which also benefits the region.

An aerial view of a Seitz Park next to the St. Joseph River showing new buildings and greenery — Pictured is Seitz Park along the St. Joseph River in South Bend. Underneath the park is a hydroelectric facility which generates power for campus. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

A baby wearing a pink shirt and blue pants crawls towards an open book in their guardians hands. Participating in Sensory Saturday with other children and families in the background — The Talk with Your Baby program presents Sensory Saturdays at the Robinson Community Learning Center. Babies and their families can visit different stations to explore their five senses: sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell. (Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)

Educational Opportunities

The University has several educational initiatives focused on the regional community. The Robinson Community Learning Center in the Northeast Neighborhood provides high-quality, low-cost early childhood, youth, and adult programming.

Talk with Your Baby

Research and Innovation

Notre Dame Research

Notre Dame is committed to research excellence, demonstrated through its record growth in awards. During fiscal year 2023, Notre Dame’s research award funding topped $200 million for the third year in a row and included 824 separate awards, more than the University has ever received. Also in 2023, Notre Dame was invited to join the Association of American Universities—a consortium of the nation’s leading public and private research universities.

Association of American Universities logo

Invites Notre Dame to its ranks in 2023

$216 Million

In research award Funding

824

Research awards

Phd student in lab coat researching chemicals in lab with professor — Mae Jiang, a doctoral student, works in a lab examining how concrete absorbs per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” are found in consumer products like pesticides, household cleaners, and personal care products. *(Photo by Barbara Johnston/University of Notre Dame)*

The Forever Problem

iNDustry Labs

In 2019, Notre Dame received a $42.4 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The “LIFT grant” brought about a step change in the University’s collaborations with regional industry and institutional partners, largely through the creation of iNDustry Labs, a platform of expertise, facilities, and services geared toward advancing regional companies.

Since then, iNDustry Labs successes include …

181

Projects completed with 62 local businesses

$164 Million

Forecasted new revenue and savings for local manufacturers

1,372

College students engaged with local companies

The Speed of Trust

Undergraduate engineering students Alexandra Gomez with iNDdustry Labs in Smoker Craft factory — Undergraduate engineering student Alexandra Gomez with iNDustry Labs listens to a process engineer for Smoker Craft, a boat builder in Elkhart County, as he offers a tour of the factory. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

The IDEA Center

The IDEA Center supports all commercialization and entrepreneurial activities at the University. This includes idea development, intellectual property protection, business formation, prototyping, fundraising, mentorship, and entrepreneurial education. The center’s regional startups have collectively raised more than $70 million in investments.

Startups at the IDEA Center, between 2017 and 2023:

Full-time workers

$94,000

Average Salary

$35 Million

Sales by regional startups

Two Startups Gain an Advantage

Founder Pete Zahrt, founder of Nygt Ryder and Chad Mastagh, founder of Rides2U in IDEA Center — Pete Zahrt, founder of Nygt Ryder (pronounced “Night Rider”), left, and Chad Mastagh, founder of Rides2U, pose for a photo at the IDEA Center. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

The Notre Dame Football team running out of the tunnel with golden helmets with smoke — The Notre Dame football team runs out of the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel for the first home game of the 2022 season. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

Football Fan Spending

Notre Dame football draws fans from around the country to the region. Lodging, transportation, food, and retail account for significant visitor spending each year. Football game visitors generate an economic impact of $36 million per weekend or $214 million per year.

$214 Million

Annual economic impact of football on region

$164 Million

Spent within the region

305,675

Overnight football fans per season

$1.2 Million

Annual hotel tax revenues for St. Joseph County

Student and Visitor Spending

Arial view of the Notre Dame stadium hosting Billy Joel at night — Billy Joel performs in Notre Dame Stadium for a crowd of 45,000 in June of 2022. *(Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)*

$177 Million

Annual economic impact from student/visitor spending

There are plenty of reasons to visit Notre Dame, like move-in and move-out weekends, Junior Parents Weekend, Commencement, and Reunion, or concerts and international soccer matches in Notre Dame Stadium, and youth hockey tournaments held at the Compton Family Ice Arena.

Creating Hockey Dreams

"We share a future. When I think about the region, we want to thrive. The University of Notre Dame is working to bring more investment to the area, even as we work to promote human flourishing."
~Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., president, University of Notre Dame