48311/Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
42K
employees, 2023
42K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1,098 US Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation business locations employed 41,670 people and paid $4.9 billion in annual payroll, $116,593 per employee on average. Employment was up 1.2% from 2022. Florida had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,098
+0.3% vs 2022
Employees
41,670
+1.2% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$4.9B
+10.8% vs 2022
Average pay
$116,593
+9.5% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 271 | 16,010 | $119,368 | 0.16% |
| Washington | 59 | 4,624 | $122,654 | 0.15% |
| Louisiana | 81 | 3,823 | $108,025 | 0.23% |
| California | 92 | 3,512 | $105,497 | 0.02% |
| Texas | 104 | 2,792 | $129,986 | 0.02% |
| Hawaii | 18 | 1,979* | $80,517 | 0.38% |
| New York | 58 | 1,471 | $128,182 | 0.02% |
| Connecticut | 13 | 1,158* | $91,315 | 0.08% |
| Virginia | 30 | 1,154 | $124,665 | 0.03% |
| Alaska | 108 | 1,142 | $116,750 | 0.43% |
| New Jersey | 42 | 884 | $110,750 | 0.02% |
| Michigan | 24 | 541 | $189,288 | 0.01% |
| Ohio | 7 | 426 | $90,178 | 0.01% |
| Massachusetts | 31 | 375* | $83,432 | 0.01% |
| Maryland | 17 | 371* | $139,601 | 0.02% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 32.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 178 | 11,972* | $115,682 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 44 | 4,521 | $124,140 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 63 | 2,628 | $131,776 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 17 | 2,547 | $123,971 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 53 | 2,392 | $102,791 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 34 | 2,375 | $110,757 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 87 | 2,221 | $114,100 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 9 | 1,815* | $75,772 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 24 | 1,013 | $115,955 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 26 | 942 | $143,739 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 24 | 699 | $111,651 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 16 | 664 | $143,434 |
| Anchorage, AK | 19 | 644 | $104,977 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 16 | 444* | $81,020 |
| Morgan City, LA | 5 | 439* | $94,501 |
Business size
US Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 638 | 58.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 124 | 11.3% |
| 10 to 19 | 99 | 9.0% |
| 20 to 49 | 96 | 8.7% |
| 50 to 99 | 55 | 5.0% |
| 100 to 249 | 52 | 4.7% |
| 250 to 499 | 20 | 1.8% |
| 500 to 999 | 6 | 0.5% |
| 1,000 or more | 8 | 0.7% |
Related industries
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation and the 4 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Water Transportation 483Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 4831
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 483113 | Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation | 17,775 | $121,972 |
| 483112 | Deep Sea Passenger Transportation | 14,045* | $116,929 |
| 483111 | Deep Sea Freight Transportation | 6,574 | $119,413 |
| 483114 | Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation | 3,276 | $80,305 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation in the US?
41,670 people worked at 1,098 US Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation business locations in 2023, up 1.2% from 2022. That is 0.03% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation?
$116,593 a year per employee in 2023, from $4.9 billion in annual payroll (up 9.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation jobs?
Florida had the most, with 16,010 employees in 2023, followed by Washington (4,624) and Louisiana (3,823).
Which metro areas have the most Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation jobs?
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (11,972), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (4,521), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (2,628) had the most Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation businesses small?
78.4% of the 1,098 Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 14 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.