Headwater Economics, a non-profit economic research firm based in Bozeman, Montana, released new data in late November that cites the importance of public lands for the strong economic growth in the West compared to other regions, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The study, West is Best: How Public Lands in the West Create a Competitive Economic Advantage, found that the western United States is outperforming the rest of the country in job creation, personal income, and population growth, key measurements of economic growth.

The study suggests that protected federal lands?such as national parks, monuments, and wilderness?are providing western states with a competitive economic advantage that has helped create more jobs and increase per capita income. Over the last four decades, the period analyzed in the study, the region has been shifting from a natural resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. The report contends that as a result, innovative companies and an educated workforce have been attracted to move to the region due to the high quality of life, including outdoor recreational opportunities and beautiful open spaces.

"This study shows that entrepreneurs and America's most talented workers are choosing to live in places where they can enjoy outdoor recreation and a quality of life," said Ray Rasker, PhD, Executive Director of Headwaters Economics. "By highlighting access to national parks, forests, and other public lands, western communities and companies have created new jobs faster than the rest of the U.S."

According to the report, between 1970 and 2010 (the most recent year that detailed county-based data is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce) the West's employment grew by 152 percent compared to 78 percent for the rest of the country. Most of those jobs were in the higher paying services industries, such as health care, real estate, technology, and finance and insurance. In addition, population and personal income growth outpaced the rest of the country. The region's population increased by 107 percent over the last four decades compared to 41 percent in other regions and real personal income (adjusted for inflation) in the West increased 234 percent compared to 149 percent.

"Our company and others are part of an emerging technology cluster that's thriving, despite our remoteness and small population base, because of the great place this is to live and work. We have a strong outdoor ethic, which has become a part of our company culture," said Lance Trebesch, CEO of TicketPrinting.com in Bozeman, Montana. "Our quality of life is defined by our public lands and access to them. This gives us and other tech companies in Montana a distinct competitive advantage. We can recruit and retain top talent successfully within and outside the state because of the world-class landscape that surrounds us. And we benefit from a staff that is passionate about where they live and what they do."

The study also found that the shift to services oriented industries has had a positive impact on per capita income in the 286 Western counties (69 percent) identified as "non-metropolitan. Forty-six percent of the land in these non-metro counties is managed as federal public lands, compared with 39 percent of land area in metropolitan counties. Non-metro counties with more than 30 percent of their land base in federal protected status saw jobs increase by 345 percent while counties with no protected federal lands only increased jobs by 83 percent. In addition, the per capita income increased by $436 for every gain of 10,000 acres of protected land. For non-metropolitan counties with 50,000 acres of federally protected public land, the per capita income increases by $2,180.

The study defines the "West" as the eleven western public lands states in the continental U.S.: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The online report breaks down each of these states for more detailed analyses by state. (jas)