In mid-November, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the results of its annual review of the outdoor recreation economy. The analysis found that in 2022, outdoor recreation accounted for $1.1 trillion in gross economic output, 2.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), and supported 5 million jobs across the United States.

“It comes as no surprise that outdoor recreation and the outdoor economy continue to demonstrate outstanding growth, which also supports the historic trends in outdoor participation we have seen in recent years,” said Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) President Kent Ebersole in a statement. “The outdoor recreation participant base grew for the eighth consecutive year to a record 168.1 million participants, and new participants are increasingly diverse and looking to businesses to lead on sustainability, equity, and conservation. This new data demonstrates the strength of the outdoor recreation industry and our collective power to drive sustainable economic growth while protecting—and growing access to—the benefits of the outdoors for everyone.” 

OIA includes a clickable map with state level data and the BEA site includes a link to the full report.