The Outdoor Industry Association has recently released it’s Economic Impact Report and I have to admit to being impressed by the numbers. The report reinforces what the outdoor industry has known for a long time — outdoor recreation is a larger and more critical sector of the American economy than most people realize. Here are a few key numbers:
- 6.1 million direct American jobs
- $646 billion in direct consumer spending each year
- $39.9 billion in federal tax revenue
- $39.7 billion in state/local tax revenue
And, here are what I consider to be the most interesting stats in the report:
- Americans spend more on bicycling gear and trips ($81 billion) than they do on airplane tickets and fees ($51 billion).
- More American jobs depend on trail sports (768,000) than there are lawyers in the US (728,200)
- More than 725 million visits to State Parks provided a collective $20 billion economic benefit to communities surrounding State parks nationwide.
This graph shows what outdoor recreation participants spend annually:
For a full copy of the report, email Taylor (taylor@origindesign.ca) or visit: http://www.outdoorindustry.org/
