Puget Sound employs three times more people in maritime trades than the national average.

That’s one headline from a maritime industry impact report recently released by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The concentration of marine jobs is no surprise for our watery corner of the world, particularly in Kitsap, where a naval base and shipyard rank as top employers.

But while the importance of the industry may be well known, the supporting data used in the 83-page report is enlightening.

The study examines the regional economic impact of the industry, the performance of various sectors over time, and the potential for growth. Here are some highlights:

• The maritime industry employed 57,700 people in Washington in 2012. Another 90,000 people were indirectly employed in related fields.
• Maritime businesses grossed $25.2 billion in 2012, and paid $4.1 billion in wages.
• Maritime jobs are concentrated in central Puget Sound, with 41 percent in King County and 24 percent in Kitsap.
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility employed 11,288 civilians in September 2013, accounting for the vast majority of maritime employment in Kitsap.
• PSNS awards about $200 million annually in contracts for work completed in Washington. (It just awarded Vigor Shipyards a $33 million contract for upgrades to a destroyer)
• Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International (pictured at top) employs 350 floor workers and about 30 in engineering.
• Maritime jobs are good paying jobs, averaging about $70,000 a year (before benefits), and closer to $80,000 for federal employees.

The report didn’t embed well, but you can give it a read or download it here. Continue reading →