Outdoor recreation has larger economic impact than mining or agriculture

Get your selfie stick out.

Kamila Kudelska, Wyoming Public Media:

The new study by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that outdoor recreation accounted for two percent of the entire U.S. economy in 2016.

And

Tara Highfill, a research economist at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, said two percent is actually very significant in the overall economy.

“That may sound small, but it’s actually quite large when you look at other industries,” she said. “For example, outdoor recreation is larger than the entire mining industry in the U.S. It’s larger than the entire agriculture industry in the U.S.”

Highfill said the most surprising finding is the size of the outdoor recreation economy and the speed at which it is growing. In 2016, the outdoor recreation economy grew 3.8 percent, compared to a growth of 2.8 percent in the overall economy. A final report will be released in September.

Study: Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account: Prototype Statistics for 2012-2016

More:
Outdoors Economy Is Bigger Than Oil – GearJunkie
Outdoor recreation was 2 percent of GDP in 2016 – TheHill

Last Updated on December 9, 2024