Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account

Updated National Statistics and Prototype State-Level Statistics for 2012–2017

By Elizabeth Cologer, Dirk van Duym, Connor Franks, Nayana Kollanthara, and Stanislaw Rzeznik1  |  Volume 99, Number 10  |  October 16, 2019

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On September 20, 2019, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released updated statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA). These statistics, covering the period 2012–2017, are the second official release of national-level statistics, and for the first time, prototype state-level statistics were released.2 National measures of value added by activity for 2012–2017 have also been added. The updated statistics incorporate the 2018 comprehensive update to the supply-use tables. Also updated are source data on outdoor recreation spending by government agencies and data on the share of economic activity related to outdoor recreation activities.

The updated statistics show the U.S. outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent, or $427.2 billion, of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 (chart 1). The statistics also show that total gross output for the outdoor recreation economy was $778.5 billion and generated 5.2 million jobs and $213.4 billion in compensation. The largest conventional outdoor recreation activity in terms of chained-dollar GDP was boating/fishing at $18.7 billion. For these and more details on national-level ORSA activity, see tables A through F.

Chart 1. Outdoor Recreation Economy as a Percentage of Nominal 2017 GDP, Compared to Selected NAICS Industries

[Click chart to expand]

The prototype state statistics on outdoor recreation cover the years 2012–2017 for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and fulfill the requirements of the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016.3 State-level estimates are available by activity for value added and by industry for value added, employment, and compensation. These state statistics are valuable because they highlight state economic activity associated with outdoor recreation. For example, the published data show how many jobs in a state are associated with the outdoor recreation economy.

The state-level ORSA statistics, like BEA state-level Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account statistics, highlight a specific aspect of the whole economy.4 Outdoor recreation, like arts or tourism, is an aggregation of many diverse industries, each of which contributes to a set of activities. That is, goods manufacturers, service providers, and government all contribute to the basket of production and spending related to outdoor recreation activities.

Highlights from the 2017 prototype state-level outdoor recreation statistics are as follows:

  • The relative size of the outdoor recreation economy ranges from 5.4 percent of GDP for Hawaii to 1.2 percent of GDP for the District of Columbia.
  • Outdoor recreation compensation as a percent of state total compensation is the highest in Hawaii (5.1 percent) and the lowest in the District of Columbia (1.1 percent).
  • Outdoor recreation employment as a percent of state total employment ranges from 8.0 percent in Wyoming to 2.4 percent in Ohio.
  • The retail trade and accommodation and food services sectors are the largest contributors to outdoor recreation jobs in all states and the District of Columbia, except in Indiana, where manufacturing is the largest contributor.
  • Boating/fishing is the largest conventional activity in 29 states and the District of Columbia; boating/fishing value added is the greatest in Florida ($2.7 billion) and California ($1.8 billion).

The rest of this article discusses the concepts, definitions, and geography of outdoor recreation. It also provides a summary of the methodology used for the prototype state statistics and highlights key state-level results for 2017. The article concludes with a brief discussion about future work leading to the release of official state-level statistics in the fall of 2020.

The prototype state-level ORSA is an extension of the national-level ORSA. The definitions are the same, and the presentation of the ORSA statistics by industry and by activity is consistent with how the national-level industry and activity estimates are presented. For instance, the activities are grouped into three categories: conventional core activities, other core activities, and supporting activities. The conventional core activities are all recreational activities undertaken for pleasure that generally involve some level of intentional physical exertion and occur in nature-based outdoor environments—activities such as boating, fishing, climbing, hiking, hunting, and skiing. The other core activities are recreation activities that are undertaken outdoors for pleasure and can occur in man-made environments—activities such as golfing, baseball, gardening, and walking for pleasure. The supporting activities include construction, trips and travel, local trips, and government expenditures.

The ORSA measures of employment, compensation, and value added follow BEA definitions. Employment consists of all full-time, part-time, and temporary wage and salary jobs in which workers are engaged in the production of outdoor recreation goods and services. Self-employed individuals are not included in employment totals.

Compensation consists of the pay to employees (including wages and salaries and benefits such as employer contributions to pension and health funds) in return for their outdoor recreation-related work during a given year. Pay to self-employed individuals is not included in compensation.

Value added (also referred to as GDP) consists of the value of outdoor recreation goods and services produced less the value of expenses incurred for their production. The activity of self-employed individuals is included in value added.

State outdoor recreation is measured by place of production, not residence of consumer. Consequently, the value of manufactured goods, such as boats, is assigned to the state where they are produced, even if the goods are not ultimately used there. Services, such as sailing lessons, are also assigned to the location where they are produced (which is also usually where they are consumed). The value of services provided by retailers, such as boat dealers, is also assigned to the location of sale. The services of retailers (known as trade margins) are not measured by sales but are most akin to sales less the cost of goods sold. The production of imported goods is excluded from ORSA, but the value of the services of retailers selling the imported goods is included.

Because of the production-based approach, the distribution of an ORSA activity across states depends on the types of ORSA-related industries in those states. An increase in outdoor recreation participation by residents of a given state may not have a proportionate impact on that state’s economy. Increased spending on RVing, especially if driven by spending on new RVs, will likely have a greater impact on states where RVs are manufactured than on the state with the increased spending. Similarly, an increased interest in skiing by residents of Florida may be of relatively greater benefit to Colorado, as residents of Florida travel to ski facilities in Colorado.

Outdoor recreation-related production is included in state industry totals even if the final consumption occurs outside the state. Activity tables show states’ total contributions to outdoor recreation activities’ value added, regardless of the contributing industry. For example, boating/fishing value added by state represents all contributions by in‐state boat manufacturers, marinas, repair shops, and so forth, to the boating/fishing activity. Industry tables show states’ total outdoor recreation‐related value added, employment, and compensation by industry, regardless of the outdoor activities the industries support. A state’s total value added across all outdoor recreation activities will equal the state’s total value added across all outdoor recreation industries.

The ORSA is a complement to other measures of participation in outdoor recreation. BEA’s satellite account measures the production of goods and services associated with outdoor recreation. This is a separate measure from attempts to quantify participation through counts of participants or time spent.

Allocations to states

The state-level outdoor recreation statistics are a methodologically consistent geographic extension of the national-level outdoor recreation statistics. Estimates of outdoor recreation at the national level set overall levels of spending by industry and by activity that are distributed to states. As a result, the sum of any industry or activity across states will necessarily equal the U.S. value for that industry or activity.

Outdoor recreation spending and production are allocated to states by applying state‐level data to detailed, underlying national values at the commodity level. The underlying estimates are distributed to states before aggregation to publication levels.

State allocations for value added are primarily based on a time series of data generated by extrapolating best-level estimates from the Census Bureau Economic Census (EC) with best-change data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). Goods-producing industries have their initial state distributions set with EC value-added data. For service-sector industries, EC receipts are used to set initial value-added distributions. Data from various federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are used to supplement the EC and QCEW data. This approach is consistent with the methods used for producing GDP by state statistics and makes the ORSA state-level statistics comparable to BEA’s other state statistics.

Compensation distributions are based on QCEW wages and salaries plus supplements to wages and salaries from BEA. Employment distributions are based on state QCEW annual employment counts of full-time, part-time, and temporary workers by detailed industries. Additional data from industry and trade associations are used to inform and corroborate EC- and QCEW-based estimates. For example, data from the American Horse Council was used to refine estimates of equestrian activity across states.

Value added

Outdoor recreation value added as a percent of state value added ranges from 5.4 percent in Hawaii to 1.2 percent in the District of Columbia (chart 2).

Chart 2. Outdoor Recreation Value Added: Percent of State GDP, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

In the west, apart from Hawaii, the highest shares are found in Alaska and the Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. In the east, the highest shares are found in Florida and the northern New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The Rocky Mountain states feature prominently in the ORSA because national parks provide ample opportunities for activities such as camping, hiking, and sightseeing (table 1). Colorado and Utah benefit from spending on snow activities. Hawaii and Alaska have high shares of their states’ value-added/GDP related to ORSA due in part to the transportation services required by travelers to the state.

Table 1. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity, Selected States, 2017
[Thousands of dollars]
  Alaska Colorado Hawaii Montana Utah Wyoming
Total outdoor recreation 2,187,367 11,308,942 4,794,590 2,381,709 5,514,051 1,647,761
Total core outdoor recreation 648,588 5,458,122 1,219,503 1,141,135 2,713,286 469,749
Conventional outdoor recreation 396,836 3,779,399 567,859 753,790 1,842,019 335,653
Bicycling 5,283 61,976 6,738 6,716 35,497 2,491
Boating/fishing 99,675 319,683 127,848 134,869 192,153 39,657
Canoeing/kayaking 1,904 7,077 2,184 1,759 3,930 396
Fishing (excludes boating) 15,726 57,248 14,127 27,929 42,513 7,817
Sailing 2,556 10,613 6,892 2,213 12,417 1,692
Other boating 79,489 244,746 104,645 102,968 133,294 29,752
Climbing/hiking/tent camping 22,027 98,574 13,056 31,348 40,396 15,866
Equestrian 9,439 179,196 12,920 83,732 84,876 55,238
Hunting/shooting/trapping 29,024 104,424 16,830 87,409 123,258 50,066
Hunting/trapping 10,753 34,747 2,880 32,084 48,540 38,109
Shooting (includes archery) 18,271 69,677 13,950 55,325 74,719 11,957
Motorcycling/ATVing 13,912 117,719 24,111 27,656 87,617 15,913
Recreational flying 4,300 13,145 3,475 5,523 14,956 4,002
RVing 67,133 338,657 25,590 132,604 218,329 60,069
Snow activities 22,454 1,542,589 5,899 76,189 549,150 19,726
Skiing/snowboarding 11,696 1,066,915 3,057 49,412 367,983 11,080
Other snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 10,757 475,675 2,843 26,777 181,167 8,646
Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 29,502 183,453 41,703 47,236 109,077 21,480
Other conventional air and land activities2 23,710 155,021 36,421 42,042 85,678 20,005
Other conventional water activities3 5,792 28,432 5,282 5,194 23,399 1,474
Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 94,087 819,983 289,689 120,507 386,709 51,146
Other outdoor recreation 251,753 1,678,724 651,644 387,345 871,266 134,096
Amusement parks/water parks 10,309 107,085 29,675 13,115 80,599 4,533
Festivals/sporting events/concerts 8,553 330,373 20,097 18,072 128,646 2,889
Field sports 14,268 82,389 19,629 27,862 50,913 7,907
Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 33,336 379,270 181,338 98,954 250,906 41,110
Guided tours/outfitted travel 119,662 315,241 284,547 69,298 118,262 22,115
Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 65,210 179,340 158,927 36,527 67,322 11,631
Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 54,452 135,900 125,620 32,771 50,940 10,485
Productive activities (includes gardening) 10,548 137,277 26,201 47,925 75,136 15,157
Other outdoor recreation activities5 50,921 273,663 74,839 104,401 126,592 35,887
Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 4,155 53,426 15,319 7,718 40,212 4,498
Supporting outdoor recreation 1,538,778 5,850,820 3,575,086 1,240,574 2,800,765 1,178,011
Construction 26,453 153,028 71,913 22,783 84,922 29,891
Local trips6 172,244 657,151 227,905 208,023 380,248 160,288
Travel and tourism7 1,227,665 4,376,793 3,057,638 886,403 1,933,473 833,922
Food and beverages 112,573 741,432 518,986 105,965 304,263 158,391
Lodging 302,230 1,452,703 816,190 409,900 566,008 462,492
Shopping and souvenirs 91,920 472,330 151,221 107,061 337,916 130,428
Transportation 720,941 1,710,328 1,571,241 263,477 725,286 82,611
Government expenditures 112,417 663,848 217,630 123,365 402,122 153,910
Federal government 41,685 119,183 55,819 68,403 145,312 75,072
State and local government 70,732 544,666 161,812 54,961 256,810 78,838
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, and snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, and yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.

The northern New England states are strong in boating/fishing, hunting, and snow activities (table 2). Florida is notable, not only because it has a high percentage of value added derived from ORSA, but because its economy is also one of the top five in the United States.5 Compared to Florida, other states with large economies such as California, Texas, and New York have lower state shares of ORSA-related value added. It is important to note that among these large states, the activities that contribute strongly to the states’ ORSA value added vary.

Table 2. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity, Selected States, 2017
[Thousands of dollars]
  Maine New Hampshire Vermont Florida California New York Texas
Total outdoor recreation 2,957,847 2,710,336 1,468,493 42,183,230 52,120,252 26,299,866 34,565,594
Total core outdoor recreation 1,182,576 1,390,525 627,010 18,762,366 26,006,396 13,834,870 17,138,411
Conventional outdoor recreation 905,466 1,020,325 475,685 8,823,495 14,903,257 8,505,481 11,188,472
Bicycling 8,458 8,654 5,025 105,842 392,963 75,504 104,798
Boating/fishing 248,946 117,569 37,934 2,692,393 1,805,319 1,087,834 1,587,775
Canoeing/kayaking 6,028 3,210 852 80,724 44,341 20,721 30,054
Fishing (excludes boating) 27,747 11,041 7,151 181,443 269,625 75,050 229,155
Sailing 24,989 10,761 2,579 205,768 95,657 89,623 73,779
Other boating 190,182 92,557 27,352 2,224,459 1,395,697 902,440 1,254,786
Climbing/hiking/tent camping 31,648 29,767 10,188 177,221 413,198 156,037 243,195
Equestrian 31,356 16,906 20,155 394,293 602,016 206,148 731,292
Hunting/shooting/trapping 70,030 225,844 78,834 410,189 551,102 360,260 1,047,559
Hunting/trapping 28,681 95,463 32,756 208,734 222,655 156,645 703,248
Shooting (includes archery) 41,349 130,382 46,077 201,455 328,448 203,615 344,311
Motorcycling/ATVing 26,454 50,928 11,995 393,466 911,623 286,545 690,024
Recreational Flying 3,722 4,716 1,636 49,992 224,448 36,153 243,299
RVing 137,428 110,153 42,752 936,806 1,492,339 528,351 1,484,522
Snow activities 75,279 151,646 175,855 38,143 652,463 173,532 237,143
Skiing/snowboarding 51,776 95,534 121,959 29,013 397,728 114,704 34,454
Other snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 23,503 56,112 53,896 9,130 254,735 58,828 202,689
Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 97,186 60,413 21,306 645,582 1,259,314 509,189 1,166,832
Other conventional air and land activities2 85,166 48,343 17,293 396,320 1,065,781 428,819 1,052,499
Other conventional water activities3 12,020 12,069 4,013 249,262 193,534 80,370 114,333
Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 174,958 243,729 70,003 2,979,568 6,598,471 5,085,928 3,652,032
Other outdoor recreation 277,110 370,199 151,325 9,938,871 11,103,139 5,329,389 5,949,940
Amusement parks/water parks 16,847 47,261 4,974 4,652,634 2,463,511 269,502 643,170
Festivals/sporting events/concerts 22,537 23,696 8,404 1,158,660 2,017,050 1,686,377 846,453
Field sports 27,374 23,115 13,402 200,758 406,844 194,951 283,907
Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 94,552 105,782 61,472 1,826,905 2,261,707 967,921 1,440,466
Guided tours/outfitted travel 36,652 53,279 18,000 844,694 1,328,894 831,061 880,295
Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 17,644 30,618 11,013 455,782 814,660 479,752 541,622
Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 19,008 22,662 6,987 388,912 514,234 351,309 338,673
Productive activities (includes gardening) 32,388 31,748 14,805 433,640 876,305 336,137 594,758
Other outdoor recreation activities5 37,294 65,233 22,210 595,583 1,201,929 669,133 933,346
Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 9,466 20,086 8,058 225,998 546,899 374,307 327,545
Supporting outdoor recreation 1,775,271 1,319,811 841,483 23,420,864 26,113,856 12,464,996 17,427,183
Construction 19,298 18,121 11,300 476,205 1,175,734 667,797 656,788
Local trips6 280,729 237,788 141,920 2,498,538 4,348,043 1,727,179 4,747,777
Travel and tourism7 1,394,868 1,000,120 651,691 18,906,492 17,659,339 8,590,861 10,915,727
Food and beverages 202,076 180,013 107,368 2,907,517 2,163,052 1,349,137 785,605
Lodging 921,792 507,108 401,436 7,717,273 4,515,777 2,213,942 1,223,174
Shopping and souvenirs 164,062 194,318 97,829 1,348,364 2,703,665 1,318,712 1,846,185
Transportation 106,938 118,682 45,057 6,933,338 8,276,846 3,709,071 7,060,762
Government expenditures 80,376 63,781 36,572 1,539,629 2,930,739 1,479,158 1,106,890
Federal government 27,425 3,041 1,451 108,293 454,614 154,779 57,481
State and local government 52,951 60,740 35,121 1,431,336 2,476,125 1,324,379 1,049,410
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, and snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, and yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.

Value added by activity

Outdoor recreation value added by activity data also show that boating/fishing is the largest conventional activity in 29 states and the District of Columbia (table 3). Florida (12.9 percent), California (8.6 percent), and Texas (7.6 percent) are the largest contributors to boating/fishing value added in the United States (chart 3). In Texas, fuel accounts for a large share of boating/fishing value added.

Chart 3. State Share of Boating/Fishing Value Added, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

RVing is the largest conventional activity in nine states, led by Indiana ($2.9 billion) and Ohio ($599.5 million) (table 3). Indiana (17.0 percent), California (8.8 percent), Texas (8.8 percent), and Florida (5.5 percent) are the top four largest contributors to RVing activities in the United States (chart 4).

Chart 4. State Share of Total RVing Value Added, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

Snow activities, which are highly concentrated in a few states, are the largest conventional activity in Colorado ($1.5 billion), Utah ($549.2 million), and Vermont ($175.9 million) (table 3).

Table 3. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by State, Selected Conventional Activities, 2017
[Thousands of current dollars]
  Conventional outdoor recreation Bicycling Boating/fishing Climbing/hiking/tent camping Equestrian Hunting/shooting/trapping Motorcycling/ATVing Recreational flying RVing Snow activities Skiing/snowboarding
Alabama 1,513,165 12,298 287,174 49,030 114,682 107,110 80,161 15,559 192,640 17,382 8,897
Alaska 396,836 5,283 99,675 22,027 9,439 29,024 13,912 4,300 67,133 22,454 11,696
Arizona 2,198,635 35,886 275,125 68,977 126,747 239,161 100,996 18,072 410,065 33,605 23,325
Arkansas 1,169,862 15,506 245,991 34,441 131,499 136,219 68,216 8,600 125,510 4,871 1,968
California 14,903,257 392,963 1,805,319 413,198 602,016 551,102 911,623 224,448 1,492,339 652,463 397,728
Colorado 3,779,399 61,976 319,683 98,574 179,196 104,424 117,719 13,145 338,657 1,542,589 1,066,915
Connecticut 1,473,762 17,771 280,836 41,597 46,485 191,984 84,411 18,511 100,671 57,557 34,973
Delaware 316,284 5,365 53,390 6,857 11,297 8,836 15,737 3,312 32,914 4,421 901
District of Columbia 182,503 5,689 29,630 3,471 2,020 9,765 11,099 477 10,124 2,104 1,413
Florida 8,823,495 105,842 2,692,393 177,221 394,293 410,189 393,466 49,992 936,806 38,143 29,013
Georgia 3,565,188 37,327 542,342 98,390 170,114 386,503 486,669 37,760 351,011 20,616 7,383
Hawaii 567,859 6,738 127,848 13,056 12,920 16,830 24,111 3,475 25,590 5,899 3,057
Idaho 891,370 11,711 112,086 19,119 109,258 159,943 47,155 4,251 168,340 53,062 35,124
Illinois 4,059,338 144,402 542,627 117,692 214,717 353,180 276,119 64,685 324,438 38,319 14,828
Indiana 5,193,968 39,781 516,539 60,470 359,391 119,480 164,744 21,746 2,878,685 44,666 20,590
Iowa 1,389,040 14,542 139,288 30,793 208,830 66,587 131,485 9,523 373,661 13,838 7,709
Kansas 1,019,262 8,850 128,938 29,162 148,967 100,617 67,120 35,758 90,201 11,752 2,791
Kentucky 1,423,568 14,828 177,406 30,964 242,567 144,480 100,561 11,286 133,018 9,109 4,083
Louisiana 1,732,372 8,272 317,086 31,122 149,229 106,544 144,287 40,127 232,828 49,347 2,247
Maine 905,466 8,458 248,946 31,648 31,356 70,030 26,454 3,722 137,428 75,279 51,776
Maryland 1,929,167 20,910 444,438 42,717 101,299 110,309 79,977 13,547 160,930 38,592 25,397
Massachusetts 2,862,275 41,945 561,534 86,369 55,221 313,949 117,067 17,114 166,855 124,803 82,876
Michigan 3,271,515 37,812 735,330 104,884 184,437 222,616 197,243 19,585 488,864 73,329 45,297
Minnesota 3,635,061 57,906 631,370 149,266 221,299 414,837 721,838 17,117 319,703 149,706 76,256
Mississippi 891,794 6,029 114,900 20,908 90,911 97,168 51,655 13,158 101,986 21,077 4,738
Missouri 2,276,350 50,101 399,748 76,590 216,151 229,813 230,574 30,647 253,040 16,152 11,004
Montana 753,790 6,716 134,869 31,348 83,732 87,409 27,656 5,523 132,604 76,189 49,412
Nebraska 889,006 10,928 92,293 21,865 130,307 77,383 190,414 5,318 65,735 9,300 3,120
Nevada 1,109,185 11,532 147,494 20,053 39,066 65,656 54,141 6,319 114,943 40,467 27,304
New Hampshire 1,020,325 8,654 117,569 29,767 16,906 225,844 50,928 4,716 110,153 151,646 95,534
New Jersey 3,252,606 49,949 576,794 73,574 89,046 84,878 161,359 23,911 263,841 94,839 60,864
New Mexico 634,520 7,178 58,572 15,116 81,446 19,896 35,255 5,959 89,462 85,949 58,260
New York 8,505,481 75,504 1,087,834 156,037 206,148 360,260 286,545 36,153 528,351 173,532 114,704
North Carolina 3,329,353 38,208 601,451 116,366 202,930 156,086 191,048 18,132 351,652 53,031 36,089
North Dakota 414,008 3,127 65,609 7,652 69,882 25,582 26,175 4,432 58,319 6,244 3,003
Ohio 3,509,001 58,412 495,138 122,859 260,442 248,634 230,892 35,693 599,483 66,173 31,894
Oklahoma 1,259,053 12,839 182,524 24,595 196,240 68,164 77,828 22,390 235,995 12,636 3,273
Oregon 2,472,405 41,870 298,462 90,561 135,215 92,329 86,692 7,882 457,202 129,346 86,014
Pennsylvania 4,300,774 108,023 474,598 124,370 258,986 266,388 491,306 35,670 479,694 230,038 155,536
Rhode Island 365,212 4,018 160,492 8,578 6,075 7,276 15,357 1,532 21,992 5,296 3,608
South Carolina 2,162,875 21,021 434,601 43,542 89,082 252,189 155,856 15,692 384,926 6,649 2,520
South Dakota 457,237 6,285 50,800 12,455 96,307 43,542 37,252 3,611 66,977 12,447 8,643
Tennessee 2,473,242 22,286 596,524 67,731 153,340 176,443 140,116 13,884 298,012 43,827 29,602
Texas 11,188,472 104,798 1,587,775 243,195 731,292 1,047,559 690,024 243,299 1,484,522 237,143 34,454
Utah 1,842,019 35,497 192,153 40,396 84,876 123,258 87,617 14,956 218,329 549,150 367,983
Vermont 475,685 5,025 37,934 10,188 20,155 78,834 11,995 1,636 42,752 175,855 121,959
Virginia 2,394,061 32,934 402,411 78,415 187,787 200,083 110,725 16,144 222,064 23,571 16,004
Washington 3,455,420 61,859 662,066 138,228 205,266 149,355 170,147 154,445 372,139 220,871 138,513
West Virginia 451,005 3,582 64,201 10,574 50,841 29,829 29,927 3,581 42,200 24,564 15,944
Wisconsin 3,422,687 243,940 495,037 103,296 171,290 149,436 1,039,835 15,093 272,915 76,388 49,974
Wyoming 335,653 2,491 39,657 15,866 55,238 50,066 15,913 4,002 60,069 19,726 11,080

Skiing/snowboarding accounts for a significant portion of the snow activities in these states. Colorado (30.5 percent), California (11.4 percent), and Utah (10.5 percent) are the top three largest contributors to skiing/snowboarding value added in the United States (chart 5).

Chart 5. State Share of Total Skiing/Snowboarding Value Added, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

Value added by industry

Retail trade is the largest contributor to outdoor recreation value added in 17 states, including Texas ($8.5 billion), Washington ($2.8 billion), and Ohio ($2.7 billion) (table 4). Manufacturing is the largest sector for outdoor recreation value added in Indiana ($4.7 billion), Wisconsin ($2.0 billion), Louisiana ($1.6 billion), and Kansas ($684.2 million). The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector combined with the accommodation and food services sector is the largest contributor to outdoor recreation in 26 states and the District of Columbia.

Table 4. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by State, Selected Industries, 2017
[Thousands of dollars]
  Total outdoor recreation industries Private industries Manufacturing Retail trade Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing Arts, entertainment, and recreation Accomodation and food services All other private industries Government
United States 427,189,444 401,263,550 51,667,166 95,660,596 24,599,990 52,879,893 59,990,341 116,465,567 25,925,894
Alabama 4,133,003 3,868,776 411,126 1,310,458 224,647 315,368 745,847 861,331 264,227
Alaska 2,187,367 1,902,875 133,404 387,089 135,789 138,851 414,822 692,920 284,492
Arizona 8,654,150 8,066,337 360,525 2,116,316 709,129 1,024,244 1,715,235 2,140,887 587,813
Arkansas 2,887,050 2,697,898 559,630 787,842 137,102 207,343 377,154 628,826 189,152
California 52,120,252 48,774,747 5,773,527 10,838,594 2,675,553 7,461,103 6,634,132 15,391,837 3,345,505
Colorado 11,308,942 10,541,979 449,206 2,241,274 878,328 1,788,763 2,150,763 3,033,643 766,963
Connecticut 3,594,652 3,390,193 451,906 982,530 205,969 478,414 402,647 868,727 204,459
Delaware 1,309,865 1,253,257 112,658 430,046 134,604 95,887 316,596 163,466 56,607
District of Columbia 1,623,489 1,274,056 5,714 232,081 44,616 183,978 576,839 230,828 349,433
Florida 42,183,230 40,458,633 1,147,658 7,640,811 3,337,140 8,604,150 9,358,083 10,370,790 1,724,597
Georgia 12,319,942 11,752,952 1,234,272 2,456,209 489,236 1,298,055 1,340,313 4,934,867 566,990
Hawaii 4,794,590 4,547,173 107,705 665,996 238,976 317,556 1,278,773 1,938,168 247,416
Idaho 2,328,949 2,191,639 295,780 695,638 139,219 206,892 325,647 528,461 137,311
Illinois 14,725,840 13,660,892 1,894,583 2,840,819 667,136 1,708,275 1,199,480 5,350,598 1,064,949
Indiana 9,658,524 9,314,465 4,738,520 1,739,953 219,873 705,935 494,850 1,415,334 344,058
Iowa 3,442,812 3,244,711 744,066 896,247 96,639 301,964 294,473 911,324 198,101
Kansas 2,918,117 2,697,547 684,153 684,044 86,645 211,491 322,902 708,312 220,570
Kentucky 4,135,194 3,880,834 712,851 1,102,575 156,872 354,668 473,982 1,079,887 254,359
Louisiana 5,898,325 5,424,409 1,553,033 1,237,542 237,811 459,348 547,295 1,389,382 473,916
Maine 2,957,847 2,867,990 328,022 610,533 401,661 228,192 986,874 312,709 89,857
Maryland 7,058,582 6,155,998 279,759 1,743,814 385,701 813,696 1,193,063 1,739,966 902,584
Massachusetts 9,210,427 8,803,667 982,280 1,940,554 643,326 1,363,963 1,291,584 2,581,961 406,760
Michigan 9,954,756 9,435,579 1,142,187 2,548,301 892,593 1,085,448 1,170,175 2,596,875 519,177
Minnesota 9,638,553 8,949,024 1,843,732 1,956,471 553,258 885,278 656,192 3,054,092 689,529
Mississippi 2,629,162 2,409,268 647,087 739,081 123,513 119,458 319,220 460,910 219,894
Missouri 6,761,351 6,311,424 1,176,775 1,547,960 354,856 968,809 716,288 1,546,737 449,927
Montana 2,381,709 2,245,956 194,459 518,297 140,878 337,060 509,882 545,381 135,754
Nebraska 2,273,407 2,135,018 416,639 546,354 70,117 181,077 255,271 665,560 138,389
Nevada 4,462,542 4,020,274 93,084 1,079,368 218,216 536,725 682,962 1,409,919 442,268
New Hampshire 2,710,336 2,629,758 317,346 757,303 294,166 294,782 602,650 363,511 80,577
New Jersey 11,222,802 10,744,273 901,545 2,736,368 903,195 1,460,630 1,347,769 3,394,764 478,529
New Mexico 2,314,310 2,054,069 122,001 617,224 185,928 176,106 595,921 356,891 260,241
New York 26,299,866 24,434,332 1,687,444 5,635,691 1,745,373 3,616,572 3,091,380 8,657,873 1,865,533
North Carolina 11,936,052 11,181,670 1,513,993 2,798,488 622,800 1,391,631 1,895,312 2,959,448 754,382
North Dakota 1,208,579 1,064,864 74,471 378,362 50,506 79,538 119,321 362,666 143,716
Ohio 10,167,019 9,432,595 1,620,087 2,667,856 397,680 1,518,966 694,283 2,533,724 734,424
Oklahoma 3,836,530 3,568,921 462,148 998,936 197,984 384,577 360,539 1,164,737 267,609
Oregon 6,538,383 6,109,216 561,501 1,568,294 293,692 561,962 1,217,677 1,906,089 429,168
Pennsylvania 13,173,567 12,534,629 1,679,625 3,073,179 865,696 1,978,941 1,239,418 3,697,772 638,938
Rhode Island 1,391,601 1,324,679 91,310 308,017 76,209 163,119 420,202 265,823 66,922
South Carolina 6,853,918 6,487,440 855,561 1,702,804 371,669 560,882 2,061,767 934,756 366,478
South Dakota 1,341,806 1,193,064 86,596 360,369 50,733 93,594 284,198 317,575 148,741
Tennessee 7,342,537 6,912,889 1,031,143 1,832,094 322,063 892,723 1,287,678 1,547,189 429,648
Texas 34,565,594 33,278,498 7,283,778 8,488,429 1,308,366 3,385,750 2,230,830 10,581,345 1,287,097
Utah 5,514,051 5,065,651 441,331 1,353,907 402,922 670,673 849,359 1,347,458 448,400
Vermont 1,468,493 1,422,689 148,923 294,569 231,625 150,214 413,979 183,382 45,803
Virginia 9,285,508 8,470,711 594,651 2,341,920 428,290 961,205 1,548,477 2,596,170 814,797
Washington 11,535,055 10,846,978 1,547,813 2,781,151 506,584 1,059,994 1,344,415 3,607,022 688,077
West Virginia 1,497,706 1,346,611 99,649 463,473 110,069 122,593 251,044 299,782 151,095
Wisconsin 7,785,344 7,402,179 1,966,479 1,636,411 584,357 880,771 742,139 1,592,021 383,165
Wyoming 1,647,761 1,480,264 105,430 348,956 50,680 92,677 640,641 241,878 167,497

Note. The estimates are based on the 2012 North American Industry Classification System.

Compensation and employment

Compensation as a percent of state total compensation is highest in Hawaii (5.1 percent), Wyoming (4.7 percent), and Montana (4.2 percent) (chart 6).

Chart 6. Outdoor Recreation Compensation: Percent of State Total, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

The lowest percentage shares are found in the District of Columbia (1.1 percent), Connecticut (1.4 percent), and Ohio (1.5 percent). Average compensation, which is defined as total outdoor recreation compensation divided by the number of total outdoor recreation jobs, ranges from $31,011 in West Virginia to $48,318 in New York (table 5).

Table 5. Outdoor Recreation Average Compensation by State, Selected Industries, 2017
[Dollars]
  Total outdoor recreation industries Private industries Manufacturing Retail trade Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing Arts, entertainment, and recreation Accomodation and food services All other private industries Government
Alabama 33,265 31,256 40,172 26,778 65,302 23,329 28,776 52,550 63,605
Alaska 45,451 41,131 66,173 32,916 56,162 32,583 30,407 72,110 93,382
Arizona 39,898 38,114 75,946 30,951 60,687 37,757 29,030 64,423 71,319
Arkansas 35,371 33,402 50,056 27,914 58,059 24,600 27,459 51,454 66,352
California 46,517 43,682 78,264 34,301 78,304 42,700 29,449 63,550 92,580
Colorado 40,799 38,923 70,671 31,311 76,888 36,249 29,543 66,097 65,904
Connecticut 39,752 38,006 109,539 31,322 118,014 28,252 26,799 60,097 77,098
Delaware 33,055 31,786 76,445 28,887 66,261 27,051 28,252 55,738 75,159
District of Columbia 41,321 35,282 (D) 33,003 76,238 86,824 26,234 (D) 96,341
Florida 41,139 40,029 47,795 32,046 64,735 42,102 30,743 69,262 79,512
Georgia 43,514 41,870 62,726 29,494 72,475 32,891 28,071 76,046 70,214
Hawaii 42,335 40,958 57,657 30,817 57,140 31,646 30,383 70,639 67,759
Idaho 34,967 33,421 60,054 31,477 52,661 22,891 27,529 50,578 63,179
Illinois 46,782 44,644 95,463 29,832 100,533 39,828 27,135 71,295 64,083
Indiana 41,340 40,673 54,975 28,299 69,116 29,562 25,920 55,574 57,229
Iowa 33,921 32,243 44,389 27,049 72,744 21,655 27,514 48,500 65,135
Kansas 35,848 34,027 68,959 28,059 75,477 21,923 27,450 51,442 55,387
Kentucky 36,791 34,981 70,459 26,262 77,507 29,267 27,865 56,337 67,427
Louisiana 43,537 41,103 112,999 28,629 68,086 36,127 28,148 62,229 74,150
Maine 33,720 32,739 64,582 29,854 57,427 24,526 30,748 42,835 65,453
Maryland 40,418 36,752 76,711 29,920 79,191 35,526 28,114 62,064 89,064
Massachusetts 43,970 42,082 100,242 32,241 80,217 37,866 28,025 65,277 101,125
Michigan 37,540 36,449 72,801 29,528 65,773 30,364 27,934 58,264 61,983
Minnesota 44,596 42,709 81,404 29,334 85,629 32,078 27,103 70,096 64,771
Mississippi 33,816 31,819 63,621 25,856 54,407 22,254 27,302 50,886 62,521
Missouri 39,369 37,979 70,616 28,455 68,264 38,127 26,362 55,434 56,798
Montana 37,030 35,452 77,906 30,584 47,439 30,931 30,749 55,743 71,641
Nebraska 36,692 35,207 75,391 29,533 79,587 21,700 28,565 47,596 58,932
Nevada 39,324 37,006 61,776 30,643 59,582 30,094 26,711 69,039 70,621
New Hampshire 34,781 34,013 104,990 30,692 63,809 24,908 28,631 53,456 65,726
New Jersey 43,670 41,068 80,058 32,069 90,139 37,716 27,849 66,400 86,237
New Mexico 34,880 31,301 72,506 29,780 59,529 23,410 29,639 45,411 77,345
New York 48,318 44,185 77,698 34,819 83,124 40,927 28,385 69,325 106,691
North Carolina 37,988 36,322 58,099 28,267 67,517 34,382 28,842 61,003 67,593
North Dakota 36,544 35,089 84,639 31,345 60,962 24,527 26,964 56,332 45,629
Ohio 39,018 35,989 68,444 27,866 82,497 31,666 25,351 55,775 72,965
Oklahoma 38,089 36,008 57,076 29,137 70,056 30,479 27,698 57,525 70,761
Oregon 41,415 39,229 53,560 33,430 63,773 27,873 28,618 71,194 73,954
Pennsylvania 39,324 36,507 76,920 27,306 73,959 30,911 26,304 59,076 93,056
Rhode Island 34,568 33,470 50,460 32,159 74,267 27,903 28,088 55,383 92,287
South Carolina 34,228 32,735 67,161 29,095 60,022 23,839 29,276 51,100 63,560
South Dakota 32,891 30,837 69,894 28,207 56,272 20,699 28,725 45,248 51,683
Tennessee 36,692 35,207 60,089 28,375 65,800 32,518 28,170 57,197 64,279
Texas 41,918 40,263 89,388 29,681 74,129 33,541 26,333 67,075 75,341
United States 41,279 39,163 70,125 30,606 73,352 34,949 28,620 63,846 75,965
Utah 37,858 36,898 59,829 31,274 68,589 29,885 29,379 58,011 48,309
Vermont 35,407 34,291 77,050 31,395 57,909 26,187 30,974 49,100 84,723
Virginia 37,343 34,793 59,940 28,520 67,752 28,799 27,500 64,414 66,372
Washington 45,357 42,461 74,501 37,103 66,992 30,124 27,204 67,418 91,545
West Virginia 31,011 29,469 70,142 26,346 54,011 23,575 27,172 48,770 48,351
Wisconsin 41,817 40,327 105,853 28,143 65,146 29,650 26,608 54,503 75,370
Wyoming 35,988 32,992 (D) 30,761 51,822 26,726 30,607 (D) 71,964
(D)
Data are suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

Note. The estimates are based on the 2012 North American Industry Classification System.

U.S. outdoor recreation employment as a percentage of U.S. employment is 3.4 percent in 2017 (chart 7).

Chart 7. Outdoor Recreation Employment: Percentof State Total, 2017

[Click chart to expand]

Like value-added states in the Rocky Mountains and New England, the states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Florida have a high share of their employment related to outdoor recreation. However, state employment shares tend to be higher than their respective state value-added shares. This is due to the composition of outdoor recreation employment. Service-sector jobs related to outdoor recreation tend to have more employees per dollar of value added than business and professional services jobs. Wyoming, Hawaii, and Alaska are the states with the highest state outdoor recreation employment shares.

In Wyoming, Hawaii, and Alaska, the accommodation and food services sector is the largest contributor, followed by retail trade (table 6). Retail trade is also the largest contributor to outdoor recreation employment in 41 states. Manufacturing is the largest contributor to state outdoor recreation employment in Indiana, driven by the RV manufacturing industry.

Table 6. Outdoor Recreation Employment by State, Selected Industries, 2017
[Number of jobs]
  Total outdoor recreation industries Private industries Manufacturing Retail trade Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing Arts, entertainment, and recreation Accomodation and food services All other private industries Government
United States 5,170,670 4,873,294 255,664 1,627,246 51,860 1,035,899 1,087,555 815,069 297,376
Alabama 62,647 58,757 4,167 24,498 536 8,835 13,330 7,391 3,890
Alaska 22,677 20,802 202 6,161 179 3,081 6,645 4,533 1,875
Arizona 108,460 102,631 2,255 33,386 1,437 19,829 30,358 15,366 5,829
Arkansas 39,299 36,950 4,568 13,633 270 6,337 7,141 5,002 2,349
California 588,680 554,550 27,339 169,229 5,490 123,559 116,571 112,362 34,130
Colorado 146,178 136,013 2,645 38,330 2,738 35,010 37,188 20,099 10,165
Connecticut 48,390 46,228 1,496 16,698 579 12,025 7,968 7,461 2,162
Delaware 18,485 17,944 335 7,719 161 2,314 5,995 (D) 541
District of Columbia 23,651 21,312 (D) 3,907 80 1,584 12,889 2,097 2,339
Florida 502,939 488,810 11,068 124,273 4,608 128,529 153,556 66,776 14,129
Georgia 144,203 135,841 8,637 47,227 1,280 25,814 25,229 27,653 8,362
Hawaii 57,584 54,626 484 11,405 472 6,883 22,012 13,370 2,958
Idaho 33,831 32,073 2,053 12,066 363 7,071 6,258 4,262 1,758
Illinois 165,400 147,208 7,662 51,859 1,780 30,073 24,094 31,740 18,192
Indiana 108,535 104,160 35,577 30,163 766 16,089 10,117 11,448 4,375
Iowa 48,185 45,727 7,720 16,970 371 8,950 5,544 6,172 2,458
Kansas 39,776 36,383 3,131 14,636 256 6,805 6,314 5,240 3,392
Kentucky 53,632 50,641 2,939 20,130 499 10,287 8,769 8,017 2,991
Louisiana 59,460 55,079 2,606 21,441 512 8,930 10,134 11,456 4,380
Maine 40,720 39,498 2,441 10,512 597 7,429 15,563 2,956 1,222
Maryland 92,683 86,187 1,549 31,266 875 16,944 22,522 13,031 6,496
Massachusetts 111,609 108,041 4,867 32,757 1,396 25,303 24,730 18,989 3,568
Michigan 126,681 121,266 5,660 46,162 1,527 27,247 21,514 19,156 5,415
Minnesota 101,035 92,390 7,943 33,052 1,206 20,062 12,302 17,825 8,645
Mississippi 33,111 30,956 2,559 14,547 231 3,998 6,150 3,473 2,154
Missouri 91,090 84,360 6,548 31,331 842 18,369 14,432 12,839 6,730
Montana 28,847 27,589 711 8,387 285 6,406 8,132 3,668 1,258
Nebraska 29,863 27,996 2,229 9,785 259 5,876 4,633 5,213 1,868
Nevada 56,940 53,012 615 18,153 495 9,793 14,425 9,532 3,927
New Hampshire 37,818 36,902 1,150 13,022 608 7,952 10,457 3,712 916
New Jersey 139,017 131,008 4,516 47,518 1,551 27,370 25,960 24,092 8,009
New Mexico 33,486 30,883 385 10,933 380 5,423 10,231 3,531 2,603
New York 293,447 274,043 9,046 88,847 2,939 56,551 57,011 59,649 19,404
North Carolina 151,589 143,515 7,472 49,948 1,226 30,102 33,952 20,816 8,074
North Dakota 14,856 12,805 230 5,566 104 2,204 2,378 2,321 2,051
Ohio 137,073 125,846 7,083 49,016 1,579 33,818 14,416 19,932 11,227
Oklahoma 47,096 44,274 2,275 18,058 479 8,933 6,819 7,707 2,821
Oregon 86,529 81,082 5,126 25,744 697 13,440 22,121 13,954 5,447
Pennsylvania 173,588 164,944 8,022 56,906 2,227 45,789 24,452 27,549 8,645
Rhode Island 21,642 21,238 785 5,327 180 4,345 8,126 2,179 404
South Carolina 101,274 96,368 5,726 29,885 697 15,048 36,663 8,351 4,906
South Dakota 18,718 16,873 510 6,242 103 2,893 4,810 2,314 1,845
Tennessee 101,033 95,875 6,233 34,829 876 18,118 23,524 12,293 5,158
Texas 340,798 324,713 14,184 132,757 3,352 68,160 44,093 62,167 16,085
Utah 75,143 68,826 3,833 23,228 980 15,010 14,921 10,856 6,317
Vermont 17,301 16,918 581 5,589 232 2,154 6,649 1,713 383
Virginia 128,407 118,037 2,437 42,158 1,042 24,119 30,251 18,030 10,370
Washington 128,991 121,379 7,209 37,077 1,097 23,622 26,729 25,644 7,611
West Virginia 22,202 20,391 274 9,213 185 3,454 4,944 2,322 1,812
Wisconsin 93,009 89,052 8,378 29,528 1,148 21,389 14,157 14,451 3,957
Wyoming 23,062 21,291 (D) 6,172 90 2,572 10,375 (D) 1,772
(D)
Data are suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

Note. The estimates are based on the 2012 North American Industry Classification System.

The top five states in terms of outdoor recreation employment growth in 2017 were Hawaii, South Carolina, Utah, Indiana, and Colorado (table 7). The largest contributing industry to Hawaii’s 11.1 percent growth in outdoor recreation employment was accommodation and food services at 8.8 percent. This was also true for South Carolina, Utah, and Colorado; however, in Indiana, manufacturing accounted for nearly all the state’s 6.4 percent growth in outdoor recreation employment.

Table 7. Contribution to Growth in Outdoor Recreation Employment by State, Selected Industries, 2017
[Percent]
  Total outdoor recreation industries Private industries Manufacturing Retail trade Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing Arts, entertainment, and recreation Accomodation and food services All other private industries Government
Alabama 0.9 0.8 0.4 −0.4 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1
Alaska −0.9 −1.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 −0.1 −1.0 −0.5 0.2
Arizona 3.7 3.6 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.8 2.4 0.1 0.1
Arkansas −1.4 −1.5 0.6 −1.0 0.0 0.7 −1.8 0.0 0.1
California 2.6 2.6 −0.2 −0.2 0.0 0.7 1.6 0.7 0.1
Colorado 6.2 6.0 0.1 0.9 0.1 1.1 3.0 0.8 0.2
Connecticut −0.6 −0.7 −0.1 −1.4 0.0 0.6 0.3 −0.1 0.1
Delaware −1.5 −1.5 0.0 −1.1 0.0 0.6 −0.9 0.0 0.0
District of Columbia 6.0 6.1 (D) 0.5 0.0 0.5 5.3 (D) −0.1
Florida 3.5 3.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.4 0.6 0.0
Georgia 2.7 2.7 0.5 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.1
Hawaii 11.1 11.0 −0.1 0.7 0.0 0.2 8.8 1.4 0.1
Idaho 4.2 4.1 0.6 0.9 0.0 0.6 2.1 −0.1 0.0
Illinois −1.0 −1.2 0.0 −0.8 0.0 0.4 −0.9 0.1 0.2
Indiana 6.4 6.3 6.3 0.4 0.0 0.4 −1.0 0.2 0.1
Iowa 1.9 1.8 1.9 0.5 0.0 0.5 −1.2 0.1 0.1
Kansas −0.3 −0.5 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.7 −2.3 0.0 0.2
Kentucky 1.8 1.7 −0.1 0.8 0.0 0.8 −0.1 0.3 0.1
Louisiana −3.0 −3.1 0.1 −1.5 0.0 0.4 −2.2 0.0 0.1
Maine 2.6 2.6 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.5 1.0 0.2 0.1
Maryland −1.4 −1.5 0.0 −0.5 0.0 0.6 −1.9 0.2 0.1
Massachusetts −0.1 −0.1 0.0 −0.6 0.0 0.8 −0.7 0.4 0.0
Michigan 3.8 3.7 0.3 1.4 0.0 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.1
Minnesota 0.8 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.4 −0.2 0.2 0.2
Mississippi −0.4 −0.3 0.3 −0.6 0.0 0.5 −0.5 0.0 −0.1
Missouri 4.3 4.2 0.1 1.6 0.0 0.7 1.6 0.2 0.1
Montana 6.0 6.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 4.8 0.6 0.0
Nebraska −1.6 −1.7 0.2 −0.8 0.0 0.6 −1.7 0.0 0.1
Nevada 2.0 1.8 0.0 −0.1 0.0 1.3 0.3 0.4 0.1
New Hampshire −0.2 −0.2 0.0 −0.5 0.0 0.3 −0.2 0.1 0.0
New Jersey −1.8 −1.8 0.1 −1.5 0.0 0.9 −1.3 0.0 0.0
New Mexico −0.8 −0.9 0.0 −0.3 0.1 0.5 −1.3 0.1 0.1
New York −3.8 −3.8 −0.2 −1.5 0.0 0.4 −2.4 −0.2 0.0
North Carolina 3.3 3.2 0.2 1.0 0.0 0.7 1.0 0.3 0.1
North Dakota −3.1 −3.3 0.0 −1.1 0.0 0.6 −2.4 −0.4 0.3
Ohio 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.6 −1.0 0.1 0.1
Oklahoma −1.6 −1.7 0.4 −0.1 −0.1 0.9 −3.2 0.3 0.1
Oregon 3.7 3.5 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.8 1.7 0.4 0.1
Pennsylvania −0.6 −0.6 0.0 −0.6 0.0 0.5 −0.6 0.1 0.0
Rhode Island −0.5 −0.5 0.1 −0.8 0.0 0.5 −0.2 0.0 0.0
South Carolina 9.0 8.9 0.6 1.4 0.0 0.6 6.0 0.2 0.1
South Dakota 2.9 2.8 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.8 1.7 0.0 0.1
Tennessee 2.6 2.6 0.4 0.4 0.1 1.1 0.5 0.2 0.1
Texas 1.4 1.3 0.1 −0.3 0.0 0.9 0.1 0.4 0.1
United States 1.8 1.7 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.1
Utah 7.4 7.2 0.0 1.9 0.1 0.9 3.8 0.6 0.2
Vermont −0.6 −0.6 −0.2 0.4 0.0 0.0 −1.0 0.1 0.0
Virginia 1.2 1.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 1.0 −0.4 0.3 0.2
Washington 2.0 1.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.0
West Virginia −3.9 −4.0 0.0 −0.4 0.0 −0.4 −3.4 0.2 0.1
Wisconsin 1.8 1.8 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1
Wyoming 3.9 3.8 (D) 1.4 0.0 0.2 2.0 (D) 0.1
(D)
Data are suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

Note. The estimates are based on the 2012 North American Industry Classification System.

BEA is currently soliciting feedback on the prototype state-level ORSA statistics. The agency will release official state-level statistics in the fall of 2020 that incorporate user feedback, new source data, and improvements to methodology.

In addition, BEA will research the feasibility of producing real-dollar estimates of outdoor recreation value added by state. BEA developed this account under a 2-year interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior and other federal agencies that serve as stewards of public land and waterways and as stipulated in the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016.

 

  1. For questions or comments about this article, the authors can be reached at OutdoorRecreation@bea.gov.
  2. BEA released prototype national estimates of outdoor recreation in March 2018 and official estimates in September 2018.
  3. See https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4665.
  4. ORSA is the latest in a series of satellite accounts produced by BEA, including satellite accounts for arts and culture, travel and tourism, health care, transportation, research and development, digital economy, and household production.
  5. See https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1#reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1.

 

Table A. Real Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity
[Millions of chained (2012) dollars]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 Total outdoor recreation 360,509 361,153 363,128 370,446 371,789 386,107
2 Total core outdoor recreation 181,182 182,453 185,380 186,452 187,001 196,628
3 Conventional outdoor recreation 111,349 112,623 113,991 116,012 116,392 122,221
4 Bicycling 1,750 1,877 1,904 1,839 2,073 2,091
5 Boating/fishing 17,436 17,165 17,235 17,629 17,897 18,733
6 Canoeing 76 73 76 78 80 83
7 Kayaking 326 323 315 327 347 363
8 Fishing (excludes boating) 2,583 2,478 2,486 2,533 2,522 2,500
9 Sailing 1,042 1,039 1,095 1,105 1,145 1,192
10 Other boating 13,408 13,254 13,267 13,589 13,805 14,590
11 Climbing/hiking/tent camping 3,067 3,141 3,179 3,106 3,266 3,241
12 Equestrian 5,245 5,389 5,686 5,800 6,139 6,800
13 Hunting/shooting/trapping 6,514 7,288 6,821 7,393 6,938 7,900
14 Hunting/trapping 3,457 3,763 3,474 3,872 3,388 3,811
15 Shooting (includes archery) 3,057 3,526 3,349 3,517 3,563 4,107
16 Motorcycling/ATVing 8,144 8,177 8,384 8,474 8,255 8,315
17 Recreational flying 1,166 1,111 1,186 1,208 1,247 1,258
18 RVing 12,654 13,048 13,146 13,314 13,485 14,797
19 Snow activities 5,041 4,888 5,214 5,220 5,055 5,152
20 Skiing 1,565 1,541 1,675 1,689 1,646 1,725
21 Snowboarding 1,346 1,342 1,429 1,430 1,443 1,524
22 Other snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 2,130 2,005 2,111 2,102 1,966 1,903
23 Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 8,813 8,694 9,425 9,603 9,797 10,111
24 Other conventional air and land activities2 6,909 6,907 7,521 7,623 7,845 8,175
25 Other conventional water activities3 1,904 1,787 1,908 1,980 1,959 1,952
26 Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 41,519 41,842 41,851 42,451 42,255 43,722
27 Other outdoor recreation 69,833 69,828 71,388 70,445 70,613 74,407
28 Amusement parks/water parks 8,918 8,087 7,916 7,940 8,033 8,639
29 Festivals/sporting events/concerts 10,703 11,102 11,800 10,731 11,218 11,594
30 Field sports 2,719 2,659 2,791 2,868 2,931 2,975
31 Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 16,996 17,168 16,982 16,550 16,882 17,831
32 Guided tours/outfitted travel 12,054 11,904 12,069 11,156 10,139 11,136
33 Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 6,588 6,536 6,830 6,678 6,393 6,687
34 Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 5,466 5,368 5,241 4,487 3,761 4,457
35 Productive activities (includes gardening) 6,680 6,928 7,795 8,300 8,564 8,882
36 Other outdoor recreation activities5 8,249 8,208 8,511 9,304 9,312 9,621
37 Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 3,513 3,803 3,599 3,805 3,779 3,904
38 Supporting outdoor recreation 179,327 178,700 177,768 183,951 184,743 189,505
39 Construction 5,392 5,187 5,217 5,497 5,688 5,809
40 Local trips and travel6 33,019 33,206 33,578 33,398 32,322 33,005
41 Trips and travel7 122,373 121,888 120,768 126,700 127,733 131,103
42 Food and beverages 21,802 17,871 18,218 18,783 18,817 19,074
43 Lodging 34,614 35,523 32,472 35,057 34,973 34,726
44 Shopping and souvenirs 20,725 21,141 21,330 21,354 21,419 21,721
45 Transportation 45,231 47,379 48,823 51,551 52,584 55,730
46 Government expenditures 18,543 18,424 18,222 18,351 18,912 19,493
47 Federal government 2,751 2,960 2,743 2,677 2,776 2,746
48 State and local government 15,793 15,469 15,474 15,664 16,127 16,732
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.
Table B. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity
[Millions of current dollars]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 Total outdoor recreation 360,509 369,280 378,654 400,205 407,362 427,189
2 Total core outdoor recreation 181,182 186,700 191,226 198,881 202,513 213,246
3 Conventional outdoor recreation 111,349 115,482 117,737 123,249 124,873 130,844
4 Bicycling 1,750 1,850 1,876 1,845 2,151 2,145
5 Boating/fishing 17,436 17,691 18,306 19,253 19,920 20,887
6 Canoeing 76 74 79 83 88 92
7 Kayaking 326 335 343 362 397 414
8 Fishing (excludes boating) 2,583 2,623 2,635 2,730 2,715 2,686
9 Sailing 1,042 1,048 1,124 1,183 1,259 1,295
10 Other boating 13,408 13,611 14,125 14,894 15,461 16,399
11 Climbing/hiking/tent camping 3,067 3,201 3,303 3,441 3,488 3,465
12 Equestrian 5,245 5,523 6,146 6,437 6,842 7,756
13 Hunting/shooting/trapping 6,514 7,604 7,225 8,063 7,746 8,787
14 Hunting/trapping 3,457 3,967 3,768 4,354 3,922 4,404
15 Shooting (includes archery) 3,057 3,637 3,457 3,709 3,824 4,383
16 Motorcycling/ATVing 8,144 8,311 8,463 8,789 8,861 9,079
17 Recreational flying 1,166 1,221 1,289 1,326 1,318 1,400
18 RVing 12,654 13,500 14,123 14,888 15,411 16,888
19 Snow activities 5,041 4,897 5,297 5,530 5,449 5,646
20 Skiing 1,565 1,534 1,682 1,779 1,784 1,849
21 Snowboarding 1,346 1,341 1,441 1,521 1,579 1,648
22 Other Snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 2,130 2,022 2,174 2,230 2,086 2,149
23 Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 8,813 8,969 9,192 9,575 9,697 10,072
24 Other conventional air and land activities2 6,909 7,106 7,206 7,448 7,557 7,965
25 Other conventional water activities3 1,904 1,863 1,987 2,127 2,141 2,107
26 Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 41,519 42,713 42,517 44,101 43,989 44,719
27 Other outdoor recreation 69,833 71,219 73,490 75,633 77,640 82,402
28 Amusement parks/water parks 8,918 8,804 9,112 9,740 10,537 11,859
29 Festivals/sporting events/concerts 10,703 11,385 12,477 12,258 13,368 14,143
30 Field sports 2,719 2,738 2,896 3,057 3,184 3,238
31 Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 16,996 17,071 16,993 17,306 18,015 18,471
32 Guided tours/outfitted travel 12,054 12,113 12,545 12,275 11,572 12,890
33 Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 6,588 6,632 7,051 7,288 7,217 7,666
34 Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 5,466 5,481 5,494 4,987 4,354 5,224
35 Productive activities (includes gardening) 6,680 6,979 7,146 7,478 7,628 8,098
36 Other outdoor recreation activities5 8,249 8,315 8,722 9,710 9,597 9,822
37 Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 3,513 3,814 3,599 3,810 3,741 3,882
38 Supporting outdoor recreation 179,327 182,580 187,428 201,324 204,849 213,944
39 Construction 5,392 5,504 5,930 6,650 7,315 7,853
40 Local trips and travel6 33,019 33,467 34,534 35,489 34,118 35,763
41 Trips and travel7 122,373 124,141 126,877 138,338 141,933 147,813
42 Food and beverages 21,802 18,405 19,218 20,800 21,714 22,678
43 Lodging 34,614 36,498 34,698 38,805 40,036 40,786
44 Shopping and souvenirs 20,725 21,372 21,984 22,719 22,901 23,196
45 Transportation 45,231 47,866 50,977 56,014 57,281 61,152
46 Government expenditures 18,543 19,468 20,087 20,846 21,483 22,515
47 Federal government 2,751 3,018 2,874 2,858 3,013 3,066
48 State and local government 15,793 16,450 17,213 17,989 18,470 19,449
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.
Table C. Real Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Activity
[Millions of chained (2012) dollars]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 Total outdoor recreation 691,782 699,173 708,666 730,321 742,793 762,768
2 Total core outdoor recreation 342,735 352,736 359,960 368,509 375,449 391,354
3 Conventional outdoor recreation 214,386 222,085 226,931 233,108 238,877 248,087
4 Bicycling 3,182 3,353 3,445 3,306 3,729 3,874
5 Boating/fishing 32,428 32,760 33,153 34,769 35,854 38,039
6 Canoeing 124 121 126 129 133 141
7 Kayaking 580 580 581 618 680 736
8 Fishing (excludes boating) 4,863 4,829 4,947 5,082 5,063 5,031
9 Sailing 1,824 1,888 1,974 2,052 2,151 2,231
10 Other boating 25,037 25,343 25,527 26,891 27,833 29,913
11 Climbing/hiking/tent camping 5,588 5,823 5,967 5,815 6,102 6,058
12 Equestrian 9,307 9,862 10,663 11,046 11,887 13,446
13 Hunting/shooting/trapping 11,371 12,968 12,397 13,267 13,043 14,068
14 Hunting/trapping 5,844 6,518 6,217 6,779 6,280 6,709
15 Shooting (includes archery) 5,527 6,451 6,181 6,486 6,772 7,371
16 Motorcycling/ATVing 17,154 17,575 17,989 18,825 18,703 19,592
17 Recreational flying 2,870 2,849 3,018 3,068 3,251 3,206
18 RVing 26,710 28,869 30,374 31,147 33,016 34,552
19 Snow activities 10,638 10,733 11,091 11,323 11,298 11,575
20 Skiing 2,929 2,988 3,211 3,321 3,277 3,411
21 Snowboarding 2,534 2,635 2,770 2,864 2,912 3,050
22 Other snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 5,175 5,110 5,108 5,125 5,092 5,067
23 Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 18,331 18,560 19,923 20,510 21,416 21,970
24 Other conventional air and land activities2 15,308 15,595 16,786 17,153 18,104 18,678
25 Other conventional water activities3 3,023 2,966 3,141 3,344 3,338 3,340
26 Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 76,807 78,728 78,969 80,095 80,680 81,727
27 Other outdoor recreation 128,349 130,650 133,030 135,421 136,652 143,306
28 Amusement parks/water parks 13,206 12,460 12,234 12,685 13,045 14,153
29 Festivals/sporting events/concerts 20,560 20,852 21,587 21,728 22,373 23,189
30 Field sports 5,232 5,243 5,490 5,720 5,923 6,026
31 Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 32,082 33,243 32,501 32,621 33,537 34,800
32 Guided tours/outfitted travel 25,481 25,938 26,992 26,062 24,167 26,280
33 Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 13,811 14,382 15,349 15,663 15,277 15,885
34 Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 11,670 11,556 11,646 10,410 8,910 10,406
35 Productive activities (includes gardening) 10,703 11,193 12,326 13,258 14,025 14,529
36 Other outdoor recreation activities5 14,722 15,022 15,547 16,905 17,072 17,480
37 Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 6,362 6,728 6,420 6,568 6,678 6,911
38 Supporting outdoor recreation 349,046 346,420 348,688 361,855 367,350 371,099
39 Construction 9,385 9,060 9,127 10,441 11,184 10,932
40 Local trips and travel6 71,515 72,271 72,463 73,093 73,031 73,708
41 Trips and travel7 234,570 231,223 232,960 242,296 245,136 248,304
42 Food and beverages 38,079 31,475 32,171 33,746 34,668 34,852
43 Lodging 49,531 50,373 48,973 51,489 52,619 52,420
44 Shopping and souvenirs 40,398 41,297 41,968 42,558 43,454 44,251
45 Transportation 106,561 108,119 109,935 114,569 114,187 116,815
46 Government expenditures 33,576 33,870 34,135 35,772 37,458 37,675
47 Federal government 3,947 4,176 3,853 3,834 3,985 3,944
48 State and local government 29,629 29,696 30,279 31,935 33,470 33,731
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.
Table D. Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Activity
[Millions of current dollars]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 Total outdoor recreation 691,782 709,072 725,728 730,955 741,630 778,487
2 Total core outdoor recreation 342,735 358,561 368,355 377,843 386,701 408,053
3 Conventional outdoor recreation 214,386 225,790 231,538 235,600 241,433 253,955
4 Bicycling 3,182 3,341 3,454 3,342 3,840 4,011
5 Boating/fishing 32,428 33,413 34,434 35,757 37,050 39,878
6 Canoeing 124 123 130 136 142 153
7 Kayaking 580 595 616 661 738 805
8 Fishing (excludes boating) 4,863 5,007 5,171 5,353 5,337 5,346
9 Sailing 1,824 1,906 2,027 2,148 2,282 2,372
10 Other boating 25,037 25,781 26,489 27,458 28,552 31,202
11 Climbing/hiking/tent camping 5,588 5,910 6,171 6,170 6,327 6,361
12 Equestrian 9,307 10,031 11,106 11,487 12,315 14,174
13 Hunting/shooting/trapping 11,371 13,342 12,918 13,942 13,807 15,060
14 Hunting/trapping 5,844 6,745 6,558 7,227 6,741 7,312
15 Shooting (includes archery) 5,527 6,597 6,360 6,715 7,066 7,747
16 Motorcycling/ATVing 17,154 17,680 17,996 18,134 18,082 19,553
17 Recreational flying 2,870 2,957 3,069 2,727 2,747 2,888
18 RVing 26,710 29,388 31,524 31,980 33,974 36,095
19 Snow activities 10,638 10,754 11,135 10,770 10,670 11,304
20 Skiing 2,929 2,996 3,260 3,438 3,439 3,593
21 Snowboarding 2,534 2,646 2,820 2,979 3,068 3,225
22 Other snow activities (includes snowmobiling)1 5,175 5,112 5,055 4,352 4,162 4,486
23 Other conventional outdoor recreation activities 18,331 18,856 19,026 18,206 18,620 19,669
24 Other conventional air and land activities2 15,308 15,803 15,775 14,687 15,071 16,116
25 Other conventional water activities3 3,023 3,054 3,251 3,519 3,550 3,552
26 Multi-use apparel and accessories (conventional)4 76,807 80,117 80,705 83,085 84,001 84,963
27 Other outdoor recreation 128,349 132,772 136,817 142,243 145,268 154,099
28 Amusement parks/water parks 13,206 13,246 13,609 14,708 15,805 17,765
29 Festivals/sporting events/concerts 20,560 21,326 22,660 24,156 25,656 27,153
30 Field sports 5,232 5,352 5,665 5,983 6,256 6,416
31 Game areas (includes golfing and tennis) 32,082 33,316 32,945 33,674 34,917 36,011
32 Guided tours/outfitted travel 25,481 26,275 27,770 27,387 25,769 28,403
33 Air and land guided tours/outfitted travel 13,811 14,547 15,733 16,383 16,186 17,057
34 Water guided tours/outfitted travel (includes boating and fishing charters) 11,670 11,728 12,037 11,004 9,583 11,346
35 Productive activities (includes gardening) 10,703 11,288 11,749 12,322 12,792 13,484
36 Other outdoor recreation activities5 14,722 15,195 15,931 17,405 17,411 17,891
37 Multi-use apparel and accessories (other)4 6,362 6,775 6,489 6,608 6,663 6,977
38 Supporting outdoor recreation 349,046 350,511 357,372 353,112 354,929 370,433
39 Construction 9,385 9,429 9,936 11,696 12,956 13,197
40 Local trips and travel6 71,515 72,417 72,354 64,665 62,214 66,300
41 Trips and travel7 234,570 233,694 239,182 239,604 241,213 251,064
42 Food and beverages 38,079 32,197 33,699 36,283 38,145 39,281
43 Lodging 49,531 51,543 51,805 55,703 58,250 59,378
44 Shopping and souvenirs 40,398 41,746 43,215 43,161 43,558 44,975
45 Transportation 106,561 108,208 110,464 104,457 101,260 107,431
46 Government expenditures 33,576 34,971 35,900 37,147 38,546 39,873
47 Federal government 3,947 4,247 4,011 4,036 4,247 4,313
48 State and local government 29,629 30,724 31,889 33,111 34,299 35,560
  1. Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, snow tubing.
  2. Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.
  3. Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.
  4. Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.
  5. Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, yard sports.
  6. Trip expenses less than 50 miles away from home, including food and beverages, lodging, shopping and souvenirs, and transportation.
  7. Travel and tourism expenses in the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account are consistent with the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account, which includes only expenses for travel at least 50 miles away from home.
Table E. Outdoor Recreation Compensation by Industry
[Millions of current dollars]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 All industries 177,963 179,837 186,169 195,635 203,145 213,441
2 Private industries 159,068 160,065 165,953 174,536 181,372 190,851
3 Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 2,010 1,956 2,086 2,214 2,244 2,358
4 Farms 1,582 1,470 1,627 1,651 1,816 1,896
5 Forestry, fishing, and related activities 428 486 459 563 428 462
6 Mining 81 72 61 51 48 69
7 Oil and gas extraction 9 9 10 12 11 8
8 Mining, except oil and gas 57 47 36 27 23 48
9 Support activities for mining 15 16 15 12 14 14
10 Utilities 0 1 0 1 1 1
11 Construction 3,421 3,317 3,498 3,602 4,018 4,465
12 Manufacturing 15,109 15,359 15,704 16,123 16,539 17,941
13 Durable goods 8,680 8,792 8,998 9,358 9,402 10,636
14 Wood products 1 1 1 1 1 1
15 Nonmetallic mineral products 18 18 18 18 19 18
16 Primary metals 2 2 2 2 2 2
17 Fabricated metal products 736 826 801 920 926 1,215
18 Machinery 834 839 805 771 559 797
19 Computer and electronic products 286 267 307 469 339 413
20 Electrical equipment, appliances, and components 357 323 329 322 291 299
21 Motor vehicles, bodies and trailers, and parts 1,644 1,700 1,696 1,691 1,839 2,651
22 Other transportation equipment 3,004 3,144 3,422 3,450 3,617 3,410
23 Furniture and related products 26 29 29 29 27 25
24 Miscellaneous manufacturing 1,773 1,644 1,588 1,685 1,782 1,806
25 Nondurable goods 6,429 6,567 6,706 6,765 7,137 7,306
26 Food and beverage and tobacco products 1,908 1,996 2,134 2,182 2,318 2,240
27 Textile mills and textile product mills 227 208 227 232 249 231
28 Apparel and leather and allied products 1,853 1,847 1,845 1,797 1,985 2,106
29 Paper products 125 118 127 120 119 86
30 Printing and related support activities 63 61 66 69 70 64
31 Petroleum and coal products 1,307 1,342 1,283 1,309 1,341 1,500
32 Chemical products 839 887 914 943 934 953
33 Plastics and rubber products 108 107 109 112 120 125
34 Wholesale trade 11,364 11,038 11,610 12,260 11,984 12,168
35 Retail trade 44,085 45,357 45,731 47,717 48,207 49,804
36 Motor vehicle and parts dealers 3,504 3,462 3,525 3,896 4,223 4,637
37 Food and beverage stores 3,636 3,712 3,800 4,007 4,056 4,148
38 General merchandise stores 9,955 10,428 9,979 10,199 10,158 10,250
39 Other retail 26,990 27,755 28,426 29,614 29,771 30,769
40 Transportation and warehousing 15,496 16,292 16,943 18,680 20,187 21,373
41 Air transportation 9,731 10,268 10,919 12,403 13,762 14,806
42 Rail transportation 308 293 302 336 335 350
43 Water transportation 1,275 1,467 1,480 1,559 1,600 1,700
44 Truck transportation 2,014 2,057 2,063 2,113 2,106 2,180
45 Transit and ground passenger transportation 1,175 1,132 1,068 1,107 1,153 1,167
46 Pipeline transportation 54 49 48 64 68 69
47 Other transportation and support activities 926 1,011 1,049 1,082 1,146 1,081
48 Warehousing and storage 14 14 14 15 16 20
49 Information 437 460 482 501 511 540
50 Publishing industries, except internet (includes software) 209 209 211 223 214 219
51 Motion picture and sound recording industries 15 18 20 22 23 27
52 Broadcasting and telecommunications 174 188 203 199 212 216
53 Data processing, internet publishing, and other information services 40 45 48 57 62 78
54 Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing 3,405 3,311 3,182 3,480 3,571 3,804
55 Finance and insurance 1,952 1,855 1,820 1,837 1,819 1,945
56 Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation, and related activities 141 145 139 164 172 176
57 Securities, commodity contracts, and investments 0 0 0 0 0 0
58 Insurance carriers and related activities 1,811 1,710 1,681 1,673 1,648 1,769
59 Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles 0 0 0 0 0 0
60 Real estate and rental and leasing 1,453 1,456 1,363 1,643 1,751 1,859
61 Real estate 564 579 459 488 503 525
62 Housing 562 578 457 487 501 524
63 Other real estate 1 1 1 1 1 1
64 Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets 890 876 904 1,155 1,249 1,334
65 Professional and business services 3,611 3,296 3,488 3,886 4,026 4,719
66 Professional, scientific, and technical services 635 557 618 707 776 853
67 Legal services 0 0 0 0 0 0
68 Computer systems design and related services 35 30 31 40 38 43
69 Miscellaneous professional, scientific, and technical services 600 526 587 667 739 810
70 Management of companies and enterprises 0 0 0 0 0 0
71 Administrative and waste management services 2,976 2,740 2,870 3,179 3,250 3,866
72 Administrative and support services 2,975 2,739 2,870 3,179 3,249 3,866
73 Waste management and remediation services 0 0 0 0 0 0
74 Educational services, health care, and social assistance 2,614 2,663 2,880 2,984 3,119 3,237
75 Educational services 2,342 2,393 2,599 2,686 2,808 2,914
76 Health care and social assistance 271 270 282 297 312 324
77 Ambulatory health care services 164 170 179 188 199 208
78 Hospitals 83 76 79 83 86 89
79 Nursing and residential care facilities 13 11 12 12 12 12
80 Social assistance 11 13 13 14 14 14
81 Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 55,125 54,539 57,754 60,333 64,062 67,329
82 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 27,743 28,812 30,819 31,688 34,120 36,203
83 Performing arts, spectator sports, museums, and related activities 7,148 7,555 8,327 8,531 9,350 9,987
84 Amusements, gambling, and recreation industries 20,595 21,257 22,492 23,156 24,770 26,216
85 Accommodation and food services 27,383 25,726 26,935 28,645 29,942 31,125
86 Accommodation 13,818 14,032 14,605 15,379 15,886 16,321
87 Food services and drinking places 13,565 11,694 12,329 13,266 14,056 14,805
88 Other services, except government 2,309 2,404 2,533 2,705 2,855 3,043
89 Government 18,896 19,772 20,216 21,099 21,773 22,590
90 Federal 1,992 2,148 2,049 2,038 2,147 2,188
91 General government 1,726 1,864 1,778 1,786 1,904 1,933
92 National defense 0 0 0 0 0 0
93 Nondefense 1,726 1,864 1,778 1,786 1,904 1,933
94 Government enterprises 266 283 270 252 243 255
95 State and local 16,904 17,624 18,167 19,061 19,626 20,402
96 General government 15,053 15,448 16,228 16,976 17,549 18,403
97 Government enterprises 1,851 2,177 1,939 2,086 2,077 1,998
Table F. Outdoor Recreation Employment by Industry
[Thousands of full and part time employees]
Line   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 All industries 4,841 4,794 4,879 4,983 5,081 5,171
2 Private industries 4,557 4,509 4,594 4,694 4,787 4,873
3 Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 50 47 50 52 53 55
4 Farms 45 41 44 45 47 48
5 Forestry, fishing, and related activities 5 6 6 7 6 7
6 Mining 1 1 1 0 0 1
7 Oil and gas extraction 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Mining, except oil and gas 1 0 0 0 0 0
9 Support activities for mining 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Utilities 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Construction 88 90 93 101 102 103
12 Manufacturing 227 231 230 235 244 256
13 Durable goods 128 134 133 137 144 159
14 Wood products 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Nonmetallic mineral products 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Primary metals 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 Fabricated metal products 9 10 10 11 11 11
18 Machinery 9 9 8 8 6 7
19 Computer and electronic products 3 3 4 5 4 4
20 Electrical equipment, appliances, and components 5 4 4 4 4 4
21 Motor vehicles, bodies and trailers, and parts 34 38 38 40 47 58
22 Other transportation equipment 39 41 42 43 46 50
23 Furniture and related products 1 1 1 1 1 0
24 Miscellaneous manufacturing 28 27 26 26 26 25
25 Nondurable goods 99 97 97 97 99 97
26 Food and beverage and tobacco products 35 35 36 37 39 39
27 Textile mills and textile product mills 5 5 5 5 5 5
28 Apparel and leather and allied products 39 37 36 36 36 33
29 Paper products 2 2 2 1 1 1
30 Printing and related support activities 1 1 1 1 1 1
31 Petroleum and coal products 7 7 6 7 6 6
32 Chemical products 9 9 9 9 9 9
33 Plastics and rubber products 2 2 2 2 2 2
34 Wholesale trade 150 147 148 150 148 148
35 Retail trade 1,601 1,610 1,612 1,632 1,629 1,627
36 Motor vehicle and parts dealers 89 91 94 99 102 105
37 Food and beverage stores 126 128 131 134 135 135
38 General merchandise stores 396 381 378 380 376 357
39 Other retail 990 1,010 1,010 1,019 1,016 1,031
40 Transportation and warehousing 216 214 217 226 231 238
41 Air transportation 111 108 111 119 123 130
42 Rail transportation 3 3 3 3 3 3
43 Water transportation 13 14 14 15 15 15
44 Truck transportation 34 34 33 33 33 32
45 Transit and ground passenger transportation 29 28 27 27 27 27
46 Pipeline transportation 1 1 1 1 1 1
47 Other transportation and support activities 25 26 27 28 29 29
48 Warehousing and storage 0 0 0 0 0 0
49 Information 6 6 6 6 6 6
50 Publishing industries, except internet (includes software) 4 4 4 4 3 3
51 Motion picture and sound recording industries 1 1 1 1 1 1
52 Broadcasting and telecommunications 2 2 2 2 2 2
53 Data processing, internet publishing, and other information services 0 0 0 0 0 0
54 Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing 53 53 49 50 51 52
55 Finance and insurance 18 17 16 16 15 16
56 Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation, and related activities 2 2 2 2 2 2
57 Securities, commodity contracts, and investments 0 0 0 0 0 0
58 Insurance carriers and related activities 16 15 14 14 13 14
59 Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles 0 0 0 0 0 0
60 Real estate and rental and leasing 35 36 33 34 35 36
61 Real estate 14 14 10 10 10 10
62 Housing 14 14 10 10 10 10
63 Other real estate 0 0 0 0 0 0
64 Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets 21 22 23 24 25 26
65 Professional and business services 67 68 69 72 77 77
66 Professional, scientific, and technical services 16 17 18 19 20 21
67 Legal services 0 0 0 0 0 0
68 Computer systems design and related services 0 0 0 0 0 0
69 Miscellaneous professional, scientific, and technical services 16 17 18 19 20 21
70 Management of companies and enterprises 0 0 0 0 0 0
71 Administrative and waste management services 51 51 51 53 57 56
72 Administrative and support services 51 51 51 53 57 56
73 Waste management and remediation services 0 0 0 0 0 0
74 Educational services, health care, and social assistance 96 102 108 112 118 123
75 Educational services 91 98 103 108 113 118
76 Health care and social assistance 4 4 4 5 5 5
77 Ambulatory health care services 2 3 3 3 3 3
78 Hospitals 1 1 1 1 1 1
79 Nursing and residential care facilities 0 0 0 0 0 0
80 Social assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0
81 Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 1,941 1,880 1,948 1,994 2,065 2,123
82 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 870 892 938 953 999 1,036
83 Performing arts, spectator sports, museums, and related activities 73 75 79 80 81 84
84 Amusements, gambling, and recreation industries 796 816 859 873 918 952
85 Accommodation and food services 1,071 988 1,010 1,041 1,066 1,088
86 Accommodation 425 434 441 453 461 470
87 Food services and drinking places 646 554 568 589 604 618
88 Other services, except government 61 61 64 64 64 64
89 Government 284 285 285 289 294 297
90 Federal 24 26 23 23 23 23
91 General government 24 26 23 23 23 23
92 National defense 0 0 0 0 0 0
93 Nondefense 24 26 23 23 23 23
94 Government enterprises 0 0 0 0 0 0
95 State and local 260 259 262 266 271 275
96 General government 236 233 239 242 247 253
97 Government enterprises 23 26 23 24 24 22