Economic impact from the Port of Mobile reached $98.3 billion, an increase of $13 billion over the previous year and providing a boon to every county in the state, according to a new study commissioned by the port. The study is based on 2022 figures, the most recent available.
The study, prepared by economic and transportation consulting firm Martin Associates, also attributes 351,359 jobs — one of every 7 statewide — to the port.
While the bulk of those jobs are along the coast — 114,638 in Mobile County and 6,263 in Baldwin County — every county saw both jobs and economic benefit.
“While our Gulf Coast port might be called ‘The Port of Mobile,’ what the staggering economic impact number of $98 billion means is that it is really ‘The Port of Alabama,’” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “Whether it’s our booming automotive industry, exports of natural resources such as coal and limestone and countless other Alabama-made and Alabama-sourced goods, the Port of Mobile touches every corner and every industry in our state. The future is bright for our port, and I look forward to seeing its growth continue to contribute and impact all of Alabama.”
Port Authority Director and CEO John Driscoll added, “Alabama’s port has had tremendous growth – and we’re just getting started. These impact numbers show both the benefit of Alabama’s port to our entire state, and the key role of state investments in helping achieve that growth. With more than $1 billion in capital projects underway, we expect this growth to continue, and more importantly, keep making Alabama businesses more competitive globally.”
Even as port business is increasing, additional capital improvements — valued at more than $1 billion — are in progress, expanding capacity to 1 million 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) cargo containers annually. The Port is also deepening and widening channels to accommodate bigger vessels, adding a logistics facility in Mobile and an inland intermodal facility in Montgomery.
In the planning stages are a flyover bridge to improve on-dock rail access, improvements to general cargo piers, and another inland intermodal facility in northern Alabama.
Port officials note in their announcement, “This analysis is separate from and independent of a recent analysis in Forbes, which ranked the Port of Mobile the second-fastest-growing port of entry into the United States over the past decade, ahead of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
