Outside, “These 5 State Spend The Most on Outdoors,” July 2017
In April, the Outdoor Industry Association predicted that outdoor recreation in the United States is worth $887 billion and responsible for 7.6 million American jobs. On Wednesday, the trade group released individual reports that break down those numbers by state, with some surprising revelations.
Each state report reveals the impact of outdoor recreation on consumer spending, state and local tax revenue, and employment. This updates data released in 2012 and now includes 70 percent survey data, conducted by Southwick Associates, a market research, statistics, and economics firm. The 2017 reports also factor in more types of activities, like mountaineering and surfing. One big takeaway is that outdoor spending is on the rise throughout the country. And the industry’s influence is also on the rise—in Texas, for example, more direct jobs depend on outdoor recreation (411,000) than on the oil and gas industry (212,000).
Read the full story on Outside.
Jill Sanford 