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 $7.5 billion dollar activity sustains more than 4,500 direct and indirect jobs annually.

The Naval Base Ventura County is also one of the largest sources of jobs in the community with over 19,000 employees, followed by Boskovich Farms Inc. with 1,800 employees, Oxnard Union High School District with 1,500; St. John's Regional Medical Center with 1,280 and the City of Oxnard municipal government with just under 1,000 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 2009 Gross City Product is projected to be approximately $9.5 billion. Growth in the Gross City Product is a healthy 6.5 percent real gain from 2006 and is 2.3 percentage points higher than the County. 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.