Agriculture, specifically family farming is the primary industry of Ongole was largely started by agricultural families within Prakasam district. Ongole is one of the major centres for tobacco trading in Andhra Pradesh.
During the 70s and 80s many small scale manufacturing enterprises dealing with shoes, paints, PVC and pharmaceuticals were prevalent but the vast majority did not survive competition from other parts of Andhra Pradesh and those out of state. The 80s and 90s saw a proliferation of hospitals and educational institutions. As the 90s progressed businesses involving granite mining, cutting and polishing companies sprang up around Ongole. Chimakurthy, which is located in close proximity to ongole is famous for its galaxy granite which has been a great income fetcher to the Government through royalty. This particular type of granite is exported to several nations like the U.S, China, Japan etc.The Granite industry led to good employment to both local and non-local labour.
Ongole is the district headquarters of Prakasam District. Over the years it has developed into a city with good schools and colleges. Lately, the quality of education has become quite good and is comparable to that of most cities in the state. With the advent of reforms in the educational sector, private engineering and medical college have started to serve the city
