SACRAMENTO, Calif. —  As part of Ports Day, BST Associates provided a summary of the economic contribution of California ports, their role in the larger national economy, the factors that affect the ports’ role, and why California ports are so integral to global trade.

Read excerpts of “Economic Contribution of California Ports” from BST Associates below:

“California has 11 public port districts… In addition to cargo terminals, ports operate cruise terminals, recreational and commercial marinas, airports, industrial property, commercial property, as well as public amenities such as public parks, trails, and other amenities and uses. The ports also have a strong environmental mandate.

“The governance structure of ports also varies. Some ports, such as the Port of Los Angeles, are departments of a city. Others, such as the Port of San Diego, are special districts created by the state and are independent of the cities they serve… The role of each port depends on a number of factors including: local population, local industry, local resources, and inland transportation connections.

“California has become a leading global trade and transshipment center because of its world-class infrastructure and a massive local market, which results in more favorable costs for delivering cargo to and from all parts of the United States. California has evolved into a distribution center for U.S. trade with Pacific Rim nations partly because of its geographic location, but also because such a large portion of the trade is consumed locally.

“In 2020, the amount of waterborne trade moving through California ports was worth $416 billion. An estimated 3.1 million jobs are supported by this trade, including more than 800,000 jobs related to exports and nearly 2.3 million jobs related to imports. The jobs supported by the waterborne trade moving through California ports generate worker income estimated to total nearly $134 billion, including $42.2 billion related to exports and $91.8 billion related to import. This trade generated an estimated $38.1 billion in taxes, with impacts spread throughout the United States.”

About The Goods Movement Alliance                                                         

The Goods Movement Alliance is a coalition of California industry leaders in the goods movement economy committed to creating and supporting common sense solutions to the goods movement crisis.To learn more and join the coalition please visit GoodsMovement.org