NOAA Report on the 

U.S. Ocean and

Great Lakes Economy

Office for Coastal Management

ECONOMICS
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management

“Coastal management” is the term used by communities and organizations 

striving to keep the nation’s coasts safe from storms, rich in natural resources, 

and economically strong.

The national lead for these efforts is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s Office for Coastal Management, an organization devoted 

to partnerships, science, and good policy. This agency, housed within the 

National Ocean Service, oversees major initiatives that include the Coral Reef 

Conservation Program, Digital Coast, National Coastal Zone Management 

Program, and National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

Citation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for 

Coastal Management. 2018. “NOAA Report on the U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes 

Economy.” Charleston, SC: NOAA Office for Coastal Management. Available at

http://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/training/econreport.html.

Data Note: This report is based on 2015 Economics: National Ocean Watch 

(ENOW) data, produced by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. The 

employment and gross domestic product (GDP) statistics are derived from the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data 

(accessed in August 2017) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ GDP by State 

data (released in June 2017).
Table of Contents

Highlights ............................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2

National Profile ................................................................................................................... 4

The Importance of the Ocean Economy ........................................................................ 4

The Resilience of the Ocean Economy........................................................................... 5

The Diverse Composition of the Ocean Economy......................................................... 6

The Importance of Ocean-Dependent Jobs .................................................................. 7

Sector Profiles ................................................................................................................... 10

Marine Construction..................................................................................................... 10

Living Resources ........................................................................................................... 12

Offshore Mineral Extraction.......................................................................................... 16

Ship and Boat Building................................................................................................. 18

Tourism and Recreation ............................................................................................... 20

Marine Transportation.................................................................................................. 22
1 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Highlights

The U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy, which focuses on six economic sectors that depend on the 

oceans and Great Lakes, is an important and resilient part of the national economy. In 2015, the ocean 

economy accounted for

• 152,000 business establishments

• 3.2 million employees

• $128 billion in wages

• $320 billion in gross domestic product

In 2015, employment in the ocean economy increased 3.2 percent (adding 97,000 jobs). This was faster 

than the national average employment growth of 2.1 percent.

The ocean economy’s contribution to gross domestic product grew by 5.7 percent between 2014 and 2015. 

This was twice as fast as the U.S. economy as a whole (which grew by 2.7 percent).

In 2015, the ocean economy’s contribution to gross

domestic product grew by 5.7 percent—twice as fast as

the U.S. economy as a whole.
2 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Introduction

The oceans and Great Lakes support the lives, 

lifestyles, and livelihoods of all Americans. We fish 

from their waters, vacation on their edges, ship 

cargo on their surface, and extract oil, gas, sand, and 

gravel from their seafloors.

Ocean and Great Lakes-dependent activities are 

important contributors to the nation’s economy. 

Oil and gas production provides energy. Seafood 

production and processing meet the demands 

of restaurants and seafood markets. Tourism 

and recreation support millions of part-time and 

entry-level jobs. Marine construction, marine 

transportation, and ship building provide access to 

global markets.

The oceans and Great Lakes also provide a wide 

range of benefits that, although real and fitting for 

economic consideration, do not lend themselves 

to traditional measures of jobs, wages, and gross 

domestic product. Coastal and ocean ecosystems 

sequester carbon from the atmosphere, protect 

communities from the harmful effects of coastal 

storms, and provide myriad other benefits that 

support human life and well-being.

This report provides insights into the benefits 

derived from the oceans and Great Lakes that result 

in jobs and wages and that contribute directly to 

the nation’s gross domestic product. This focus 

should not be understood to mean that the benefits 

whose footprints show up well in market data are 

the largest or most important ones. Instead, data 

presented in this report should be taken for what 

they are—indicators of the impacts that oceans and 

Great Lakes resources and ecological systems have 

on the market economy of the United States, viewed 

through the lens of nationally consistent data 

produced by federal agencies.

Data presented in this report are from the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) data set. 

ENOW data are produced by NOAA in partnership 

with the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, and Bureau of the Census, and 

are derived from some of these agencies’ most 

respected and commonly used data.

The consistency of ENOW’s representation of the 

ocean economy with these data sets is one of its 

primary advantages. Another is the fact that it is 

produced in a manner that yields results that are 

comparable across time and from place to place. 

Gross domestic product figures are also updated 

each year for past years, so that the results are 

consistent with the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ 

annual improvements of national and industrial 

data. ENOW data are available for the years 2005 

through 2015 for about 400 coastal counties, 30 

coastal states, 8 regions, and the nation.

The ocean economy, as represented in the ENOW 

data, includes six economic sectors that depend in 

various ways on the oceans and Great Lakes:

• living resources

• marine construction

• marine transportation

• offshore mineral extraction

• ship and boat building

• tourism and recreation

A review of this list underscores the complexity 

and importance of effective use, management, and 

governance of the oceans and Great Lakes. Some 

economic activities, like commercial fishing (part of 

the living resources sector), depend on the health of 

coastal and ocean ecosystems. Yet all of the sectors 

include activities that have the potential to harm 

these ecosystems, putting jobs, wages, and gross 

domestic product (as well has human life and wellbeing) at risk.

Maintaining the strength and sustainability of these 

ocean-based activities requires that we exercise 

good stewardship and care for the systems that 

support them.
3 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

National Summary

Marine Construction

Living Resources

O
shore Mineral Extraction 

Ship and Boat Building 

Tourism and Recreation 

Marine Transportation

2% 2%

5%

5%

72%

14%

2% 2%

33%

36% 6%

16%

The ocean economy accounted for 2.3% of total employment and 

1.8% of total GDP in the United States 

$320 billion

Employment GDP

3.2 million

3.7%

0.9%

-7.9%

2.6%

3.5%

6.1%

3.2%

2.1%

Annual Growth in Employment

All Ocean Sectors 

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

4.7%

1.0%

10.7%

3.4%

2.8%

1.5%

5.7%

2.7%

Annual Growth in GDP

U.S. Total Economy

All Ocean Sectors 

U.S. Total Economy
4 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

National Profile

The Importance of the Ocean Economy

In 2015, the ocean economy’s 152,000 business establishments employed about 3.2 million people, paid 

$128 billion in wages, and produced $320 billion in goods and services. This accounted for about 2.3 percent 

of the nation’s employment and 1.8 percent of its gross domestic product.

This seems small, but our nation’s economy is diverse and includes many “small” but integral parts. Most 

people, for example, have some sense of the importance of better-known economic activities like crop 

production, telecommunications, and building construction. In 2015, the ocean economy employed more 

people than these three sectors combined.

The U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy accounted for

Wages

3.2 million $128 b illion

Establishments Employees

152,000 $320 billion

Goods and Services

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

 

Crop

Production

Telecommunications Building

Construction

Ocean

Economy

2.8 Million

U.S. Total Employment Comparison

3.2 Million
5 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

The Resilience of the Ocean Economy

The ocean economy weathered the recession of 2007 to 2009 better than the U.S. coastal economy1 and 

total economy as a whole.

In 2015, employment in the ocean economy increased by 11.5 percent from pre-recession levels (2007), 

while employment in the U.S. economy as a whole grew about 3.0 percent since 2007. From 2014 to 2015, 

the ocean and Great Lakes economy gained about 97,000 employees, an increase of 3.2 percent—more than 

the U.S. economy as a whole, which grew by 2.1 percent during the same period.

Trends in gross domestic product also show the resilience of the ocean economy. In 2015, inflation-adjusted 

gross domestic product in the ocean economy was 26.1 percent higher than pre-recession levels (2007), 

contrasted with a 9.1 percent increase in the U.S. economy as a whole. In just one year, from 2014 to 2015, 

the ocean economy’s Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product grew by 5.7 percent—twice the rate of 

growth experienced in the nation as a whole (2.7 percent).

An important contributor to the ocean economy’s strong performance in terms of gross domestic product in 

2015 was the offshore mineral extraction sector, where inflation-adjusted gross domestic product increased 

by 10.7 percent. This growth was concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico where offshore oil production increased 

by 8.4 percent (measured in barrels of oil).2 Employment in the marine transportation sector showed the 

highest rate of increase (6.1 percent), but employment in the tourism and recreation sector grew the most 

(79,000 jobs).

In 2015, gross domestic product in all six ocean sectors increased, and employment increased in all sectors 

except offshore mineral extraction.

1 U.S. Coastal Economy represents the total economy in the shoreline counties.

2 U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Crude Oil Production, Feb 2018” and “Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production, 

Feb 2018.” Accessed at https://eia.gov.

Percentage Changes in Employment

Ocean Economy Coastal Economy U.S. Economy

-6.0

-3.0

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

12.0

15.0

18.0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
6 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

The Diverse Composition of the Ocean Economy

The six ocean-dependent sectors make very different contributions to the economy, as seen in the next 

figure, which compares measures of employment and gross domestic product. Some sectors, like tourism 

and recreation, include service-intensive activities that support a large number of jobs. Employment in this 

sector accounts for a much larger share of the ocean economy (72.3 percent) than would be expected in 

light of its much smaller contribution to gross domestic product (36.1 percent). On the other hand, capitalintensive industries, like offshore mineral extraction, yield high levels of gross domestic product with a 

relatively small workforce (4.9 percent). In 2015, offshore mineral extraction was the second largest sector of 

the ocean economy in terms of gross domestic product (33.4 percent).

An important distinction should be made about the relationship of these economic activities to the ocean 

resources and ecological systems that support them. Some ocean sectors make non-consumptive use of 

the oceans. Marine transportation, ship and boat building, and marine construction are ocean-dependent 

because they require proximity to the ocean and involve activities that do not consume or “use up” ocean 

resources. Commercial fishing is an extractive activity. Fish are harvested from the ocean, but with proper 

management fish harvesting can be sustainable into the future. Offshore mineral extraction is different, 

being dependent on a very large but finite base of resources. Coastal tourism and recreation includes both 

consumptive uses of ocean resources (recreational fishing) and non-consumptive uses (beachgoing).

Marine

Construction

Living Oshore Mineral

Extraction

Ship and Boat

Building

Tourism and

Recreation

Marine

Transportation

Annual Percentage Change by Sector, 2015

Employment GDP

3.7

0.9

-7.9

2.6 3.5

6.1

4.7

1.0

10.7

3.4 2.8

1.5

Resources
7 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

The fact that all these activities take place in the same marine environment underscores the complexity and 

importance of effective use, management, and governance of the oceans and Great Lakes.

The Importance of Ocean-Dependent Jobs

Average wages across the ocean economy vary greatly. In 2015, offshore mineral extraction paid the highest 

wage per employee ($150,000) in the ocean and Great Lakes economy. The occupations represented in this 

sector range from the workers on offshore oil platforms to the engineers, geologists, and mappers who 

support exploration activities. The tourism and recreation sector paid the lowest average wage ($24,000) 

of all ocean economy sectors. This is partly due to the large share of part-time jobs in the sector, which are 

often held by students and others just entering the work force.3

The living resources sector also paid an average wage ($42,000) that was lower than the national average of 

$53,000. Similar to tourism and recreation, this sector employs a significant number of seasonal and parttime workers, most of whom are not highly paid. The three remaining sectors—marine construction, marine 

transportation, and ship and boat building—all paid wages that were higher than the 2015 national average.

3 U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) Data. Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics 

Program. Accessed at http://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/#qwi.

Marine Construction

Living Resources

O
shore Mineral Extraction

Ship and Boat Building

Tourism and Recreation

Marine Transportation

Employment and GDP by Ocean Sector, 2015

Employment GDP

2% 2%

5%

5%

72%

14%

2% 2%

33%

6% 36%

21%
8 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

2015 Employment versus Wages

72.3%

of total 

employment

$24,000

wages

per employee

per year

Tourism and 

Recreation Sector

Oshore Mineral 

Extraction Sector

4.9%

of total 

employment

$150,000

wages

per employee

per year
9 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

2015 Wages per Employee

Working on the Water 

All three sectors paid an average wage per

employee above the national average of $53,000

Marine

Transportation

Ship and

Boat Building

Marine

Construction

$72,000

Average wage

per employee

$66,000

Average wage

per employee

$72,000

Average wage

per employee
10 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Sector Profiles

Marine Construction

The marine construction sector accounts for the heavy construction activities associated with dredging of 

navigation channels, beach renourishment, and dock building. Although it would seem logical to include 

activities associated with the construction of oil and gas pipelines that directly support offshore oil and gas 

production, the underlying data are almost always suppressed because of the small number of businesses 

in any one area. In many cases, protecting the confidentiality of these businesses requires the suppression 

of the entire sector, including information for activities that could otherwise be reported. For this reason, 

these activities are not included in ENOW’s data on the ocean economy. The effect of this omission is most 

prominent in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

The Marine Construction Sector accounted for

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

Wages

44,557 $3.2 b illion

Establishments Employees

3,080 $6.2 billion

Goods and Services

Marine construction accounted for 1.4 percent of the employment and 1.9 percent of the gross domestic 

product in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy. While the sector represents a small percentage of the 

ocean economy, it is an integral component, paying one of the highest average wages per employee of 

$72,000, much higher than the national average of $53,000. Furthermore, dredging navigation channels and 

renourishing beaches are vital to the marine transportation and tourism and recreation sectors.

Since activity in this sector is affected, for example, by weather’s influences on sedimentation and erosion 

and federal, state, and local governments’ ability to fund new projects, the level of activity tends to vary 

significantly, even at the national level. From 2014 to 2015, gross domestic product in this sector reversed 

a two-year downward trend, growing by 4.7 percent, much higher than the overall U.S. economy growth 

rate of 2.7 percent. At the state and local levels, trends of marine construction activities are far more erratic, 

spiking and rapidly declining as major harbor dredging or beach renourishment projects are initiated and 

completed. Since important private sector components of this sector (oil and gas pipeline construction) are 

not reflected in the data, the effects of government spending decisions are an important factor in trends, 

often overshadowing general economic conditions.

Marine construction activities occur in most regions of the U.S., but they are highly concentrated in 

Texas, Florida, California, and Louisiana, which together in 2015 accounted for about 55.9 percent of the 

employment and about 53.9 percent of the gross domestic product in this sector.
11 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Annual Totals

3.7%

3.2%

2.1%

Marine Construction

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Annual Changes in Employment

Marine Construction Sector

4.7%

5.7%

2.7%

Marine Construction

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Annual Changes in GDP

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

Employment

44,557

GDP

 

$6.2 billion

Marine Related Construction

This sector accounted for 1.4% of total employment

and 1.9% of total GDP in the ocean economy
12 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Living Resources

The living resources sector includes commercial fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing and markets.

The living resources sector accounted for only 2.0 percent of the employment and 2.4 percent of the gross 

domestic product of the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy, with the second lowest average wage of the 

ocean sectors. However, it’s important to remember that this relatively small sector accounts for all the 

seafood produced in the U.S. and, in this regard, is similar to the highly productive U.S. agriculture industry.

Seafood processing is the largest industry in the living resources sector, accounting for 58.3 percent of the 

sector’s employment and 57.0 percent of the gross domestic product. This industry accounts for most of the 

employed workers in the sector.

From 2014 to 2015, employment in the sector increased by 0.9 percent, and gross domestic product 

(adjusted for inflation) grew by 1.0 percent. As with the offshore mineral extraction sector, gross domestic 

product in the living resources sector is sensitive to the global price of the resource being harvested. This 

sector recovered more slowly than the U.S. total economy, with the number of business establishments and 

employment well below pre-recession levels.

An important attribute of this sector is its reliance on the health of coastal and ocean ecosystems—wetlands 

that serve as habitat and feeding grounds for marine fish, estuaries that are the primary habitat for oysters 

and other shellfish, and the marine ecosystems where much of the finfish harvesting takes place. The health 

of these ecosystems can be affected by a wide range of other activities, including some ocean-dependent 

activities, which underscores the need for wise use, conservation, and management of ocean, coastal, and 

even upland resources.

Another important feature of this sector is its cultural significance. Even where it accounts for a relatively 

small percentage of total employment, commercial fishing can be an important component of a 

community’s identity, affecting the nature of “families, friends, schools, churches, politics, and social 

networks.”4 Lobster, crab, oysters, and finfish are important to cultural identities from Maine to Chesapeake 

Bay on the mid-Atlantic coast, Apalachicola Bay in Florida, and Grays Harbor in Washington. Even seafood 

processing and marketing can shape cultural identities; consider the examples of Cannery Row in Monterey, 

California, and the Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

4 Jacob, Steve, Michael Jepson, and Frank L. Farmer. 2005. “What You See Is Not Always What You Get: Aspect Dominance as a Confounding Factor in the Determination of Fishing Dependent Communities.” Human Organization. Volume 

64, Number 4. Pages 374 to 385.

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

The Living Resources Sector accounted for

Wages

62,156 $2.6 b illion

Establishments Employees

6,119 $7.6 billion

Goods and Services
13 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

But perhaps the most distinctive attribute of this sector is the importance of self-employed workers in 

seafood harvesting. Even though fishing vessels require multiple crew members, these individuals are 

frequently not employed by the owner but work for a share of the catch. At a national level, roughly half 

the workers in this sector are self-employed, most of whom work in fish harvesting (as opposed to seafood 

processing and marketing).

For this reason, NOAA has developed a complementary data set, ENOW for Self-Employed Workers, which 

is derived from the Nonemployer Statistics produced by the Bureau of the Census. In 2015, self-employed 

fishermen accounted for 55,299 jobs, bringing the total number of jobs in the living resources sector to more 

than 117,000.

In 2015, more than $3.2 billion in gross receipts was reported by the self-employed in the living resources 

sector, larger than the amount of wages paid to employment in the same year. While these figures are not 

directly comparable (operating expenses are paid from gross receipts; this is not the case with wages), the 

gross receipts of the self-employed show the economic importance of this component of the sector.

The chart below shows the combined number of employed and self-employed workers in the living 

resources sectors. Measured in these terms, the leading centers of the living resources sector are Alaska and 

Washington. Both states have high levels of employment relative to self-employed workers. Self-employed 

workers in Florida, Maine, and Louisiana outnumber employees by large margins, largely because of selfemployed workers in fish, oyster, and lobster harvesting.

2015 Employed and Self-Employed 

Employed Self-Employed

62,156 workers 55,299 workers

Nearly half of the living resources sector’s 

workforce is self-employed.
14 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Since self-employed workers are such a large part of this sector, combining the self-employed workers 

with employed workers provides a more accurate and complete picture of the sector. The remainder of 

this report, however, looks exclusively at the component of ENOW data that focuses on businesses with 

employees, since self-employed workers account for only 4.0 percent of the total jobs in the ocean economy, 

with 41.6 percent of those jobs in the living resources sector.

Leading States in the Living Resources Sector, 2015

Employment Self-Employment

 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000

Maine

Massachusetts

Louisiana

Florida

Washington

Alaska

4,527

1,918

3,080

3,967

9,355

10,796

3,091

6,020

5,566

7,277

3,681

8,130
15 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Living Resources

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Fishing

Fish Hatcheries and Aquaculture

Seafood Processing

Seafood Markets

Living Resources

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Employment

62,156

GDP

$7.6 billion

Living Resources Sector

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

0.9%

3.2%

2.1%

9%

10%

58%

23% 20%

12%

57%

11%

1.0%

5.7%

2.7%

Annual Totals

Annual Changes in Employment Annual Changes in GDP

This sector accounted for 2.0% of total employment

and 2.4% of total GDP in the ocean economy
16 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Offshore Mineral Extraction

Offshore mineral extraction includes oil and gas exploration and production, as well as limestone, sand, and 

gravel mining in the coastal and marine environment. The largest component of this sector is oil and gas 

production, which is concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico region.

In 2015, offshore mineral extraction accounted for only 4.9 percent of the total employment in the ocean 

economy but contributed 33.4 percent of its gross domestic product. Average wages per employee of more 

than $150,000 per year were more than twice the national average, and that number was largely due to 

the high wages in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. Average wages per employee in the 

limestone, sand, and gravel industry were about $66,000, also higher than the national average.

Offshore mineral extraction is capital-intensive, requiring substantial investments in research, engineering, 

infrastructure, and operational equipment such as oceangoing vessels, and demanding comparably high 

skill sets that command high wages. The fact that much of the work takes place in hazardous conditions 

tends to further increase wages. The oil and natural gas extracted are sold at relatively high prices, which 

help account for the large contribution this sector makes to the ocean economy’s gross domestic product.

Oil and gas exploration and production is the dominant industry in this sector, accounting for 96.1 percent 

of the employment and 98.3 percent of the gross domestic product in 2015. Limestone, sand, and gravel 

production is generally performed in support of construction activities and is, therefore, widely distributed 

among the U.S. coastal states. Generally speaking, states with large economies and long coastlines, like 

California, Washington, Florida, and Texas, have the greatest production of sand, gravel, and limestone.

From 2014 to 2015, employment in the offshore mineral extraction sector declined by 7.9 percent, while 

gross domestic product grew by 10.7 percent. The growth in gross domestic product was concentrated in 

the Gulf of Mexico where offshore oil production increased by 8.4 percent (measured in barrels of oil).5,

6

Future trends in this sector will likewise be driven by oil prices and production levels, which are more 

sensitive to global than national conditions.

The national center of the oil and gas industry is Texas. Harris County, Texas, alone accounted for 66.0 

percent of the employment in the nation’s offshore mineral extraction sector and 80.0 percent of its gross 

domestic product.

5 U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Crude Oil Production, Feb 2018” and “Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and 

Production, Feb 2018.” Accessed at https://eia.gov.

6 As reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real value added (adjusted for inflation) for oil and gas extraction increased 

18.7 percent for the nation as a whole from 2014 to 2015; value added (not adjusted for inflation) fell by 37.0 percent over the 

same period. This wide disparity reflects dramatic changes in oil prices coupled with a 7.5 percent increase in oil production 

nationally. Similar disparities between value added and real value added were manifested in the ocean economy statistics for the 

entire offshore mineral extraction sector.

Wages

157,011 $23.5 b illion

Establishments Employees

5,179 $107 billion

Goods and Services

The Oshore Mineral Extraction Sector accounted for

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015
17 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Oshore Mineral

Extraction

Oshore Mineral

Extraction

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Employment

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

Limestone, Sand, and Gravel Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

4%

96%

2%

98%

157,011

GDP

 

$107 billion

Oshore Mineral Extraction

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Annual Changes in Employment Annual Changes in GDP

Annual Totals

This sector accounted for 4.9% of total employment

and 33.4% of total GDP in the ocean economy

-7.9%

3.2%

2.1%

10.7%

5.7%

2.7%
18 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Ship and Boat Building

This sector includes the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, recreational boats, commercial 

fishing vessels, ferries, and other marine vessels. An important attribute of this sector is the concentration 

of large shipyards in a few locations around the country. However, boat building and repair activity is spread 

more evenly around the country, with concentrations in areas with high levels of commercial fishing and 

recreational boating.

In 2015, the ship and boat building sector accounted for 5.1 percent of the employment and 5.6 percent of 

the gross domestic product in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy. Average wages per employee, of 

$66,000, were significantly higher than the national average of $53,000. The ship building, maintenance, and 

repair component of this sector accounted for about 83.7 percent of the employment and 84.7 percent of 

the gross domestic product.

Wages

160,612 $10.6 b illion

Establishments Employees

1,789 $17.9 billion

Goods and Services

The Ship and Boat Building Sector accounted for

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

The ship and boat building sector grew at a rate of 2.6 percent in employment and 3.4 percent in gross 

domestic product from 2014 to 2015. This sector has been experiencing some ups and downs over the years 

with a significant decline during the economic recession, particularly in the boat building industry.

Ship building, ship repairs, and to some extent boat building tend to be concentrated in a few areas around 

the country. Major shipyards, for example, are absent from most areas’ ocean economies, but where they 

are present, they typically employ several thousand workers. This sector also includes boat repair services—

generally small businesses that are common in most areas that are frequented by recreational boats.

In 2015, Virginia contributed most to employment in this sector, accounting for 23.0 percent of the 

employment. Washington State was the largest contributor to gross domestic products in this sector, 

accounting for 20.7 percent of the total. Kitsap County, Washington, was the largest county in the nation’s 

ship and boat building sector; it alone accounted for about 8.3 percent of the employment and 16.1 percent 

of the gross domestic product in the nation’s ship and boat building sector.
19 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Ship and Boat Building

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Ship and Boat Building

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Ship Building and Repair Boat Building and Repair

Ship and Boat Building

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

Annual Changes in Employment Annual Changes in GDP

Annual Totals

This sector accounted for 5.1% of total employment

and 5.6% of total GDP in the ocean economy

GDP

$17.9 billion

Employment

160,612

84%

16%

85%

15%

2.6%

3.2%

2.1%

3.4%

5.7%

2.7%
20 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Tourism and Recreation

The tourism and recreation sector has more business establishments and employs more people than all 

the other five sectors combined, but only accounts for about a third of the ocean economy’s gross domestic 

product. This sector includes a wide range of businesses that attract or support ocean-based tourism and 

recreation: eating and drinking places, hotels and lodging, scenic water tours, aquariums, parks, marinas, 

boat dealers, recreational vehicle parks and campsites, and associated sporting goods manufacturing.

An important attribute of this sector is the seasonal nature of much of the activity and the large number 

of part-time employees that it supports. This, in part, accounts for the relatively low wages for employees 

in this sector. It should be noted that workers in this sector on average are relatively young, with a large 

number of students to whom seasonal employment is ideally suited.

Another important attribute of this sector is the fact that many of the coastal and ocean amenities that 

attract visitors are free, generating no direct employment, wages, or gross domestic product. However, 

these “nonmarket” features are usually key drivers for all of the market-based activity. It should also be 

noted that the market-based aspects of this sector can be greatly affected by ecosystem health, water 

quality, and the associated aesthetics.

Since many of the activities associated with this sector, like hotels and restaurants, are not always oceandependent, only businesses located in shore-adjacent zip codes are considered to be ocean-dependent.

Wages

2.3 million $55.2 b illion

Establishments Employees

125,395 $116 billion

Goods and Services

The Tourism and Recreaction Sector accounted for

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

The majority of the jobs are in hotels and restaurants in nearshore areas where many of the tourist 

attractions are located, with these two industries alone accounting for 93.9 percent of the employment and 

92.0 percent of the gross domestic product in this sector. Although the other industries are much smaller 

compared with hotels and restaurants—for example, aquariums, whale watching, and recreational fishing 

charters—they are arguably the drivers for tourists’ visits to the coast. Vacationers stay at hotels and eat in 

restaurants, but the real attraction is the ocean-related recreational activities and the nonmarket activities 

like surfing and beach visitation.

This sector recovered rapidly from the economic recession. From 2014 to 2015, tourism and recreation 

gained 79,000 jobs, accounting for about four-fifths of the employment growth in the ocean economy. 

Gross domestic product in the tourism and recreation sector declined during the economic recession but 

recovered rapidly and has grown for six consecutive years, with a growth rate of 2.8 percent in 2015.

The boat dealer industry declined steadily between 2005 and 2013, corresponding to declines in the 

boat building industry. However, this industry began to rebound in 2014, with growth in gross domestic 

product of 7.4 percent in 2015. The amusement and recreation services industry grew the fastest in both 

employment (5.5 percent) and gross domestic product (9.3 percent) from 2014 to 2015.

California and Florida are the two major contributors to the sector, accounting for more than one-third of its 

total employment and gross domestic product in 2015.
21 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Tourism and Recreation

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Tourism and Recreation

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Tourism and Recreation

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

Zoos and Aquaria

Boat Dealers

Eating and Drinking Places 

Hotels and Lodging Places 

Marinas

RV Parks and Campgrounds 

Scenic Water Tours

Sporting Goods Manufacturing

Amusement and Recreation Services 

Annual Changes in Employment Annual Changes in GDP

Annual Totals

This sector accounted for 72.3% of total employment

and 36.1% of total GDP in the ocean economy

GDP

$116 billion

Employment

2.3 Million

75%

19%

3%1%

59%

33%

3% 2%

3.5%

3.2%

2.1%

2.8%

5.7%

2.7%
22 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Marine Transportation

This sector includes businesses engaged in the traffic of deep-sea freight, marine passenger services, 

pipeline transportation, marine transportation services, warehousing, and the manufacture of navigation 

equipment. It accounted for 14.3 percent of the employment and 20.6 percent of the gross domestic product 

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy. While the sector represents a smaller percentage of the ocean 

economy than tourism and recreation or offshore mineral extraction, it is an integral component of the 

ocean economy, paying one of the highest average wages per employee, $72,000, in 2015.

Wages

454,117 $32.8 b illion

Establishments Employees

10,084 $65.9 billion

Goods and Services

The Marine Transportation Sector accounted for

in the U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy in 2015

Warehousing is the largest component of the marine transportation sector in terms of employment, 

accounting for 46.6 percent of total employment for the sector. To avoid overestimation, only warehousing 

activities located in shore-adjacent counties are included in the ENOW data.

Also, while these figures include economic activity associated with loading, unloading, and warehousing 

cargo and supporting its movement in and out of harbors, they do not include the value of the cargo 

itself. Including cargo values would not be an appropriate measure of the direct contribution of marine 

transportation to the national economy, but the $1.5 trillion of cargo imported or exported through our 

ports in 2015 is indicative of the large indirect effects of our coastal ports.7 These goods accounted for 40 

percent of U.S. foreign trade as measured by value and 69 percent as measured by weight.8 These effects are 

realized across the nation, accruing as benefits to the producers of agricultural and manufactured products 

that are sold in international markets and to the manufacturers and retailers whose businesses rely in part 

on imported goods.

In the marine transportation sector, about 21.4 percent of employment and 25.7 percent of gross domestic 

product are supported by California. The rest is distributed across the nation, concentrated around major 

seaports.

7 U.S. Census Bureau. “FT920: U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights, December 2015.” Accessed at www.census.gov/

foreign-trade/Press-Release/2015pr/12/ft920/index.html.

8 U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. “Freight Facts and Figures 2017.” Accessed at www.bts.

gov/sites/bts.dot.gov/files/docs/FFF_2017.pdf.
23 | NOAA REPORT ON THE U.S. OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES ECONOMY

Annual Totals

Marine Transportation Sector

2015 U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes Economy

Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW)

coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/enow

Marine Transportation

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Marine Freight 

Marine Transportation Services 

Marine Passenger Transportation Warehousing

Search and Navigation Equipment 

Marine Transportation

All Ocean Sectors

U.S. Total Economy

Annual Changes in Employment Annual Changes in GDP

Employment

454,117

GDP

$65.9 billion

5% 4%

22%

23%

46%

11%

7%

19%

38%

25%

6.1%

3.2%

2.1%

1.5%

5.7%

2.7%

Marine transportation accounted for 14.3% of total employment 

and 20.6% of total GDP in the ocean economy
Office for Coastal Management

coast.noaa.gov

2018