Economic Contribution

BOEM develops estimates of how offshore energy development contributes to economic activity in various areas. For example, BOEM provides input to the annual Department of the Interior Economic Contributions Report, which estimates the economic contributions of offshore energy activities to each U.S. state during each fiscal year (FY). 

For example, during FY 2020, the offshore oil and gas industry supported approximately:  

  • 176,000 jobs (including both full-time and part-time employment) 
  • $11.9 billion in labor income 
  • $20.6 billion in value added (contribution to Gross Domestic Product) 
  • $38.1 billion in output 

The map below shows BOEM’s estimates of the locations of the jobs that supported offshore oil and gas activities during FY 2020. The highest numbers of offshore oil and gas jobs were in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. The FY 2020 impacts were substantially lower than in prior years due to low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic Contribution Map