St. Mary’s Medical Center contributes more than $440 million annually to the Mesa County economy, according to an analysis that takes into account wages, spending and capital investments.

“This report clearly illustrates the significant dollars St. Mary’s generates that stay right here in our community,” said Bryan Johnson, president of St. Mary’s. “Since its founding in 1896, St. Mary’s has consistently delivered quality health care while simultaneously investing in the community. We are proud to be part of the community we serve and are committed to investing in its future.”

Nathan Perry, an associate professor of economics at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, conducted the study.

Perry calculated the total economic contribution of St. Mary’s at $443.4 million.

That total constitutes about 6 percent of all goods and services produced in the region.

St. Mary’s accounts for about a third of the contribution of the health care and social assistance sector, which in turn accounts for 12.5 percent of the overall economy in Mesa County, the report stated.

St. Mary’s employs 2,739 people, about 3 percent of all jobs in the county. Taking into account the effects of the operation on other employers, employment related to the medical center totaled 4,701, about 5 percent of the workforce in Mesa County.

In 2022 alone, the medical center paid a total of more than $264 million in wages, health insurance and benefits. Direct wage effects extended to $274 million or 5.8 percent of total wages paid in the county.

Although St. Mary’s is a nonprofit operation, the economic activities of the medical center generated more than $105 million in tax revenues.

Perry said there other, less tangible effects of a large regional hospital. Many people travel from outside Mesa County to receive care at St. Mary’s and spend money inside the county when they do. The economic effects of those activities weren’t included in the report.

The medical center also attracts people to Mesa County, he said. “Many retirees choose to live in Mesa County as opposed to a different county due to the proximity of high-level medical services.”

Johnson said St. Mary’s contributes in other ways — a total of $82.3 million in 2022 in charitable giving to projects throughout the county.