Economy and Infrastructure

In general, southern Germany is one of Germany's economic engines and is characterized by relatively low unemployment. In 2010, the three Franconian administrative districts together generated a gross domestic product (GDP) of over 127,000 million euros, which corresponds to around two-thirds of Upper Bavaria's economic output. The average GDP per capita in 2010 was 28,500 euros in Upper Franconia, 30,700 euros in Lower Franconia, and 33,100 euros in Middle Franconia, which is around the range of the German average (30,500 euros). The Heilbronn-Franken region, which also includes areas outside of Franconia, has an economic output total of 26.6 billion euros (as of 2005) and is one of the high-income regions in the state. 

In general, unemployment in the Franconian districts of Bavaria is higher than in Upper Bavaria, for example. Nuremberg's unemployment rate is the highest in Bavaria. In Mainfranken (Würzburg/Schweinfurt area) unemployment continued to decline, reaching Upper Bavarian values ​​in 2015 and today it is one of the top 10 high-tech locations in Europe, also thanks to the networking of science and industry.

Numerous major companies, including Grundig, Triumph-Adler, MAN, Sachs, Brose, Adidas, Puma, Schaeffler, Hercules, Quelle, and Playmobil have their origins in Franconia, especially in the greater Nuremberg area. Some of these companies are still headquartered in the region today. The largest employers in the region are Siemens and Bosch.

Today, the most important industrial city in Franconia is Schweinfurt, since the former structural crisis of German industry was successfully overcome here and there never occurred any deindustrialization compared to Nuremberg. Schweinfurt is the European center of the roller bearing industry and is considered the world capital of ball bearings. The largest rolling bearing group in the world SKF, the second-largest Schaeffler, and the third-largest automotive supplier in the world ZF Friedrichshafen (formerly Fichtel & Sachs AG) each have their largest plant in Schweinfurt.

An important industrial pillar and typical for the region around Nuremberg are the medium-sized companies and pen manufacturers Faber-Castell, Schwan-STABILO, LYRA, and Staedtler. BMW also operates branches in Nuremberg and Fürth. Nuremberg is the largest printing location in Germany, including Der Spiegel and the trade journal C't. The Nürnberger Nachrichten with its numerous regional editions is printed on the outskirts of the old town. The Nuremberg Exhibition Center is one of the most important congress and trade fair locations in Germany; The Nuremberg Toy Fair, Consumenta, and BIOFACH are of supra-regional importance. Nürnberger Versicherung and HUK-Coburg are among the largest German insurers and are involved in regional sports sponsorship. The toy manufacturers Noris-Spiele and BIG-Spielwarenfabrik (known mainly to produce Bobby-Car) are based in Fürth.

The Franconia region is home to many medium-sized companies, craft businesses, hospitals, and care facilities that are looking for suitable employees.

Study and education

Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt

The Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt offers a total of thirteen bachelor's courses, eleven master's courses and five diploma courses at various faculties: from architecture and computer science to economics and mechanical engineering. There are currently 187 professors and 8654 students at the Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt.

University of Wuerzburg

Founded in 1402, the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) is one of the largest universities in Germany with over 28,000 students. The university has a wide range of subjects; Many new ones have been added to the classic courses of study in medicine, theology, philosophy, and law. For example, nanostructure technology, games engineering, modern China, digital humanities, media communication, human-computer systems, and museology - to name just a few.