Colorado’s outdoor-recreation economy 10th largest in nation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Colorado’s outdoor-recreation economy was the 10th-largest in the nation last year, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, adding $17.2 billion to the Centennial State’s economy and accounting for 132,594 jobs. 

That $17.2 billion represented about 3.2% of Colorado’s gross domestic product last year, putting the state around the middle of the pack nationally.

According to the BEA report, “outdoor recreation activities fall into three general categories: conventional activities such as bicycling, boating, hiking and hunting; other activities such as gardening and outdoor concerts; and supporting activities such as construction, travel and tourism, local trips and government expenditures.”

Colorado was first in the nation for economic activity related to snow activities — skiing and snowboarding, for example — in 2023, with that type of recreation adding $1.6 billion to the state’s economy. California’s snow economy, the second-largest in the nation, accounted for $692.6 million in added value last year. 

Since 2022, Colorado’s outdoor economy has grown by 10.6%, according to BEA, faster than the national growth rate of 9%

The “average compensation per wage-and-salary job in Colorado (outdoor-recreation) industries was $64,545 in 2023, compared with $92,067 for all salaried jobs in the state,” the report found.

California, Florida, Texas and New York — all among the country’s most populous states — were tops in the nation for overall outdoor economic output last year.

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