Visual Essay

Outdoor Recreation Statistics for 2024

By Ledia Guci, Nicholas Wetzler, and Steven Zemanek  |  June 4, 2026

On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released new outdoor recreation statistics for the nation, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. These statistics measure the economic activity associated with outdoor recreation and its contribution to national and state economies.

The charts below highlight trends in outdoor recreation for 2024, including results by activity and by industry. Additional data and information are available on BEA's outdoor recreation webpage.

• Real GDP for the outdoor recreation economy grew 2.7 percent in 2024, slightly below the 2.8 percent growth of the overall U.S. economy, reflecting a slowdown from 2023.
• This slowdown was reflected across all measures, including outdoor recreation compensation and employment.

[View larger chart]

• In 2024, the outdoor recreation sector generated $696.7 billion in value added, a 4.0 percent increase from $670 billion in 2023.
• The outdoor recreation share of U.S. GDP was 2.4 percent, unchanged from 2023.
• The outdoor recreation sector supported approximately 5.2 million jobs, with total compensation of $324.3 billion. Compensation increased 5.2 percent from $308.3 billion in 2023, while employment increased 1.1 percent.

• California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Illinois generated the largest amounts of outdoor recreation value added, together accounting for nearly 40 percent of the national total in 2024.
• Outdoor recreation made the largest contribution to state GDP in Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, Vermont, and Wyoming. In Hawaii, Alaska, and Montana, its share of state GDP was more than twice the national average of 2.4 percent.

• Outdoor recreation value added increased in all states and the District of Columbia in 2024; however, in most states, the sector grew more slowly than the overall state economy.
• Massachusetts, Arizona, Iowa, Alaska, and Nevada experienced the largest increases, each exceeding 6.0 percent, while Wyoming, Hawaii, and Louisiana had the smallest increases of 0.5 percent or less.

• Outdoor recreation employment declined in 14 states, with Hawaii experiencing the largest decline at 4.0 percent. In contrast, North Dakota had the largest employment increase at 4.3 percent.
• Outdoor recreation compensation increased in all states and the District of Columbia. Alaska, Arizona, and Nevada experienced the largest increases, each exceeding 8.0 percent, while Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Vermont had the smallest increases, at under 2.0 percent.

[View larger chart]

• In 2024, conventional core outdoor recreation activities—such as fishing and boating and snow activities—generated $205.4 billion in value added (29.5 percent of the total), up 2.1 percent from $201.3 billion in 2023.
• Other core activities—such as gardening and attending sporting events—generated $132.6 billion (19.0 percent of the total), an increase of 5.3 percent from 2023.
• Supporting activities—such as trips and travel—generated $358.6 billion (the remaining 51.5 percent), up 4.6 percent from 2023.

[View larger chart]

• Boating and fishing and RVing are the two largest conventional activities nationally. In 2024, they accounted for 5.5 percent and 3.9 percent of the total outdoor recreation value added, respectively.
• Game areas and guided tours and outfitted travel are the two largest other core activities, accounting for 4.0 percent and 3.7 percent of the total, respectively.
• Trips and travel and local trips and travel are the largest supporting activities, together accounting for 45.2 percent of total outdoor recreation value added.

[View larger chart]

• Among conventional activities, hunting, shooting, and trapping experienced the largest increase in value added in 2024 at 16.5 percent. In contrast, boating and fishing and RVing declined 0.3 and 1.2 percent, respectively.
• Guided tours and outfitted travel had the largest increase among other core recreational activities at 9.4 percent.
• Among supporting activities, construction had the largest increase at 9.9 percent, while local trips and travel declined 0.3 percent.

[View larger chart]

• Florida, Indiana, Texas, California, and Colorado were the leading states in value added for boating and fishing; RVing; hunting, shooting, and trapping; motorcycling and ATVing; and snow activities, respectively.
• Across these activities, the top three states accounted for roughly one-quarter to more than one-third of national value added in 2024.
• Colorado, California, and Utah together generated 38.1 percent of all snow-activity value added ($7.6 billion), the highest share among these activities.

[View larger chart]

• Nationally, trips and travel contributed nearly half of the 4.0 percent growth in value added in 2024, while hunting, shooting, and trapping and guided tours and outfitted travel added another 0.68 percentage point. Boating and fishing, RVing, and local trips and travel reduced growth.
• Trips and travel drove growth in Alaska and Montana but reduced growth in Hawaii. Guided tours and outfitted travel was the largest contributor in Hawaii and the second largest in Alaska.
• Local trips and travel reduced growth in Wyoming by more than 1.0 percentage point, largely offset by game areas and government expenditures. RVing also notably reduced growth in Montana and Vermont.

• Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services was the largest industry in 2024, generating $174.4 billion in value added. Retail trade was the next-largest industry with $169.1 billion. These two industries together accounted for nearly half of outdoor recreation value added in 2024.
• Manufacturing generated $91.3 billion in value added (or 13.1 percent), followed by transportation and warehousing with $85.8 billion (or 12.3 percent), and wholesale trade with $62.1 billion (or 8.9 percent).
• All other industries generated $113.9 billion in value added, comprising the remaining 16.3 percent.

• Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services supported 2.1 million jobs (or 40.3 percent), and retail trade supported 1.8 million jobs (or 33.5 percent). Together they accounted for nearly three-quarters of total outdoor recreation employment.
• Among the remaining industries, transportation and warehousing had the largest employment share, followed by manufacturing.

[View larger chart]

• California was the leading state in value added for arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services; retail trade; and wholesale trade. Texas led in manufacturing, and Florida led in transportation and warehousing.
• Across these industries, the top three states accounted for more than one-quarter to more than one-third of national value added in 2024.
• Texas, California, and Indiana together generated 36.9 percent of all manufacturing value added ($91.3 billion), the highest share among these industries.

[View larger chart]

• Nationally, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services and transportation and warehousing accounted for more than half of the 4.0 percent increase in value added in 2024. Wholesale and retail trade added a combined 0.73 percentage point, while manufacturing reduced growth.
• Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services was the largest contributor to growth in Wyoming, offsetting most of the manufacturing decline. This industry also supported growth in Alaska and Montana, but it reduced growth in Hawaii and Vermont.
• Transportation and warehousing was the leading contributor to growth in Alaska, Montana, and Vermont.
• Wholesale trade supported growth in Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and Hawaii.
• Manufacturing and retail trade subtracted from growth across all five states.