The Port of San Diego plays a critical role in San Diego
County’s economic rebound by pumping more than $7.6 billion a year into the
region from employment, sales, and purchases of goods and services, according
to a newly-issued report.
The analysis, completed by Economic and Planning Systems, a
nationally recognized land economics consulting company, breaks down the
economic impact into two categories, direct impact and secondary impact, the
latter including both indirect and induced effects.
The direct economic impact of the port is derived from
sales, employment, and operating expenditures, i.e. purchases of goods and
services, occurring on port-managed property. The report is based on 2013 data,
the most recent year for which information is available.
According to the data, the port’s direct economic impact
grew eight percent and jobs grew nine percent in two years.
More than 33,000 jobs are located on tidelands, according to
the report, generating over $4 billion in direct economic output and
representing an eight percent increase in direct economic impact over the
previous analysis completed using 2011 data. The number of jobs has also
increased to 33,356 in 2013, a nine percent gain.
The report also shows if all jobs on Port of San Diego
tidelands were aggregated and compared to the largest employers in San Diego
County, the port would rank second only to the State of California and have a
larger economic impact than major San Diego organizations like the University
of California at San Diego and Sharp Healthcare.
The types of jobs the port helps generate are diverse, such
as working with heavy industrial equipment, like ship repair and
cargo/container processing; providing professional services like vessel
insurance brokers, boat brokers, marketers and attorneys; conducting manual
labor such as loading and unloading cruise passenger luggage.
An interactive summary and full copy of the report can be
found at portofsandiego.org/economicimpact.
