Long Beach, the aerospace hub known as Space Beach, sits at the center of California’s commercial space economy, according to state economic data released October 15, 2026. California is home to one-third of the nation’s space technology companies, employs more than 96,000 aerospace manufacturing workers and leads the country in NASA science funding. Key Takeaways California is home to one-third of the nation’s space technology companies and ranks first nationally in space-technology venture capital. The