One in five jobs in Virginia is now related to the state’s non-military marine industry, according to a new report from William & Mary commissioned by the Virginia Port Authority.
The region has long boasted the nation’s largest concentration of shipbuilding, and in recent years the Port of Virginia has become one of the top ports on the East Coast.
In the last fiscal year, the state’s ports handled more than a billion dollars worth of cargo, the second most tonnage last year on the East Coast, behind the Port of New York and New Jersey.
The maritime industry now directly employs more than 380,000 Virginians, the study found. All the activity has also indirectly created nearly 350,000 jobs tied to the industry.
Together, that represents about 20% of the state’s workforce that’s involved in or reliant on the maritime industry.
Maritime business overall generated more than $8 billion in taxes and fees for state and local governments last fiscal year, the report said.
