U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

Figure C.7 Regional Distribution of thePrivate Ocean Economy 2000100%Figure C.8 Metro vs. Non-metroDistribution of Ocean Economy100%80%718,582 $39,09980%60%316,233$25,49660%40%414,331$17,78140%20%624,534$27,13520%0%■ Pacific■ GulfEmployment(Number of Jobs)■ Great Lakes■ AtlanticGross State Product(Millions)This difference in importance based on whichmeasure is used also influences which of the coastalregions of the U.S. can claim the largest share of theocean economy. Figure C.7 shows the distribution ofthe ocean economy in 2000 by both employment andoutput. The Pacific region is the largest region onboth measures, with 38% of employment and 34% ofoutput. The Gulf of Mexico region accounts for 12%of employment and 32% of output.The geographic distribution of the ocean mustalso be considered in terms of the ocean economy’srole in both urban and rural locations. (Figure C.8)The ocean economy is overwhelmingly an urbaneconomy; 93% of employment in the ocean industriesis in metropolitan area counties, and two thirdsof employment is in counties in metropolitan areaswith a total population of one million or more. 19 It isperhaps not surprising that the ocean economy isvery much an urban economy given the large numberof America’s principal cities that exist on thecoast, but the extent of the concentration of what is anatural-resource based economy in the urban centersof the U.S. speaks to a unique role of the ocean in theAmerican economy. Of all the major naturalresources such as farmland and forests, the oceansand Great Lakes are the only resource so intimatelyconnected to the cities, rather than just the country.However, the importance of the ocean economyto rural economies should not be lost. While theemployment in the ocean economy is overwhelminglyurban, it comprises less than 8% of the economyin urban areas, but more than 12% of the economyin rural counties. Moreover, the growth rate inocean sector employment in rural counties over0%■ MetroOceanEconomyEmploymentSource: BLS, NOEP■ Non-metroOceanEconomyPercent ofCountyEmployment1990–2000 was one third faster than in urban counties(16% in rural counties v. 12% in urban counties).Recalling that almost all of the growth in employmentoccurred in the tourism and recreation sector,the increasing importance of the ocean economy inrural counties is closely tied to their roles of providingan escape for urban dwellers looking for recreation.Summary of Economic TrendsOceanEconomyEmploymentGrowth1990–2000Total economic activity on the coast accounts for asubstantial portion of the American economy. Overthree quarters of U.S. domestic economic activitytakes place in the coastal states, and nearly half inthe coastal watershed counties. The proportion ofeconomic activity in the near shore area is more thantwice the proportion of land area, and the total volumeof economic activity in the near shore area mayhave a more profound effect on coastal resourcesthan the more frequently cited figures about populationpressures.The ocean economy is a small proportion ofAmerica’s huge 10 trillion dollar economy, but it isstill larger than all but the largest state economies. Atover $117 billion in 2000, it represents a significantlevel of economic activity. But the way in which weuse the ocean is changing dramatically and rapidly.Mirroring larger trends in the economy, the servicesof tourism and recreation have provided almostall the growth in employment and much of theA PPENDIX C: LIVING N EAR… AND M AKING A L IVING F ROM…THE N ATION’ S C OASTS AND O CEANS C 13