Editing Tuscaloosa, Alabama (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Bank of tusc plaz.png|thumb|Bank of Tuscaloosa Plaza]]
Although higher education is the bedrock of Tuscaloosa's economy, it has diverse sectors of manufacturing and service. 25% of the labor force in the [[Tuscaloosa metropolitan area|Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area]] is employed by the federal, state and local governments; 16.7% in manufacturing; 16.4% in retail trade and transportation; 11.6% in finance, information, and private enterprise; 10.3% in mining and construction; and 9.2% in hospitality. Education and healthcare account for 7.2% of the area's workforce, with the remainder employed in other services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.dir.state.al.us/CES/Metro_Data/metrotus.asp |title=Employment Statistics |access-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213150343/http://www2.dir.state.al.us/CES/Metro_Data/metrotus.asp |archive-date=February 13, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dir.alabama.gov/ |title=Alabama Department of Industrial Relations |access-date=December 6, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208033746/http://dir.alabama.gov/ |archive-date=December 8, 2005}}</ref>

The city's industrial and manufacturing base includes [[BFGoodrich|BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing]], [[GAF Materials Corporation]], [[Hunt Refining Company]], [[JVC|JVC America]], [[Nucor|Nucor Steel]] and Phifer Wire.

A significant contributor to the city's economy is the [[Mercedes-Benz]] U.S. International assembly plant near [[Vance, Alabama|Vance]] in Tuscaloosa County, {{convert|20|mi|km}} east of downtown Tuscaloosa, which employs approximately 4,400 (as of 2020). It opened in 1995 and began assembling the R-Class Grand Sport Tourer in 2005. From 2006–2015 it produced the [[Mercedes-Benz GL-Class|GL-Class]] vehicles; and since 1998 and 2015 respectively, has produced the [[Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class|GLS-Class]] and [[Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class|GLE-CLASS]]. Plants that supply components to Mercedes-Benz are also in the area.

The Westervelt Company, a land resources and wildlife management company, has its headquarters in Tuscaloosa. Originally the Gulf State Paper Corporation, founded in 1927, it sold its pulp and paperboard operations to the [[Rock-Tenn Company]] of [[Norcross, Georgia]] in 2005 and was restructured to form Westervelt.

Healthcare and education are cornerstones of Tuscaloosa's service sector, which includes the University of Alabama, [[DCH Regional Medical Center]], Bryce Hospital, the William D. Partlow Developmental Center, and the Tuscaloosa United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.