The Outdoor Industry’s Annual Report Card Is Out. Things Are Looking Good.

On November 9, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its annual outdoor industry impact report for 2021, which calculates exactly how much of our nation’s gross domestic product comes from outdoor recreation. (For clarity, “outdoor recreation” is defined rather broadly in the report, including “conventional activities” such as bicycling, boating, and hiking; “other activities” such as gardening and outdoor concerts; and “supporting activities” like travel and tourism.) The findings paint an optimistic picture for the future of our industry—with a few caveats.

The good news: last year, outdoor recreation and related businesses contributed a staggering $862 billion to the U.S. economy. To put it in context, that’s more than the dollar amount generated by the entire American mining industry, and more than double the economic contribution of the nation’s agriculture sector. Outdoor recreation also created 4.5 million jobs in the process.

But perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from the study is the growth those numbers represent. The report showed an industry worth $173 billion more than it was in 2020. That’s an 18.9 percent increase year over year. Compare that to the nation’s overall economic growth—just 5.9 percent in the same period—and you’ve got a picture of an economic powerhouse that has completely bounced back from its 2020 dip.

Read the full article from Outside here.