Feds: Outdoor recreation accounted for 2% of 2016 GDP

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis show that outdoor recreation accounted for 2 percent, or $373.7 billion, of the 2016 GDP.

The data is part of prototype statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account. It marks the first time that federal economists have studied the economic impacts of the outdoor recreation industry.

The report also found that outdoor recreation grew 3.8 percent in 2016, higher than the 2.8 percent growth the overall economy saw.

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“Businesses need the right data to help them hire, invest and grow. The historical lack of detailed federal data regarding outdoor recreational activities has handicapped both the private and public sectors. The public will no doubt be surprised at the economic importance of this industry as we release prototype statistics measuring the impact of activities like boating, fishing, RVing, hunting, camping, hiking, and more,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in the report.

The analysts break down outdoor recreating into three categories: conventional core activities (biking, boating, hiking, hunting, etc.), other core activities (agritourism, outdoor festivals, etc.) and supporting activities (construction, trips and travel, government, etc.)

In 2016, conventional recreation accounted for 36.7 percent of total outdoor-recreation gross output, other recreation accounted for 22.1 percent, and supporting activities accounted for 41.2 percent. Of the conventional activities, motorized vehicles was the largest activity in 2016, accounting for a $59.4 billion gross output. More than half of that — $30 billion — came from recreational vehicles.

The report also found that for the retail trade industry, outdoor recreation added $81.7 billion, and retail accounted for 21.9 percent of all activity in the outdoor-recreation economy. Outdoor recreation added $55.7 billion in accommodation and food services and $51.3 billion to manufacturing.