Oxnard is an attractive area on the central coast for the industrial and commercial development sector. Retail trade, real estate, manufacturing and industry play a primary role in the regional growth of the Oxnard plain. One of the most important sources of local economic impact is the Oxnard Harbor District, created in 1937 with the mission of managing and developing the commercial deepwater Port of Hueneme. As one of Ventura County’s premier economic engines, the Port’s $535 million dollar activity sustains 3,800 jobs annually.

The Naval Base Ventura County is also one of the largest sources of jobs in the community with nearly 17,000 employees, followed by Verizon Telephone Services with 3,500 employees, St. John’s Regional Medical Center with 1,700; Oxnard Elementary School District with 1,500; Oxnard Union High School District with 1,375; and the City of Oxnard municipal government with 1,350 employees. Two of the major manufacturers in the community are HAAS Automation and Procter & Gamble.

Oxnard has Ventura County's largest industrial sector, as measured by industrial square footage, and it contains the only high-rise Class A office complex in Ventura County. Oxnard's 2004 Gross City Product was approximately $7.8 billion. Growth in the Gross City Product was very high from 1997 to 2002, averaging a blistering 9.6 percent per year. Oxnard is experiencing growth from a number of important factors including strong population growth, continuing migration from the south coast of Santa Barbara, and an on-going expansion in real estate development.