COASTAL AMERICA
A DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PICTURE
Monterey, California
Sitka, Alaska
Acknowledgments
Key Findings
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report was prepared by the Center for the Blue Economy of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey for the NOAA Office for Coastal Management .
Authors of the study are:
• Charles S Colgan PhD, Director of Research
• Anthony Castelletto, Research Associate
• Alissa Miller-Gonzales, Research Associate
Supporting team from NOAA included
• Kate Quigley
• Travis Grout
• Charlotte Tierney
• Nataly Medina Polina Dineva
Citation
This report should be cited as:
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management Coastal America: A Demographic and Economic Picture. 2025 Monterey, CA: Center for the Blue Economy
Monterey, California
KEY FINDINGS
America’s coasts are perhaps most commonly seen as a “place to get away ” This is understandable given the great variety of shoreline along the oceans and Great Lakes that millions visit . But America’s coasts are also home to tens of millions and the location of a significant share of the American economy This report explores these dimensions of coastal America, providing multiple lenses on who lives and works in coastal America
The oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic), the Great Lakes, and their coasts are immensely complex places . In this study, the coast is defined as 452 counties (and county equivalents) that have an ocean or Great Lake shoreline across 30 states, 3 territories, and 2 commonwealths Any attempt to tell a story of their population, housing, jobs, and economic contribution is, inevitably, an oversimplification However, even a brief overview reveals important stories These include:
Population
• In 2022 over 131 million people live on the coast, 31% of the total U .S . population
• The coastal population increased by 8% between 2010 and 2022, but this masked a slowdown in population growth after 2017
• There are more than twice as many people per square mile on the coast (217 . 2) than the inland areas of the coastal states (99 .7) .
• The coastal county population is older with a median age of 42 compared with the national median age of 39 The coast has only slightly more people over 65 (16 9% of the population compared with the nation’s 16 .5% . It is the smaller share of people under 20 (24 .8% in coastal counties, compared with 26 .% in the coastal states as a whole .
• The coastal population moved less often in 2022 than it did in 2010, and mostly moved within the same coastal county
• The low-income population in coastal counties (20 .1%) is slightly smaller to that of other parts of the coastal states (20 .5%) .
Housing
• The coast has more expensive housing, pushing housing development away from coastal to inland counties .
• The proportion of households burdened by housing costs (housing exceeds 30% of income) is much higher in coastal counties, though rising incomes have reduced housing burdens over the past decade
• There are coastal areas with both high and low housing costs . Urban regions and the entire West Coast tend to have higher costs while the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes regions, and Alaska offer the lowest costs
• The Southeast and Gulf of Mexico states saw the fastest housing growth among coastal counties .
The Coastal Economy
The Coastal Economy comprises all of the economic activity that takes place within coastal counties . It reflects the intensity of land use in coastal areas, highlighting the need for space for uses such as office buildings, health care facilities, parking lots, and roads .
• In 2022 there were 53 million jobs in coastal counties, 37% of total U S employment
• Coastal counties accounted for $7 01 trillion, or 34% of the GDP
• The largest employment sectors in coastal counties are Education and Health Services, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
• Employment growth over 2010-2020 was significantly faster than population growth in coastal counties . Employment growth overall is thus the most important driver of socioeconomic change of coastal regions .
The Coast At Risk
Weather related hazards have always been present along coastal America, but climate change has greatly expanded both the geography and magnitude of the risk .
• The proportion of residential properties in coastal counties at risk from flooding ranges from near 0% to over 80% over a thirty year period (the length of many mortgages) depending on area of focus The areas of greatest risk are located in the Southeastern and Gulf of Mexico states . Lower risks exist in the Northeast and Great Lakes, but no county is entirely without risk .
• Employment locations at risk are high in the same areas as residential properties, but they are also high in California and the Mid-Atlantic area The counties with the highest risk to employment contain over 60,000 jobs that are at risk,
The Marine Economy
A key part of the economic activity in coastal areas is linked directly or indirectly to the oceans and Great Lakes . The term for this portion of the economy is the “marine economy”, which is measured through two different statistical series: the Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) focusing on the national level which is reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Economics National Ocean Watch (ENOW), published by NOAA for the state and county levels .
The National Marine Economy
• In 2021, the marine economy contributed $432 billion to the U .S . Gross Domestic Product (measured as value added) .
• The Marine Economy can be organized by “Activities” which are specific marine related categories The largest activity by GDP is “National Defense and Public Administration”, driven primarily by the U S Navy The second largest sector by GDP is tourism and recreation and the third is Offshore Oil and Gas, though this sector varies in size with oil prices .
• The Marine Economy can also be organized by Industry so that it can be directly compared with other industries in the National Income accounts From a sector perspective, the largest sector remains Government, with Mining (Offshore Oil and Gas) second Tourism and Recreation is still large, but it is distributed across a number of industries .
• The industry perspective provides data on employment within the national marine economy . (Employment is not yet available for the activities-based measurements in MESA ) The Government sector remains the largest, but the tourism and recreation sector is now the second largest
• The marine economy has generally lagged behind the U .S . economy in both employment and value added growth from 2014–2021, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a notable dip in 2020
Verrazano Narrows, New York
The State and County Marine Economy
• Marine economies for the 30 coastal states contribute an average of 4 .9% of GDP and 7 . 3% of employment to the state economies . The ocean economy contributes 4% to state GDP and 7% to state employment GDP contributions range from 0 4% to 28% Employment contributions range from 0 6% to 32%
• Alaska leads in GDP contribution to its state economy due to its unique coast-centered population . Texas and Louisiana rank high because of offshore oil and gas industries which have the largest GDP values, while Maine’s significant share of state GDP originating in marine GDP is driven by ship and boat building and repair
• As a percentage of total state employment, Alaska has the largest marine economy . Florida and Maine follow, with high marine economy employment shares driven by the large tourism and recreation sectors .
• The tourism and recreation sector makes up the largest share of state marine economies in almost all cases New York, driven by New York City, leads the state in tourism and recreation employment share, with South Carolina also ranking high . Alaska, Texas, and Louisiana have the lowest shares in employment owing to their coastlines and the dominance of oil and gas in these states’ ocean economies
• After tourism and recreation, living resources (fishing, fish processing and markets), and aquaculture have the second largest share of employment, including states in the Pacific Northwest and Massachusetts and Maine in the Northeast . However this data understates the size of this sector because of the lack of data on fish harvesting .
• Two sectors that are included in MESA are also now included in ENOW: state and local government coastal-related spending and electric power production State and local government spending on parks, recreation, and natural resource management in coastal areas is proportional to the size of state populations and economies . However, per square mile of coastal county, this spending is highest in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland
• Electric power production in coastal regions is undergoing a change from primarily fossil fuels to renewable generation . To monitor this shift, electric power has been added to ENOW . Nationally, coastal electric power generators within 5 km of the coast contribute to 5,600 jobs and $11 9 billion in GDP Coastal electric power is largest in large coastal states like Florida, California, Michigan and New York
• Combined, the two new sectors (state and local government spending and electric power) add 507,000 jobs to the state marine economy and $82 million in GDP, primarily from the state and local government sector 96% of the new sectors
• A key feature of the coastal economy is that, in many places, it grows substantially during peak parts of the year . The difference between summer and winter is greatest along the East Coast, with peaks in the third quarter, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states of Maryland and New Jersey, as well as in Maine and Michigan .
• The COVID 19 Pandemic had a significant effect on the marine economy of all states, primarily because of the effects on coastal tourism and recreation The effects were relatively short lived, with significant recovery underway in 2021
• The Pacific territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, together with the Caribbean territories of the U .S . Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto are either not included or included only partly in the underlying U S economic statistics used to construct the MESA and ENOW A special study examined the marine economy of these areas over 2019-2021
• Puerto Rico has the largest marine economy as well as the largest overall economy of the five territories and commonwealths . Guam has the largest economy of the Pacific territories, even without including the large U S Navy presence there
• The years covered by this study made it difficult to detect trends in the territories’ marine economies other than the effects of COVID . Employment declined in all the territories, with the Northern Marianas seeing a 35% decline . Recovery only barely began in 2021 across the territories .
Indiana Dunes
INTRODUCTION
America’s coastline extends more than 95,000 miles (153,000 km) from the Arctic Ocean in the northwest to the Florida Keys in the southeast, plus the islands of Hawaii and the territories in the Pacific and Caribbean . It extends from the upper reaches of Lake Superior to the beginning of the St Lawrence River It encompasses 30 states, three territories, and two commonwealths
It includes the estuaries of the country’s major rivers, including the Hudson, Mississippi, and Columbia . Three major bays, the Chesapeake, San Francisco and Puget Sound, are included . The shoreline lands include the beaches that extend from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to Brownsville, Texas, as well as coastal mountain ranges in California, Washington and Alaska
The 452 counties touching the shoreline (including municipios in Puerto Rico) had a population of about 131 . 3 million in 2022, which accounts for nearly three in every ten U .S . residents . Those counties also accounted for about 52 .8 million jobs in 2021 . All of this takes place on 17% of the land area of the United States
This intensity of use of a relatively small part of the U S geography, a part also characterized by the unique natural resources of estuaries, the ocean, and the Great Lakes, was a major reason behind the first systematic evaluation of the coast and its resources presented in a 1969 report, Our Nation and the Sea by the Commission on Marine, Science, Engineering, and Resources (the “Stratton Commission”) The follow up to this report included the passage of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and five decades of investments by federal, state, and local governments to use coastal resources as sustainably as possible
While the commitment to sustainable use has remained somewhat constant over the past 5 decades, the context in which that commitment must be exercised has changed significantly The uses of the coast have become even more intense and complex More people live and work on the coast More people visit the coast The coast accounts for a larger proportion of the national economy . And more people and property are at risk from weather-related hazards .
Understanding how people interact with the coast is fundamental to sustainable uses of the coast’s resources This report provides an overview of key socioeconomic trends that have been occurring in coastal America from 2010 to recent years The report addresses such questions as:
• How has the population of the coast changed in size and demographic characteristics?
• How have national trends in housing changed the coast?
• How do growth in population and growth in jobs in coastal areas compare to the national average?
• How do the ocean, Great Lakes, and coasts contribute to the national and regional economy, and what has changed?
• What are unique features of the economy in the coastal areas?
The focus of the analysis is on the 30 states bordering the ocean and Great Lakes . Throughout this assessment, the “coast” refers to the 452 coastal counties that intersect with the NOAAdesignated shorelines of the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes It also includes the Pacific territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands plus the Caribbean territories of the U S Virgin islands and the shoreline-adjacent municipios of Puerto Rico (“Counties” includes state-defined counties as well as parishes in Louisiana and boroughs and Census-Designated Places in Alaska) .
The economies of the U S Pacific territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and the Caribbean (the United States Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) are included in an assessment of the U S marine economy for the first time, thanks to a special study of the ocean economy of these areas that was conducted from 2021 to 2023 .
This report is intended to provide a summary analysis of the data that tells the essential story about the economy of coastal America as far as available data will allow It is also intended to allow readers who wish to understand more about the data or to broaden their exploration of the data with opportunities to do so . Each graphic is linked to a dashboard where the reader can see the data in the graphic, explore the data, and download it in a user-selected format .
The information contained herein is drawn from a number of different data sources, some of which represent new data not previously published New data includes estimates of the economic contributions of two sectors, state and local government and electric power generation . Sources and estimating procedures are detailed in the Sources and Methods section
POPULATION TRENDS
Fisherman’s Wharf Monterey, California
In 2022 the population of coastal America was estimated at 131,310,543. This was 31% of the national population.
Population on the coast increased by 7,585,340 from 2010 to 2022, a growth rate of 8%
FIG. 1
Coastal populations grew at about the same rate as inland counties and the nation from 2010 to 2017, but trends diverged after that Coastal population growth slowed from 2017 to 2020, but the rate of population growth in the coast increased significantly from 2020-2022 again after in 2021 and 2022 compared with 2020 There was a notable divergence within coastal states with the inland counties continuing to grow on a consistent basis after 2017 This may have reflected shifts related to COVID-19 Higher housing prices in coastal counties may also have played an important role
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
The population density of the coast is more than twice that of inland areas and coastal population density grew faster from 2010–2022
FIG. 2
The population density of the coast (the number of residents per square mile)– is more than twice that of inland areas An increase of more than 15 persons per square mile from 2020 was 2–3 times that of inland areas or the nation
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
The population of coastal counties is older than inland counties and the rest of the country.
Median Age in Coastal and Inland Counties and the Nation
FIG. 3
America is getting older as evidenced by the increasing median age But coastal states are older than the nation, and coastal counties have become older than inland counties since 2010
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Younger and Older Populations in Coastal and Inland Counties and the Nation
4
The proportion of the population over 65 is slightly higher in coastal America, but the increasing median age is driven more by a smaller proportion of younger people (less than 20 years old)
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
FIG.
Most people who move from addresses in coastal counties move to new addresses within the same county.
Migration Trends in Coastal Counties
FIG. 5
Population mobility has generally been declining in coastal counties In 2010, nearly 15% of the coastal population moved, but in 2022, only slightly over 12% moved Moving within the same county is most common, accounting for 7% of the population Only 5% of the population moved to a coastal county from a different county within the same state or from a different state .
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
The coastal counties with the highest proportion of the population under 20 are in the Southeast together with Gulf of Mexico states Counties around southern Lake Michigan and in the Central Coast region of California, along with some counties in the Mid-Atlantic and boroughs in Alaska also have higher proportions Florida, New England, Oregon, Washington, and the northern Great Lakes counties have the lowest percentage of populatioin under 20
To explore the data in this figure click HERE. Percent of
FIG. 6
FIG. 7
The oldest coastal counties are found in all parts of the coast Florida is well known for having a high proportion over 65, but the same is true in the upper Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic states and Maine
To explore the data in this figure click HERE. Percent
INCOME
The Poverty Population on the Coast is Not Significantly Different from the Nation
FIG. 8
The low-income population of the coast, whether defined as the population below the federal poverty level or the population below 150% of the federal poverty level (an alternate measure that is widely used)—is similar in coastal counties, inland counties, and the nation, and this relationship remained stable from 2010 to 2022
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Trends in Lower Income Populations by Region
FIG. 9
Population Below Federal Poverty Level
Overall, the proportion of the low-income population has fallen over the decade as economic and income growth has occurred While the drop in low-income levels was smaller in coastal counties, the differences between the counties in coastal states and the nation were not large
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Milbridge, Maine
Marina, California
HOUSING
The appears to be a Median Home Values by Region 2010–2022
FIG. 10
Housing values have risen steadily across coastal America, with values sharply rising beginning in 2020 The largest increases were in the area where values were already high: the West Coast, where values had been increasing since 2013 The lowest value areas in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico show the smallest increases in home values
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Percent Change in Housing Units 2010-2022
Housing unit growth tended to be slightly higher in non-coastal areas, most likely because land tends to be more expensive closer to the shoreline . Rental units grew faster than owner-occupied housing in both areas .
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
FIG. 11
FIG. 12
The growth in housing units, for both owner-occupied and rental, was similar in the coastal counties, inland counties, and nation as a whole But over the period from 2010 to 2022, more rental than owner-occupied units were built Housing unit growth was slightly faster on the coat in both owner occupied and rental units- about 1% faster in both cases .
To explore the data in this figure click HERE. Median Home Values in Coastal States (2022)
Median
Home Values by Coastal County (2022)
FIG. 13
There is a significant variance in housing values across coastal counties . The highest values are most often found in urban areas in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Pacific states . This is also the case with the urban areas of southern New England However, South Florida, all of California, and the eastern Puget Sound region also have high values The lowest value housing can be found in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes coastal counties
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Growth in Rental v Owner Occupied Units 2010-2022
FIG. 14
Counties in the Carolinas and Georgia, parts of the Gulf Coast–including Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Texas–saw the number of housing units grow by more than 12% from 2010 to 2022 . There was also substantial growth around Seattle and Anchorage There was slow growth in housing throughout the Great Lakes region
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Percent of Households Burdened by Housing Costs by County (2022)
FIG. 15
Housing burden (defined by the Bureau of the Census as a household where total housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income) in coastal areas is greatest in the urban northeast, south Florida, all California coastal counties and parts of Oregon and Washington Except for the areas around major cities and Alaska, the lowest housing burdens can be found in the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
COASTAL ECONOMY
The Coastal Economy is a measure of all the economic activity that takes place in coastal counties. The coastal economy data provides the broadest picture of economic activity on the coast and permits comparisons between the coastal counties and the national economy, and between the changes in employment and population in coastal counties.
Portland, Maine
In 2021 there were 52.8 million jobs in the 452 coastal counties. This accounted for 37% of all employment in the U.S.
Coastal counties accounted for $7.01 trillion in GDP, 34% of national GDP.
FIG. 16
The largest employment sector in coastal counties is Education and Health Services . This is a highly labor-intensive sector . Trade, transportation, and utilities is the second largest employer The sector combines the highly labor-intensive retail industry with the less labor-intensive transportation and utilities industries
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Where employment is more concentrated in two sectors, GDP in the coastal economy is more evenly divided among ten sectors
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FIG.17
FIG. 18
A key feature of the coastal economy is that employment growth is faster than population growth
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Orange County, California
FIG. 19
Employment growth in oastal counties tracked the U S until COVID effects hit in 2020 The more severe employment effects of COVID caused the coast’s share of U S employment to fall sharply
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THE COAST AT RISK
Three major hurricanes in 2024 served as a reminder that much of the coast is at risk from natural hazards, primarily from flooding but also from wind and erosion. The percent of flooding is at least partially a function of residential and business development along the shoreline.
Monterey, California
Proportion of residential properties at risk of significant flood within 30 years .
FIG. 20
The range of residential properties at risk from flooding over a 30-year period (the length of a typical mortgage) ranges from around 1% to 80% The Gulf of Mexico coast together with the South Atlantic coast–from North Carolina to South Florida and Hawaii–face the greatest risk There are also pockets of high risk in the Pacific Northwest Risks are much lower in the Great Lakes states and the Northeast, but lower risk does not mean no risk However, damages from flooding are possible in almost all coastal counties
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Proportion of jobs located in properties at risk of significant flood within 30 years
FIG. 21
The vulnerability of properties with employment (establishments) at risk is somewhat similar to residential properties in south Florida, but there are considerably more establishments at risk in southern California and a number in the New YorkNew Jersey area Again, there are relatively higher proportions of establishments in parts of Southern and Central Coastal California (NOTE: Data in MA, NH, NY, and MI is not available )
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
THE MARINE ECONOMY
In 2021, the ocean and Great Lakes-related industries contributed $432 billion to the national economy
TABLE 1
The Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) has been developed by the U S Bureau of Economic Analysis to provide a detailed look at the share of the U S economy related to the ocean and Great Lakes The account is built to be fully compatible with the National Income and Product Accounts that regularly measure the size of the U S economy Data is presented for ocean and Great Lakes-related “activities,” showing the value added, or gross domestic product, for each activity
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Cape May, New Jersey
Contribution to U.S. Gross Domestic Product
The two pie charts on this page show the distribution of the marine economy across two different category types: industries and activities. Activities are categories specifically designed related to the oceans and Great Lakes. Industries are the same data organized by the standard industries used in the national income accounts. The industry data permits comparison with other economic data.
Distribution of Marine Economy GDP by Marine Activity
FIG. 22
This chart shows the GDP originating in the major sectors from Table 2 The largest marine activity by GDP is tourism and recreation The second largest is national defense and public administration While this includes government activity covering many different agencies, including NOAA, the size of this activity is dominated by the U .S . Navy . Tourism and Recreation is the second largest of marine activity .Minerals, primarily Offshore oil and gas are the third largest activity This volatile activity varies from year to year depending on the price of oil, so its share of GDP can alter plus or minus 5 percentage points
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Distribution of Marine Economy GDP by Industry
FIG. 23
This chart shows the marine economy distributed by the standard industries used in the National Income Accounts The government sector is the largest in this context, primarily due to the Navy The tourism and recreation activity from Table 2 is comprised of industries such as the arts, recreation, and hospitality (lodging places and restaurants) and various industries in retail, and real estate, so it appears smaller in this view Mining (Offshore Oil and Gas) and transportation have about the same share of industries Utilities, manufacturing, and wholesale trade all contribute to various marine activities, including Marine Transportation (storage of goods around ports) and Tourism and Recreation (various retail industries)
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
The Marine Economy
Comparison of Employment and Output of Marine Economy (Industry Basis)
FIG. 24
The Marine Economy Satellite Account incorporates several different data measures, including employment and GDP
This figure compares the share of the marine economy in terms of employment and value added . The comparison is by industry as employment data is not yet available for the marine economy activities in MESA
Several sectors have a much larger share of employment than of output These include retail trade; arts, recreation, and hospitality; and construction Other sectors’ share of value added is larger than their share of employment, including mining; finance, insurance, and real estate; and wholesale trade
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Growth Rates in Inflation-Adjusted GDP in U S Marine Economy 2014–2021
FIG.25
The patterns of value added growth from 2014 (the earliest year for which the Marine Economy Satellite Account is estimated) show several noteworthy trends By far the fastest growth is in non-recreational shipbuilding at 70 4% This sector is dominated by naval shipbuilding and the amount of economic activity is primarily determined by the levels of Congressional appropriations Marine construction, which is also dependent in large part on government spending, also showed notable growth at 22% .
Another growing sector was tourism and recreation, up 4 1% over the period This rate was despite the end year being 2021, which was still experiencing some effects of COVID Living resources also grew notably, primarily because of an over 500% growth in the value of marine-derived pharmaceuticals
Two major sectors showed decline: offshore minerals, down 15 .3%, and transportation and warehousing, down 10 .5%
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
THE MARINE ECONOMY NATIONAL LEVEL 3
The Marine Economy
Comparison of Employment Growth in Marine Economy and U S Marine Economy
FIG. 26
The Marine Economy Satellite Account includes several different data measures, including employment and GDP This figure compares the share of the marine economy in terms of employment and value added The comparison is by industry as employment data is not yet available for the marine economy activities in MESA
Several sectors have a much larger share of employment than of output These include retail trade; arts, recreation, and hospitality; and construction Other sectors’ share of value added is larger than their share of employment, including mining; finance, insurance, and real estate; and wholesale trade
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Comparison of Marine GDP Employment Growth with U .S . Economy 2012–2014
FIG.27
GDP growth in the U S Marine Economy has tended to be considerably slower from 2014 to 2021 COVID hit the marine economy as discussed below
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
THE MARINE ECONOMY STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL 1
State Marine economies contribute an average 4.9% of state GDP and 7.3% of state employment.
The Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) is one view of the economic activity related to the ocean and Great Lakes . It provides substantial detail about the activities and industries of the marine economy, but this is only currently possible at the national level because of the availability of data . To
The State Marine Economy GDP as a Percent of State GDP
FIG. 28
The share of marine economy GDP within each state’s total GDP ranges from under 1% to over 28% The highest proportion is in Alaska, where fishing and offshore oil make up such a large share of the state economy . Alaska is clearly unique Other states where the marine economy comprises a large share of the state economy (6% to 10%) are Texas and Louisiana (offshore oil and gas) and Maine (ship building) The smallest shares are the Great Lakes states, Georgia (dominated by the Atlanta metro economy), and North Carolina (where the major economic output is in the metro areas around Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham)
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
measure the economic contribution of the ocean and Great Lakes at the state and local level, a different data set is used This data, produced by NOAA, is called the Economics National Ocean Watch (ENOW) It provides data for 30 coastal states, plus 5 commonwealths and territories in the Pacific and Caribbean In contrast to MESA, ENOW, has greater geographic detail and less industrial detail . The state and local level data has until recently covered 6 sectors and 21 industries . Two additional sectors have been added and data for those is presented below .
The State Marine Economy Employment as a Percent of State Employment
FIG. 29
Shifting the perspective to employment, Alaska again has the highest share of marine economy employment relative to its total employment . Following Alaska, the next highest states are Florida and Maine, both of which have very large tourism & recreation sectors The majority of states’ marine economy employment shares are below 9%, with the lowest shares in the Great Lakes states, North Carolina and Georgia (for the reasons mentioned in the discussion of Figure 30), and Texas In Texas, the size of the state and the low labor intensity of its principal marine economy sector (offshore oil and gas) keep the share of employment low
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Tourism and Recreation Employment Percent of State Marine Economy Employment
FIG. 30
Tourism and recreation is the largest marine economy sector by employment, confirming what MESA indicates nationally This sector is also the largest component of employment within each state’s marine economy, ranging from 2% to over 80% This figure shows the proportion of tourism and recreation employment within each coastal state’s marine economy comprised by tourism and recreation The largest shares are in New York, where the marine economy includes New York City, and South Carolina where Charleston and Myrtle Beach are major tourism centers Alaska switches places compared to Figure 29 from highest to lowest along with Texas and Louisiana, all of which have large offshore oil and gas industries and coastal areas less suited to tourism
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Living Resources Percent of Ocean Economy
FIG. 31
The living resources sector, comprising commercial fish hatcheries and aquaculture, fishing, seafood processing, and seafood markets, is often the first economic activity people think of when they consider the marine economy The employment in this sector as a percent of the marine economy ranges from less than 1% to over 16% The states with the highest share of employment in living resources include Maine and Massachusetts, along with three Pacific Northwest states (Alaska, Washington, and Oregon), one Great Lakes state (Minnesota) and two southeastern states (Mississippi and Georgia)
Note: Employment in the living resources sector is often underestimated because it does not include self-employed workers, such as some fishermen
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Rye Beach
Second Largest Employment Sector in State Marine Economies
Tourism and recreation is the largest marine economy employer across most states This raises the question: What is the largest non-tourism and recreation sector? Three sectors play this role Marine transportation is the second largest sector across 19 states and four regions Offshore oil and gas is the second largest sector in Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska Ship and boat building is the second largest sector in Maine, Connecticut, Virginia, and North Carolina on the Atlantic coast; Mississippi and Alabama on the Gulf Coast; and Washington in the Pacific Northwest .
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
East Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Newport News, Virginia
State Government Coastal Expenditures Per Square Mile of Coastal Counties
FIG. 33
The size of expenditures on natural resources and parks is proportional to the population and size of the economy overall A useful comparison between the states is the expenditures adjusted for the area of coastal counties Area is the appropriate adjustment because natural resource management and parks are shaped by the area of land affected Figure 33 shows that the highest expenditures per area are in Florida; the Mid-Atlantic states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland; plus Illinois and California
The lowest area-adjusted expenditures are in Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington State, and Alaska
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
THE MARINE ECONOMY STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL 4
State Government Contribution to the Ocean Economy
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
TABLE 3
The ENOW data has consisted of six major sectors noted above However, as MESA shows, there are a number of additional sectors that could be included, but these are difficult to measure at the state or local level ENOW is being updated to include two additional sectors that will increase the compatibility between the MESA and the ENOW data series: electric power production and state and local government expenditures related to the coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes The methods for estimating these two sectors are discussed in the Methods and Sources section
State
Alaska
Connecticut
Delaware
Indiana
TABLE 3 (continued)
Table 3 provides the detailed data on state government coastal spending, based on the 2021 Census of Governments for natural resource management and parks and recreation GDP is represented by the expenditure estimates The estimated employment and wages are also shown
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
TABLE 5
The inclusion of electric power production in the marine economy is done in anticipation of the transition that is occurring between fossil fuelbased electric generation and renewables-based generation, much of which will be from oceans or Great Lakes-based technologies such as wind, tide, and wave . Current estimates only include fossil fuel and nuclear facilities which utilize water from the oceans or Great Lakes for cooling or receive fuels by marine transportation . Marine economy estimates were derived from data on electric generation from the U S Energy Information Administration; more details are provided in Methods and Sources .
This table shows the total generation in 2022 from all electric power generators within 5 km of the ocean or Great Lakes shoreline . It shows the number of establishments in each state; three states had no generators that met this criterion Employment, wages, and GDP (in 2014 dollars are also estimated along with the percent of statewide electricity generation accounted for by the coastal stations
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
$1,152,068
$1,151,101
$3,905,560
FIG. 34
Coastal-located electric power generation is highest in California, Florida, New York, and Michigan It is lowest in Maine, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana
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Total Electric Power Produced (MWH) By Coastal-Location Generators . (2022)
Percent of State Electricity Generated By Coastal-Location Generators . (2022)
FIG. 35
While Alaska ranks in the middle of states for the total amount of electricity generated along its coast, it has the highest percentage of its overall electricity production coming from coastal areas Michigan, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland are the next highest group . However, in most coastal states, electricity generation along the coast represents a relatively small share of the state’s total, generally less than 1%
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Morro Bay, California
FIG. 36
Figure 36 shows the employment size of the six principal ENOW sectors and the addition of the electric power and state and local government sectors The new sectors add 507,000 jobs to the state and local marine economy, most of which are in government . The relatively small number of jobs in electric power plants reflects the small workforce needed to run a generation plant . Employment in state and local government is estimated to be greater than three of the original ENOW sectors: marine construction, living resources, and offshore mineral extraction
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
The new sectors add $82 million to the total GDP of the state and local marine economy As with employment, state and local government GDP exceeds marine construction and living resources
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FIG. 37
FIG. 38
The new sectors account for 4% of all marine economy employment
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
FIG. 39
The new sectors make up 8% of the revised State and Local Marine economy GDP The majority of this contribution is made by coastal electric power generation
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Coastal America has an important economic characteristic that it shares with only a few other places: a seasonal peak economy. Understanding the seasonal peak is critical, as the large influx of people in coastal areas during peak times can significantly exceed the year-round population, placing added pressure on natural systems and infrastructure. In most of the U.S., the peak economy occurs in July; the exception is Florida, where the peak economy occurs in March.
Unfortunately, the seasonal peak population is not well measured anywhere, so indirect measures are needed. One approach calculates a seasonal peak employment in tourism and recreation. Another is to measure the number of seasonal housing units as a proportion of total housing units.
Housing Units Held for Seasonal Rental as Proportion of All Vacant Housing
FIG. 40
The largest peak to non-peak employment occurs in the Northeast, particularly Maine and southeastern Massachusetts, along with the coastal counties in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and North Carolina Large peak economies also occur throughout the Great Lakes states, in northern California, and in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State Alaska is also highly seasonal in its tourism and recreation
The ENOW data on employment in tourism and recreation industries is not available on a quarterly basis, so peak to nonpeak employment must be estimated using the quarterly employment data from which ENOW is built . For this purpose, the quarterly data on the leisure and hospitality sector, which covers most of tourism and recreation, is used Figure 41 shows the ratio between July and January and indicates the counties with the greatest seasonal economies
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FIG. 41
Seasonal rentals are the largest share of total housing units in the upper Great Lakes, Maine, and the same Mid-Atlantic counties with large peak employment levels . Southern Florida also shows a high proportion of seasonal rentals as do some counties in the Pacific Northwest Alaska, particularly on the North Slope, has a high share of seasonal housing, but this is less due to the tourist industry and more to the oil and gas industry
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COVID: A DETAILED LOOK
The effects of the COVID-19 epidemic have been seen in several of the analyses presented earlier. This section takes a more detailed look at how the course of the pandemic affected the economy of coastal America.
Comparison of Employment Growth 2018Q1 to 2023Q3
FIG. 42
Employment was growing at a modest pact until the second quarter of 2020, which is when business shutdowns became widespread as an infection control measure Employment plunged throughout the country, but the drops were largest in the coastal counties Coastal counties and inland counties in coastal states declined more than the nation as a whole
The extreme drop was short lived Employment began a slow recovery in the second half of 2020 and had just about regained pre-pandemic levels in 2023 However, coastal counties continued to lag both inland states and the country as a whole
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Virginia Beach, Virginia
FIG. 43
The disadvantage of coastal areas in Covid and its recovery is made clearer when the employment growth rates are compared . The rate of employment decline was larger in coastal areas than either inland counties or the nation as whole, both of which changed at approximately the same rate The growth rate of coastal counties in the recovery was also significantly lower
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FIG. 44
During the pandemic, there was extensive discussion of people moving away from congested areas to more rural areas thought to be less risky This affected migration trends and housing construction . As this figure shows, there was a significant rise in the number of housing units in coastal areas, particularly relative to inland counties in coastal states . Not all of this was Covid-related, but there was clearly a significant departure from what had been a gradual growth trend
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Changes in Housing Units by Region 2010-2022
THE MARINE ECONOMY: U.S. TERRITORIES
The NOAA Office for Coastal Management recently expanded the ENOW dataset to the include the U.S. territories and commonwealths of American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
Estimating the marine economy for these jurisdictions is challenging, particularly for the Pacific territories, as they fall outside the coverage of most economic data sources used to compile marine economy data. While data is available for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the economies of the two jurisdictions are very small, and much of the detailed data needed for measuring the marine economy is lacking. As a result, NOAA relied on alternative data sources, primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Pattern data and data from local sources.
Marine Economy Employment in the Commonwealths and Territories
FIG.45
Three years of data were collected: 2019 to 2021 Guam has the largest economy among the Pacific territories; the relative size of its economy may be understated due to the exclusion of the U S Navy, which includes significant facilities and associated employment on the island American Samoa is the smallest economy of the Pacific territories, with the Northern Marianas a little larger than American Samoa Employment was relatively stable in 2019 and 2020, but all three areas saw a drop in 2021 . This may be a result of the effects of COVID taking longer to wash ashore on these Pacific islands It is also the case that the data sources for the Pacific territories are less capable of picking up short term trends
Puerto Rico is the largest of all of the territories examined, with a marine economy employment over 100,000 The U S Virgin Islands has over 10,000, mostly on the islands of St Croix and St John The Caribbean islands showed the same trends of change as the Pacific territories
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Marine Economy GDP Change in the Commonwealths and Territories
The marine economy GDP showed different trends from employment across the three-year period for which data was collected American Samoa showed a 14% GDP decline between 2019 and 2020 but offset that by growing 22% between 2020 and 2021 Guam showed a similar trend, but the growth between 2020 and 2021 was insufficient to offset the decline Among the Pacific territories, the Northern Marianas had the most difficult period in terms of GDP, declining by 35%
Like American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U .S Virgin Islands were able to offset their initial declines by a period of large growth between 2020 to 2021
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FIG. 46
Saint Thomas, U S Virgin Islands
FIG. 47
Except for American Samoa from 2019–2020, all of the territories showed substantial declines in employment from 2019 to 2021, although American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands saw partial recovery in employment growth in 2020-2010 following declines in 2019-2020 .
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
THE MARINE ECONOMY STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL 5
Local Government Contribution to the Ocean Economy
TABLE 4
Table 4 shows local (county and municipal) government expenditures, along with employment and wages, for natural resource management and parks and recreation by coastal state
To explore the data in this figure click HERE.
Lake Ponchartrain
NOTES AND SOURCES
FIGURE
1 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP05?q=population
2 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP05?q=population
3 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP05?q=population
4 https://data census gov/table?q=B01001
7 https://data .census .gov/table/ACSST1Y2023 .S0701?q=S0701:%20Geographic%20Mobility %20by%20Selected%20Characteristics%20in%20the%20United%20States
8 https://data census gov/table?q=B01001
9 https://data census gov/table?q=B01001
10 https://data census gov/table/ACSST1Y2023 S1701?q=S1701
11 https://data .census .gov/table/ACSST1Y2023 .S1701?q=S1701
12 https://data census gov/table?q=B02001
13 https://data census gov/table?q=B03001
14 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
15 https://data .census .gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 .DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
16 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
17 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
18 https://data .census .gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 .DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
19 https://data census gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023 DP04?q=DP04:%20Selected%20Housing%20 Characteristics
20 https://oceaneconomics org/cstecon_pop_housing/cecon_pop_housing html
21 https://oceaneconomics org/cstecon_pop_housing/cecon_pop_housing html
22 https://oceaneconomics org/cstecon_pop_housing/cecon_pop_housing html
23 https://oceaneconomics org/cstecon_pop_housing/cecon_pop_housing html
24 https://screeningtool geoplatform gov/en/#3/33 47/-97 5
25 https://coast noaa gov/digitalcoast/data/coastal-inundation-zones html
Table 1 https://www bea .gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
26 https://www bea gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
27 https://www bea gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
28 https://www bea gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
29 https://www bea gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
30 https://www bea .gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
31 https://www bea gov/data/special-topics/marine-economy
32 https://coast noaa gov/digitalcoast/data/enow html
33 https://coast noaa gov/digitalcoast/data/enow html
34 https://coast noaa gov/digitalcoast/data/enow html
35 https://coast .noaa .gov/digitalcoast/data/enow .html
36 https://coast noaa gov/digitalcoast/data/enow html
Table 2 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https data bls .gov/PDQWeb/en
Estimation Methods . The estimation of the spending (and related employment and wages) on coastal and ocean management would ideally be done by examining the budgets of state agencies However, this is impractical States vary widely in their budgeting practices and how they define the relevant agencies California manages both coastal and inland fisheries in the same agency with one budget, but Maine has separate agencies and budgets Across 30 coastal states the identification of the specific data needed is very difficult What is needed is a data series that reconciles differences among state budgets to create consistent measurement and then a way to disaggregate the coastal and ocean components The first requirement is met by the Census of Governments (COG) produced by the Bureau of the Census every five years Two classifications of spending in the COG are relevant: state spending on natural resource management and parks & recreation A coastal/ocean/Great Lakes component of the spending was computed as a function of the area of coastal counties and the population of those counties .
At the state level, the function weighted land area more heavily than population Expenditures were calculated for each coastal county and summed across all coastal counties to get the state totals shown in Table 2 Employment and wages for the coastal/ocean/Great Lakes spending were estimated by taking the partials (shares) used for expenditures and applying the same share to the statewide employment and wage data for NAICS Code 924, Administration of Environmental Programs from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the foundational data for the ENOW data series
Table 3 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
For the local government share of coastal/ocean/Great Lakes spending the local government data series from the Census of Governments was used The statewide local government data was disaggregated to the coastal counties using a similar formula, but this time with population weighted more heavily than area This emphasizes the larger role of cities compared with other local governments Employment and wages were similarly disaggregated, but the data from the QCEW was limited to local government employment
37 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
Table 4 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
38 https://www .census .gov/programs-surveys/cog .html/https://data .bls .gov/PDQWeb/en
39 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
40 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
41 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
42 https://www census gov/programs-surveys/cog html/https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
43 https://www .census .gov/programs-surveys/cog .html/https://data .bls .gov/PDQWeb/en
44 https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
45 https://data census gov/table?q=B25004
46 https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
47 https://data bls gov/PDQWeb/en
48 https://data .bls .gov/PDQWeb/en
49 https://coast noaa gov/enowexplorer/
50 https://coast noaa gov/enowexplorer/
51 https://coast noaa gov/enowexplorer/
Table 5 https://coast noaa gov/enowexplorer/
PHOTO CREDITS
Cover:
Page 0: Monterey, California
Page 1: Sitka, Alaska
Page 2: Monterey, California
Page 5 Verrazano Narrows, New York
Page 7 Indiana Dunes
Page 10 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey
Page 19 Milbridge, Maine
Page 22 Marina, California
Page 30 Portland, Maine
Page 33 Orange County, California
Page 34 Monterey, California
Page 38 Cape May, New Jersey
Page 50 Newport News, Virginia
Page 51 East Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Page 63 Morro Bay, California
Page 68 Virginia Beach, Virginia
Page 71 Saint Thomas, USVI
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