The US Bureau of Economic Analysis has release new data on the economic impact of Outdoor Recreation for 2021.
“The outdoor recreation economy accounted for 1.9 percent ($454.0 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2021. At the state level, outdoor recreation value added as a share of GDP ranged from 4.8 percent in Hawaii to 1.3 percent in New York and Connecticut. The share was 0.9 percent in the District of Columbia.”
Additional highlights for value added by activity for 2021 are as follows:
- Boating/fishing was the largest conventional activity for the nation at $27.3 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in 27 states and the District of Columbia. The largest contributors were Florida ($4.0 billion), California ($2.3 billion), and Texas ($2.0 billion) (state table 2).
- RVing was the second-largest conventional activity for the nation at $25.1 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in 15 states. The largest contributors were Indiana ($5.4 billion), Texas ($2.2 billion), and California ($2.0 billion).
- Hunting/shooting/trapping was the third-largest conventional activity for the nation at $10.8 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in two states. The largest contributors were Texas ($1.2 billion), California ($763.8 million), and Georgia ($555.2 million).
- Snow activities for the nation was $5.2 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in four states. The largest contributors were Colorado ($1.3 billion), Utah ($519.4 million), and California ($505.7 million).
More information can be found at the BEA site at https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/outdoor-recreation-satellite-account-us-and-states-2021
