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The water transportation subsector is part of the transportation and warehousing sector.
Industries in the Water Transportation subsector provide water transportation of passengers and cargo using watercraft, such as ships, barges, and boats.
The subsector is composed of two industry groups: (1) one for deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes; and (2) one for inland water transportation. This split typically reflects the difference in equipment used.
North American Industry Classification System
The water transportation subsector consists of these industry groups:
This section provides information relating to employment in water transportation. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.
Data series | Back data |
Jun. 2024 |
Jul. 2024 |
Aug. 2024 |
Sep. 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employment (in thousands) |
|||||
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted) |
75.8 | 75.3 | (p)74.7 | (p)75.4 | |
Footnotes |
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Data series | Employment, 2023 |
---|---|
12,340 | |
1,570 | |
2,550 | |
11,380 | |
3,230 |
(Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics)
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for water transportation.
(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)
Recent hourly and annual earnings for occupations commonly found in water transportation.
Data series | Wages, 2023 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Hourly | Annual | |||
Median | Mean | Median | Mean | |
49.51 | 54.92 | 102,980 | 114,240 | |
63.31 | 73.58 | 131,670 | 153,050 | |
22.19 | 26.38 | 46,150 | 54,870 | |
22.69 | 25.72 | 47,200 | 53,490 | |
49.55 | 54.86 | 103,060 | 114,100 |
(Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics)
This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in water transportation. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
Data series | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fatalities |
||||
13 | 16 | 9 | 14 | |
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. |
Data series | 2022 |
---|---|
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers |
|
1.8 | |
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer |
1.4 |
1.1 | |
0.3 | |
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. |
(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)
This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction.
Data series | Back data |
Jun. 2024 |
Jul. 2024 |
Aug. 2024 |
Sep. 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(p)203.292 | (p)204.736 | (p)201.405 | (p)202.466 | ||
Percent change from previous month |
(p)0.8% | (p)0.7% | (p)-1.6% | (p)0.5% | |
Footnotes |
(Source: Producer Price Indexes)
This section presents data on the number of establishments in water transportation.
Data series | Back data |
2nd quarter 2023 |
3rd quarter 2023 |
4th quarter 2023 |
1st quarter 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of establishments |
|||||
2,461 | 2,486 | 2,484 | (p)2,505 | ||
9 | 9 | 9 | (p)9 | ||
13 | 13 | 13 | (p)13 | ||
1 | 1 | 1 | (p)1 | ||
Footnotes |
(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
This section presents productivity and related data for the industry, presented as the percent change from the previous year. Measures of total factor productivity (TFP) compare growth in output to the growth in a combination of inputs that include labor, capital, energy, materials, and services. Measures of labor productivity, or output per hour, compare the growth in output to the growth in hours worked.
Data series | Back data |
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
-2.0 | 1.5 | -0.3 | -6.2 | ||
0.1 | -31.3 | -9.1 | 13.1 | ||
2.1 | -32.3 | -8.8 | 20.6 | ||
2.2 | -0.4 | 0.8 | 1.5 | ||
-2.9 | -11.4 | 22.5 | 14.2 | ||
3.4 | -21.3 | -26.7 | -0.3 |
(Source: Productivity)
Data extracted on: October 11, 2024