The U.S. ocean and Great Lakes economy is big, employing about three million people—five times more employees than home construction. In 2012, ocean economy employees were paid $113 billion in wages and generated almost $350 billion in gross domestic product (GDP).

The makeup of the ocean economy varies greatly by geography. Some activities, like ocean-dependent tourism and recreation, are found in most coastal areas, and others like marine transportation are concentrated in some areas but absent in others.

To make good decisions about the future, communities need to understand their economic dependence on ocean and Great Lakes resources—that’s where Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) can help. Available for 30 coastal states and about 400 coastal counties, the ENOW Explorer provides ocean economy “report cards” that feature community facts, figures, and downloadable charts.

Users can start by finding the number of jobs in their state’s or county’s ocean or Great Lakes economy. Going deeper, they can explore data about businesses, wages, and GDP by selecting the buttons on the left of the display, or zoom in on specific sectors of the ocean economy using buttons across the top. Data are provided through the ENOW database.

ENOW is produced by NOAA in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Six economic sectors that depend on ocean and Great Lakes resources, as listed below, are provided:

• Marine transportation
• Marine construction
• Living resources
• Offshore mineral resources
• Ship and boat building
• Tourism and recreation

For additional details on the ocean economy, download the complete ENOW data set, which shows the industries that make up each sector and contains statistics for eight coastal regions and the nation. Since ENOW is based on employment statistics, NOAA has developed a complementary data set that captures the activities of self-employed workers.

Healthy ocean and Great Lakes economies make for stronger, more resilient coastal communities. Get your community’s report card now and start making decisions that strengthen your local economy. Planning for the future will help communities be more prepared for coastal hazards and climate change.