States / California
California
68.5%
Population of State Living in Coastal Areas
$883.5 Billion
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
13
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting California 2010 to 2018)*
Coastal Demographics
Of the total population of 38.4 million in California, 26.3 million people live in coastal portions of the state.
Coastal Economy
Coastal California employs 12.3 million people annually, earning a total of almost $883.5 billion. This equates to over $2 trillion in gross domestic product.
Natural Hazards
Two billion-dollar weather disasters affected California in 2018—and a total of 13 affected the state between 2010 and 2018. The total cost for California’s wildfires in 2018—the costliest, deadliest, and largest on record—was $24.2 billion.*

Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (FEMA Website)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
Making a Difference
in California
A Future for Native Oysters along the Pacific Coast
The Takeaway: Data and tools from three West Coast research reserves allow officials to choose restoration “sweet spots” for bringing back declining oyster grounds. READ MORE
Native oysters are in decline along the Pacific Coast....
Learn MoreA Road-Flooding Fix Is Coming to California State Park
The Takeaway: Park visitors and bayside neighbors will enjoy a safer, more accessible area because a group organized by NOAA’s Science Collaborative studied and rated various adaptation options.
Learn MoreBirds of the Coast Have a Friend in NOAA
The Takeaway: At a critical time for many species, NOAA collaborates with partners to protect coastal bird habitats and populations.
Learn MoreCalifornia Balances Habitat Conservation with Public Beach Access
The Takeaway: The California Coastal Commission acted on the pleas of local residents in a win for both environmental justice and public health.
Learn MoreCalifornia Opens Up Public Access in a Big Way
The Takeaway: Adventurers now exploring 1,000-plus miles of land and waterway trails owe much to the three agencies of California’s coastal zone management program.
Learn MoreCourse Graduates Protect Western Burrowing Owl
The Takeaway: Most participants in this Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve workshop later use skills to bolster species protection and habitat conditions.
Learn MoreEnvironmental Educators Tailor Lessons to Diverse Student Needs
The Takeaway: Students of the coast love to learn when educators reach them where they are—whether that’s online, in the field, or through the wisdom of their own culture and stewardship traditions.
Learn MoreEstuary Education Goes Virtual
The Takeaway: NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System provides online tours, activity books, and more to teachers and students.
Learn MoreFirst-Ever National Marsh Assessment Tool
The Takeaway: Research reserves determine methodology for calculating sea level rise impact on the marsh and test it in 16 locations. Methodology standardizes the effort and creates a national approach.
Learn MoreNOAA Aids Largest-Ever West Coast Oyster Data Map
The Takeaway: The findings could spark restoration efforts that are much more strategic and effective, thanks to project leaders and partners that include California’s Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve.
Learn MoreNOAA Cheers Citizen Scientists
The Takeaway: These coastal volunteers walk the talk of science and stewardship by gathering data to help ecosystems remain vibrant and communities grow more resilient.
Learn MoreNOAA Expands Coastal Opportunities for People with Disabilities
The Takeaway: Creating sign language for “estuary” and other coastal terms, and trails that accommodate wheelchairs and the needs of the visually impaired—these are just two of the contributions from research reserves and coastal zone management programs.
Learn MoreNOAA Funding Improves Visitor Access and Safety at Research Reserve
The Takeaway: On the way is a new stormwater filtering system and upgraded parking, walkway, and school bus areas.
Learn MoreNOAA Strengthens Resilience Before, During, and After Disasters
The Takeaway: NOAA initiatives and state partnership programs are making a difference throughout the nation’s coastal zone.
Learn MoreNOAA’s “Green” Expertise Meets New Infrastructure Era
The Takeaway: Some U.S. infrastructure funding that is headed NOAA’s way will maximize the benefits of nature to lessen climate change damage.
Learn MoreNative Americans Play Critical Roles in Many NOAA Projects
The Takeaway: We take a look at the great things that can happen when NOAA and Indigenous communities work together on coastal issues.
Learn MorePrograms Improve Public Access for All
The Takeaway: NOAA safeguards coastal public access and inclusive adventures through the efforts of the National Coastal Zone Management Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve System.
Learn MoreProject Rescues Wetlands from Sea Level Rise
The Takeaway: The restoration also expands otter habitat and safeguards a super-efficient “blue carbon” source, with help from the Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve.
Learn MoreRelocation of Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County
The Takeaway: California’s coastal zone management program was part of the team that negotiated this sensitive effort. End results included a road moved inland and new park and visitor facilities.
Learn MoreResearch Reserve Restoration Funds Strengthen Tribal Partnership
The Takeaway: California’s Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve was awarded $1.3 million to safeguard habitat and bolster stewardship efforts in a partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Learn MoreSan Diego County Benefits from Adaptation Strategy
The Takeaway: Fourteen adaptation planning initiatives are taking place in nine cities with the help of a NOAA grant and a local research reserve.
Learn MoreSan Francisco Bay Reserve Partners with Smithsonian Institution on Estuary Research
The Takeaway: A global study uses research reserve monitoring data to uncover potential climate change impacts to the marine environment.
Learn MoreStudy Teases Out What Makes a Tidal Marsh “Happy” or “Unhappy”
The Takeaway: Research reserve scientists and others explain marsh persistence with a twist on novelist Leo Tolstoy’s famous “happy families” opening line.
Learn MoreStudy of 15 Research Reserves Finds Crabs Pose No Large-Scale Salt Marsh Threat
The Takeaway: While specific crab species can cause local damage, rising seas appear to be a bigger threat to salt marshes nationwide.
Learn MoreTargeted Outreach Tackles Invasive Eucalyptus Threat
The Takeaway: The Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve’s approved plan to remove some invasive eucalyptus and replant with native species will leave a healthier, more diverse ecosystem.
Learn MoreU.S.-Mexico Partners Cut Borderlands Plastic and Marine Debris
The Takeaway: The Tijuana River Research Reserve provides technical assistance and training for the effort.
Learn MoreWade into Estuary Recreation at a NOAA Research Reserve
The Takeaway: Paddling azure waterways. Casting a line for that delectable campsite dinner. Spying an elusive warbler in a birder’s paradise. These adventures and many more await.
Learn More