NOAA Report Finds US Ocean Enterprise Sector Hits $16.4 Billion in Annual Revenue

22 October 2026
Edited By: Haley McQueen

The US Ocean Enterprise, a thriving ecosystem of businesses connected to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes monitoring, generates approximately $16.4 billion in revenue annually, according to NOAA's newly released US Ocean Enterprise in 2025 report. This wide-ranging report identified more than 1,800 US businesses engaged in the Ocean Enterprise, an increase of 75 percent since 2020.

Since 2015, NOAA’s US Integrated Ocean Observing System has conducted the study every five years to assess the size and scope of the private and not-for-profit businesses that support observation, measurement, and forecasting of the ocean. These businesses either produce the technologies that enable ocean observing—such as buoys or sensors—or take these data and deliver customized information essential to safe, economic, and environmentally sound development of the wider ocean economy.

NOAA’s Ocean Enterprise report is a powerful tool for understanding a rapidly expanding business sector critical to continuing growth of the wider US ocean economy and its employment of more than 2.6 million Americans. The increase in revenue and participation in this sector represents a largely untapped market for federal and private partnerships to meet the growing demands of the nation.

Study Highlights and Insights

Ocean Enterprise businesses generate $16.4 billion in revenue annually, a 50 percent increase over 2020.
Of that revenue, $3.5 billion, or 21 percent, includes export activity, which has remained consistent since 2020.
The number of businesses identified as part of the Ocean Enterprise sector increased by 75 percent since 2020.

The study helps NOAA and businesses in the Ocean Enterprise find new and advantageous opportunities for partnerships and collaboration. As the primary federal agency for ocean and atmospheric science, NOAA provides businesses with resources, operational validation, and commercialization pathways; as private entities and businesses offer NOAA agility, broader data coverage, and more rapid research and development. Working together, these public-private partnerships can amplify the value, utility, and reach of the data, products, and services each sector provides.

Visit NOAA’s Ocean Enterprise Study website to learn more about the study and to download the full 2025, 2020, and 2015 reports.

This article was originally published by NOAA’s National Ocean Service: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/oct26/ocean-enterprise-grows.html