Outdoor recreation reached 175.8 million U.S. participants aged 6 and older in 2023, while the sector contributed an estimated $639.5 billion in value added. These figures describe different populations and measures: participation is survey-based, economic value is a BEA estimate, and park totals count recreation visits rather than unique people.
Key Outdoor Recreation Statistics
The following highlights summarize the most useful measures across participation, economic activity and public-land visitation:
- In 2023, 175.8 million Americans aged 6 and older participated in outdoor recreation in the United States.
- In 2023, 57.3% of the U.S. population aged 6 and older participated in outdoor recreation.
- The U.S. outdoor recreation participant base grew 4.1% from 2022 to 2023.
- In 2023, 7.7 million Americans tried at least one outdoor recreation activity for the first time.
- Average outdoor recreation outings fell from 70.5 per participant in 2022 to 62.5 in 2023.
- In 2023, outdoor recreation value added reached an estimated $639.5 billion, or 2.3% of U.S. GDP.
- U.S. outdoor recreation real GDP increased 3.6% in 2023.
- Outdoor recreation employment increased 3.3% in the United States in 2023.
- Outdoor recreation employment increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia in 2023.
- Outdoor recreation value added represented 6.3% of Hawaii’s state GDP in 2023.
- Boating and fishing generated $36.8 billion in U.S. value added in 2023.
- Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services contributed $165.2 billion to outdoor recreation value added in 2023.
- The National Park Service recorded 331,863,358 recreation visits in 2024.
- The National Park Service recorded 325,498,646 recreation visits in 2023.
- NPS visitors made an estimated 126.4 million party days or nights in gateway regions in 2023.
- NPS visitors spent an estimated $26.4 billion in local gateway regions in 2023.
- At national forests, 82.1% of recreational visitors visited only one national forest site during their entire visit in FY2018–FY2022.
- The average national forest visit included 1.4 national forest sites in FY2018–FY2022.
Contents
- Outdoor recreation participation statistics and recent trends
- Outdoor recreation participation by demographic group
- Outdoor recreation economy statistics: GDP, output and employment
- Outdoor recreation activity and industry data
- National park and public-land recreation visits
- Outdoor recreation spending and local economic contributions
Outdoor Recreation Participation Statistics and Recent Trends
The Outdoor Industry Association’s public executive summary of the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report estimates 175.8 million participants aged 6 and older in 2023, equal to 57.3% of the U.S. population in that age group. The report’s participant definition comes from its survey framework, so the result is not a count of park entries.
| Participation measure | Result | Period and population |
|---|---|---|
| Participant base | 175.8 million | 2023, U.S. age 6+ |
| Share of population | 57.3% | 2023, U.S. age 6+ |
| Change in participant base | 4.1% increase | 2023 vs. 2022, U.S. age 6+ |
| Additional participants | 22.2 million | 2019–2023, U.S. age 6+ |
| First-time participants | 7.7 million | 2023, U.S. age 6+ |
Source: Outdoor Participation Hits Record Levels for Ninth Consecutive Year from the Outdoor Industry Association. The public release is an executive summary, and its full report is restricted to members and partners.
The same survey estimated that average outings declined from 70.5 in 2022 to 62.5 in 2023, an 11.4% decrease reported by the source. This distinction matters: a larger participant base can coexist with fewer average outings per participant.
Outdoor Recreation Participation by Demographic Group
The 2023 participation release provides composition data for the survey-defined participant base. More than 50% of American women participated in outdoor recreation, although the public release gives a threshold rather than an exact percentage.
| Participant group | Share of 2023 participant base | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| White participants | 69.7% | Self-identified report category |
| Black participants | 10.3% | Self-identified report category |
| Hispanic participants | 13.4% | Self-identified ethnicity category |
| Asian or Pacific Islander participants | 5.3% | Self-identified report category |
| Other ethnic or racial origins | 1.4% | Published report classification |
Source: Outdoor Participation Hits Record Levels for Ninth Consecutive Year. These shares describe the participant base, not the percentage of each demographic group that participated.
The categories are self-identified and follow the report’s published classification. They should therefore be read as composition statistics for surveyed participants rather than as a population-wide participation-rate comparison across racial or ethnic groups.
Outdoor Recreation Economy Statistics: GDP, Output and Employment
The Bureau of Economic Analysis Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account estimated that outdoor recreation value added was $639.5 billion in 2023, or 2.3% of U.S. GDP. Value added measures the sector’s contribution to GDP and is not the same as gross sales.
| BEA measure | 2023 result | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Real outdoor recreation GDP | 3.6% increase | United States, inflation-adjusted |
| Overall real U.S. GDP | 2.9% increase | United States, comparison measure |
| Real gross output | 3.2% increase | Includes intermediate transactions |
| Compensation | 9.0% increase | Wages and benefits |
| Employment | 3.3% increase | Full- and part-time related employment |
Source: Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023. Real outdoor recreation GDP growth slowed from 10.2% in 2022 to 3.6% in 2023, and BEA series can be revised as source data and national accounts are updated.
The earlier BEA series shows the pandemic-era contraction and rebound. Outdoor recreation real GDP declined 21.6% in 2020, compared with a 2.8% decline for total U.S. GDP, then increased 18.9% in 2021, compared with 5.9% for total U.S. real GDP.
| Measure | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value added, current dollars | $465.608 billion | $363.917 billion | $453.978 billion |
| Compensation, current dollars | $229.909 billion | $192.921 billion | $224.267 billion |
| Employment | 5.208 million | 4.017 million | 4.543 million |
| Share of current-dollar U.S. GDP | 2.2% | 1.7% | 1.9% |
Source: Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account: New Statistics for 2021 and Updated Statistics for 2017–2020. The 2021 value-added estimate was $454.0 billion, up 24.7% from 2020; employment is an account estimate, not a count of unique workers.
State results show a broad but uneven footprint. Outdoor recreation employment increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia in 2023, ranging from 7.5% growth in Alaska to a 4.8% decline in Indiana; the state figures are allocated estimates rather than a direct census of recreation jobs.
Outdoor recreation value added equaled 6.3% of Hawaii’s state GDP in 2023 and 1.6% in Delaware, Connecticut and New York, while the District of Columbia’s share was 0.8%. State value added is measured by place of production, not necessarily where recreation occurs.
Outdoor Recreation Activity and Industry Data
BEA grouped 2023 outdoor recreation value added into conventional activities, other outdoor recreation and supporting activities. Supporting activities were the largest grouping at 48.5%, including travel, tourism, construction, local trips and government expenditures.
| BEA activity grouping | 2023 share | 2022 share |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional activities | 31.4% | 32.7% |
| Other outdoor recreation | 20.1% | 19.7% |
| Supporting activities | 48.5% | 47.6% |
Source: Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023. Conventional activities include bicycling, boating, hiking and hunting, while other outdoor recreation includes activities such as gardening and outdoor concerts.
Selected conventional activities produced the following current-dollar value added in 2023:
- Boating and fishing generated $36.8 billion and ranked as the largest conventional activity in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
- RVing generated $26.3 billion and ranked as the largest conventional activity in 11 states.
- Hunting, shooting and trapping generated $14.0 billion.
- Snow activities generated $7.7 billion.
These are BEA activity value-added estimates, not retail sales, participation counts, hunter counts or skier counts. The activity ranking is based on conventional-activity value added.
The industry view identifies where production and services are recorded. Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services contributed $165.2 billion, or 25.8%, of 2023 outdoor recreation value added; retail trade contributed $156.3 billion, or 24.4%; and manufacturing contributed $86.7 billion, or 13.6%.
For comparison, retail trade generated $119.918 billion of outdoor recreation value added in 2021, up 16.7% from 2020, while arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services generated $111.621 billion, up 50.2% from 2020. Industry groupings are distinct from the activity categories above.
National Park and Public-Land Recreation Visits
National Park Service recreation visits measure entries under NPS statistical rules, not unique visitors. Repeated entries and length of stay can affect totals, so these figures are not interchangeable with survey-defined participant counts.
| Year | NPS recreation visits |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 327,516,619 |
| 2020 | 237,064,332 |
| 2021 | 297,115,406 |
| 2022 | 311,985,998 |
| 2023 | 325,498,646 |
| 2024 | 331,863,358 |
Source: Visitation Numbers, National Park Service. The 2024 total is the latest annual total shown on that page, and reporting practices can affect comparability.
The USDA Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring summary provides a different public-land measure for FY2018–FY2022. 82.1% of recreational visitors visited only one national forest site during their entire forest visit, the average visit included 1.4 sites, and average group size was 2.3 people.
Among national forest visits, 48.4% involved one to five annual visits for all activities during FY2018–FY2022. These are survey estimates, not a census; the indexed official report was used for the cited values, while the direct PDF fetch returned 403.
Outdoor Recreation Spending and Local Economic Contributions
The NPS estimated 126.4 million party days or nights in gateway regions in 2023 and $26.4 billion in visitor spending in those local areas. Party days or nights are modeled from visits, party size, re-entry and stay characteristics, while spending is an economic contribution estimate rather than a net economic impact.
| NPS gateway-region visitor segment | Share of 2023 party days/nights |
|---|---|
| Lodging outside the park | 38.5% |
| Local day trips | 20.6% |
| Non-local day trips | 16.9% |
| Camping and lodging inside NPS units | 3.2% |
Source: 2023 national park visitor spending effects: Economic contributions to local communities, states, and the nation. The spending analysis covered 400 units that collected visitation data in the 2023 Statistical Abstract, while socioeconomic monitoring surveyed 24 park units per year in the analysis cycle.
For units without tailored gateway definitions, the NPS analysis used counties within or intersecting a 60-mile radius around the park boundary; Hawaii, Alaska and territories receive special regional handling. The estimates were reported in 2023 dollars using IMPLAN Pro 3.0 and 2019 economic data, with noted deflator limitations.
Local, state and national contribution totals should not be summed. The NPS model combines visitation data, visitor surveys, spending profiles and regional multipliers, so its results answer a different question from BEA value added and from NPS recreation-visit counts.