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

Marine economy · Ventura 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 5.5%

of total employment in Ventura County is in the marine economy.

Establishments
1,111
Jobs (some sectors withheld)
18,584
Wages (some sectors withheld)
$768.5M
GDP (some sectors withheld)
$1.42B

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 2.0%, Marine construction 1.0%, Marine transportation 6.2%, Offshore mineral resources 3.6%, Ship and boat building 0.5%, Tourism and recreation 86.8%. Wages, by sector: Living resources 1.0% (estimated), Marine construction 0.8%, Marine transportation 31.1%, Offshore mineral resources withheld, Ship and boat building 0.6%, Tourism and recreation 66.4%. Employment, by sector: Living resources 0.8% (estimated), Marine construction 0.4%, Marine transportation 15.0%, Offshore mineral resources withheld, Ship and boat building 0.3%, Tourism and recreation 83.5%. GDP, by sector: Living resources 1.7% (estimated), Marine construction 0.8%, Marine transportation 24.0%, Offshore mineral resources withheld, Ship and boat building 0.7%, Tourism and recreation 72.8%. Establishments 86.8% Wages 66.4% Employment 83.5% GDP 72.8%

Share of the county total, by sector: data table

CategoryLiving resourcesMarine constructionMarine transportationOffshore mineral resources (some figures withheld)Ship and boat buildingTourism and recreation
Establishments221169405964
Wages≈ $7.8 million$6.4 million$239.2 millionwithheld$4.6 million$510.5 million
Employment≈ 154722,783withheld5615,518
GDP≈ $23.6 million$11.6 million$340.1 millionwithheld$9.5 million$1.0 billion

Shares exclude withheld sectors.

Offshore mineral resources 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 $45,490, Coastal California $64,138, All Coastal States $59,563. Marine construction: County $90,235, Coastal California $135,639, All Coastal States $102,260. Marine transportation: County $104,175, Coastal California $93,343, All Coastal States $72,991. Offshore mineral resources (some figures withheld): County withheld, Coastal California $134,731, All Coastal States $193,706. Ship and boat building: County $77,142, Coastal California $89,401, All Coastal States $82,170. Tourism and recreation: County $32,020, 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$45,490$64,138$59,563
Marine construction$90,235$135,639$102,260
Marine transportation$104,175$93,343$72,991
Offshore mineral resources (some figures withheld)withheld$134,731$193,706
Ship and boat building$77,142$89,401$82,170
Tourism and recreation$32,020$37,578$35,063

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

Offshore mineral resources withheld; not enough reliable data.

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.

140

living resources workers in Ventura County are self-employed, more than any other sector.

Employed workers, 2025 (some sectors withheld)
18,584
Self-employed workers, 2021
481

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 Ventura County's marine economy in the atlas's other tools.

See Ventura 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). Ventura County coastal county profile: Marine economy. https://seachangeatlas.org/county-profiles/county/ventura/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