The winner is… OUTDOOR RECREATION, according to an upcoming report by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The agency found that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2 percent of the nation’s GDP, or $373.7 billion. And it’s growing at a rate of 3.8 percent each year, compared to the 2.8 percent growth the economy is currently experiencing.
The public will no doubt be surprised at the economic importance of this industry,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
“This release is a milestone for business executives, small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and government officials who will rely on these detailed data to plan, grow and gain new insights into this dynamic part of the U.S. economy.”
The agency separated outdoor recreation into three categories:
- Conventional core activities (bicycling, boating, hiking and hunting),
- Other core activities (agritourism and outdoor festivals); and,
- Supporting activities (construction, trips and travel, and government).
Conventional recreation accounted for 36.7 percent of the total outdoor recreational grow output, other recreational accounted for 22.1 percent, and supporting activities accounted for the remaining 41.2 percent.
Within the broader outdoor recreation sector, the largest industry is motorized vehicles (such as RVs), accounting for $59.5 billion of gross output in 2016. Boating and fishing activities contributed $38.2 billion, with hunting/fishing/trapping delivering $15.4 billion in economic activity. Multi-use apparel and accessories (backpacks, bug spray, etc.) was the fourth largest contributor by category.
At 2 percent of GDP, the sector is larger than legal services (1.3 percent), agriculture (1 percent, defined as farming, forestry, and fishing), and mining, oil, and gas extraction (1.4 percent).
NCSL will be discussing approaches to strengthening rural communities during a deep dive session at the Legislative Summit in Los Angeles on Aug. 2.
Original blog written by Doug Farquhar, Director ofthe Environmental Health program at NCSL. Available Here.
