The Jacksonville Port Authority supported 26,282 jobs and $31.1 billion in economic output in the region and Florida in 2018, according to a report the agency released Monday.
The report also found that while the total tonnage moving through the port declined since 2013, container cargo traffic is increasing.
The report, “The Local and Regional Economic Impacts of the Port of Jacksonville, 2018,” was prepared by Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. JaxPort hired the company to prepare the report.
The report found:
• 10,876 direct jobs are generated by the marine cargo and vessel activity at the public and private marine terminals at JAXPort. Of those, 76% of those are held by Duval County residents. The bulk of the jobs, 4,465, are in trucking. The second-largest group was terminal employees and longshoremen, with 2,329.
• The direct jobs generated wages of $767.4 million, with an average salary of $70,570.
• The report also found 10,276 induced jobs and 5,131 indirect jobs. Indirect jobs are generated by local purchases by the firms directly dependent upon seaport activity. Related user jobs are held throughout the state with manufacturing and wholesale and retail distribution firms using the seaport terminals for the shipment and receipt of cargo.
• Businesses providing services at the marine terminals received $2.6 billion of revenue, excluding the value of cargo.
• The total economic value to the sate in 2018 is estimated at $31.1 billion. That comprises direct business revenue, $27 billion in related user output and $1.5 billion in local consumption impact.
• From 2013-2018, the total tonnage moving via the public and private marine terminals declined by 1.2 million tons. The report said the decline was driven by the reduction in dry bulk cargo and the loss of coal because of the closing of the JEA power park in 2013.
• Containerized cargo grew from about 6 million tons in 2013 to 7 million tons in 2018.
“The successes we are experiencing throughout all of our lines of business have a direct and lasting impact on our region and state,” JaxPort CEO Eric Green said in a news release. “The more we continue to invest in this port and grow our reputation as a global gateway into the Southeast U.S., the more jobs we create for our neighbors and the more revenue we put back into our area’s economy.”