Economic Impacts of Working Waterfronts in Mississippi and Alabama

Sector Definition

The working waterfronts are included in the NAICS (2014) codes 488310 or “port and harbor operations”, 488320 or “marine cargo handling” and 488330 or “navigational services to shipping.”

  • The “port and harbor operations” industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating ports, harbors (including docking and pier facilities), or canals.
  • The “marine cargo handling” industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing stevedoring and other marine cargo handling services (except warehousing).
  • The “navigational services to shipping” industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing navigational services to shipping including marine salvage establishments.

Gross Regional Product of Marinas in the Five Coastal Counties of Mississippi and Alabama 

  • The gross regional product (GRP), also called regional gross domestic product (GDP), is the market value of all goods and services produced within a given area over a specific period of time and is a good measure of the size, income, and productivity of a regional economy (EMSI, 2021).
  • The GRP of the five coastal counties is shown in the chart below.

Direct Employment Impacts in the Five Coastal Counties of Mississippi and Alabama 

  • The number of workers and owners of these establishments is shown in the chart below.

Source: Posadas, Benedict C. Economic Sectors Targeted By The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Research, Extension, Education And Outreach Programs. MASGP-14-007. Mississippi State University, Coastal Research and Extension Center, Biloxi, Mississippi.