CA Sea Change Atlas
CA Sea Change Atlas
County Profiles Santa Clara County
Data as of 2026-10-22

Marine economy · Santa Clara County, CA

Marine economy

Businesses that are dependent on marine resources are particularly vulnerable to coastal hazards. (Note: “Total coastal economy” refers to all economic activity in the shoreline counties and is covered in the total economy section of this page.)

In this profile

  1. If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Protect It 01
  2. Business Diversity 02
  3. Wages 03
  4. Total Jobs 04
  5. Digging Deeper 05
  6. About this data 06

If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Protect It

More than 0.7%

of total employment in Santa Clara County is in the marine economy.

Establishments
436
Jobs (some sectors withheld)
8,255
Wages (some sectors withheld)
$526.86M
GDP (some sectors withheld)
$977M

Some sectors withheld, see the sector chart.

Sources BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages) (2025) BEA GDP by state and industry (SAGDP2), California (2025) Census ZIP Code Business Patterns and shoreline-adjacent ZIP codes (2023)

Business Diversity

Understanding the types and amounts of businesses in the marine economy will inform community planning and management initiatives. This graphic highlights the six sectors that make up the marine economy.

Share of the county total, by sector.

Establishments, by sector: Living resources 5.3%, Marine construction 1.4%, Marine transportation 13.8%, Offshore mineral resources 3.9%, Ship and boat building 0.2%, Tourism and recreation 75.5%. Wages, by sector: Living resources 4.5%, Marine construction 0.9%, Marine transportation 51.3%, Offshore mineral resources 3.4% (estimated), Ship and boat building withheld, Tourism and recreation 39.8%. Employment, by sector: Living resources 4.6%, Marine construction 0.6%, Marine transportation 27.0%, Offshore mineral resources 1.6% (estimated), Ship and boat building withheld, Tourism and recreation 66.2%. GDP, by sector: Living resources 8.7%, Marine construction 0.9%, Marine transportation 43.0%, Offshore mineral resources 5.0% (estimated), Ship and boat building withheld, Tourism and recreation 42.3%. Establishments 75.5% Wages 39.8% Employment 66.2% GDP 42.3%

Share of the county total, by sector: data table

CategoryLiving resourcesMarine constructionMarine transportationOffshore mineral resourcesShip and boat building (some figures withheld)Tourism and recreation
Establishments23660171329
Wages$23.8 million$4.9 million$270.4 million≈ $17.9 millionwithheld$209.8 million
Employment383522,225≈ 130withheld5,465
GDP$85.3 million$9.0 million$420.4 million≈ $48.9 millionwithheld$413.5 million

Shares exclude withheld sectors.

Ship and boat building withheld; not enough reliable data.The approximately-equals sign and hatched segments are estimates.

Sources BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages) (2025) BEA GDP by state and industry (SAGDP2), California (2025) Census ZIP Code Business Patterns and shoreline-adjacent ZIP codes (2023)

Wages

Understanding wage vulnerability helps leaders better understand the long and short-term impact of coastal storms, economic downturns, etc. Lower wage sectors are usually affected the most.

Tourism and recreation has the lowest average wage per job in coastal California.

Average wage per job, by sector.

Living resources: County $56,964, Coastal California $64,138, All Coastal States $59,563. Marine construction: County $97,564, Coastal California $135,639, All Coastal States $102,260. Marine transportation: County $119,193, Coastal California $93,343, All Coastal States $72,991. Offshore mineral resources: County ≈ $124,883, Coastal California $134,731, All Coastal States $193,706. Ship and boat building (some figures withheld): County withheld, Coastal California $89,401, All Coastal States $82,170. Tourism and recreation: County $37,438, Coastal California $37,578, All Coastal States $35,063. $0 $50k $100k $150k $200k Living resources Marine construction Marine transportation Offshore mineralresources Ship and boat building Tourism and recreation

Average wage per job, by sector: data table

CategoryCountyCoastal CaliforniaAll Coastal States
Living resources$56,964$64,138$59,563
Marine construction$97,564$135,639$102,260
Marine transportation$119,193$93,343$72,991
Offshore mineral resources≈ $124,883$134,731$193,706
Ship and boat building (some figures withheld)withheld$89,401$82,170
Tourism and recreation$37,438$37,578$35,063

All Coastal States means the coastal portions of 30 states, not the whole country.

Ship and boat building withheld; not enough reliable data.The approximately-equals sign and dashed rings are estimates.

Sources BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages), wages comparison year (2024) NOAA Open ENOW (California and All Coastal States) (2024) Census ZIP Code Business Patterns and shoreline-adjacent ZIP codes (2023)

Total Jobs

Many economic reports don't include the self-employed in their job numbers, yet this group can play an important role in the local economy. Most commercial fishermen, for instance, are self-employed.

151

marine transportation workers in Santa Clara County are self-employed, more than any other sector.

Employed workers, 2025 (some sectors withheld)
8,255
Self-employed workers, 2021
407

Some sectors withheld, see the sector chart.

Sources BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages) (2025) Census ZIP Code Business Patterns and shoreline-adjacent ZIP codes (2023) NOAA ENOW self-employed workers (2021)

Digging Deeper

Go further with Santa Clara County's marine economy in the atlas's other tools.

See Santa Clara County on the map

Opens the map on the county, highlighted.

Compare the flood and sea level rise resources

Explore descriptions fo the different resources available, including those listed in the OPC guidance.

About this data

Data, methods and citation

Snapshot
2026-10-22 · all snapshots
Methodology
Version 1 · what changed

Report a problem with these figures

Some figures are estimated with NOAA's Open ENOW method, and some are withheld. How estimates are made · Why figures are withheld

Recommended citation

California Sea Change Atlas. (2026, October 22). Santa Clara County coastal county profile: Marine economy. https://seachangeatlas.org/county-profiles/county/santa-clara/2026-10-22/marine-economy/

SourcePeriod coveredRetrieved
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages)20252026-10-22
BEA GDP by state and industry (SAGDP2), California20252026-10-22
Census ZIP Code Business Patterns and shoreline-adjacent ZIP codes20232026-10-22
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (annual averages), wages comparison year20242026-10-22
NOAA Open ENOW (California and All Coastal States)20242026-10-22
NOAA ENOW self-employed workers20212026-10-22