According to the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2017 National Recreation Economy Report, the outdoor recreation economy includes $887,000,000,000 in annual consumer spending, which includes the spending on outdoor products, trips and travel.
In response to the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in collaboration with outdoor industry stakeholders and other federal agencies, developed the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account. This group provides valuable information on the outdoor recreation economy of the United States and the attributable effects on the overall U.S. economy, including employment in this sector. While ORSA does not provide data specific to Oregon, it does reveal the robust growth in the outdoor recreation economy.
In 2016, outdoor recreation accounted for 2.0% of current-dollar national GDP, comparable in size to both the mining and utilities industries. Additionally, the outdoor recreation economy grew 3.8% in 2016 dollars, faster than the 2.8% growth for the overall economy. Similarly, the average annual growth rate in 2012-2016 using current-dollars was 4.4% for the outdoor recreation economy versus 3.6% for the overall economy.
The outdoor recreation economy generated similar number of jobs to the hospital sector and the transportation and warehousing sector.
The outdoor recreation economy generated 4.3 million in-sector jobs in 2016, similar to the hospital sector (4.7 million) and the transportation and warehousing sector (4.7 million). Outdoor recreation is no longer a “nice to have.” It is a “must have” that provides a strong outlook for employment opportunities and an increase in demand for access to outdoor experiences.