The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership announced the release of Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region, a year-long study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system. The study is a definitive and detailed report documenting the many contributions made by the Great Lakes Seaway system* to federal, state/provincial and local economies.
The study reports that in 2017 maritime commerce supported:
- 237,868 jobs
- $35 billion in economic activity
- $14.2 billion in personal income and local consumption expenditures
- $6.6 billion in federal, state/provincial and local tax revenueThe study also highlights the specific economic benefits of key navigation infrastructure, such as the St. Lawrence Seaway locks and the Soo Locks. The study reports that in 2017:
- 123,172 U.S. and Canadian jobs were dependent on the Soo Locks
- 92,661 jobs were generated by cargo transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway locksThe Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway (comprised of the five Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario – their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River) serves the industrial and agricultural heartland of the US and Canada. If the region was its own country, it would be the 3rd largest economy in the world with a combined GDP of more than $6 trillion dollars.
For more information visit: www.seaway.dot.gov
