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EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EST, Tuesday, November 9, 2021

BEA 21–55

Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2020

New statistics for 2020; prior years updated

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released statistics today measuring the outdoor recreation economy for the nation, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The new U.S. data show that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 1.8 percent ($374.3 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2020 (national table 3). At the state level, outdoor recreation value added as a share of state GDP ranged from 4.3 percent in Montana to 1.2 percent in New York and Connecticut. The share was 0.8 percent in the District of Columbia.

State Outdoor Recreation Value Added as a Percent of State GDP, 2020

Inflation-adjusted (real) GDP for the outdoor recreation economy decreased 19.0 percent from 2019 to 2020, compared with a 3.4 percent decrease for the overall U.S. economy. Real gross output for the outdoor recreation economy decreased 17.4 percent, while outdoor recreation compensation decreased 12.5 percent and employment decreased 17.1 percent.

Change in Outdoor Recreation Compared with Change in U.S. Economy (2020)

COVID-19 Impact on the 2020 Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account

Outdoor recreation estimates were impacted by the response to the spread of COVID-19, as governments issued and lifted "stay-at-home" orders. This led to rapid changes in demand as consumers canceled, restricted, or redirected their spending. The U.S. government passed several laws to support and sustain businesses and individuals through the pandemic. The full economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be quantified in the outdoor recreation estimates because the impacts are generally embedded in source data and cannot be separately identified. For more information, see Federal Recovery Programs and BEA Statistics.

Across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, outdoor recreation employment decreased in 2020, ranging from –9.3 percent in Indiana to –27.2 percent in Hawaii.

Percent Change in Outdoor Recreation Employment

Outdoor recreation by activity

Outdoor recreation activities fall into three general categories: conventional activities (such as bicycling, boating, hiking, and hunting); other core activities (such as gardening and outdoor concerts); and supporting activities (such as construction, travel and tourism, local trips, and government expenditures).

Major Outdoor Recreation Categories, Nominal Value Added, 2019 and 2020

In 2020, conventional outdoor recreation accounted for 37.4 percent of U.S. outdoor recreation value added, compared with 30.6 percent in 2019. The increase was due to higher spending on boating/fishing and RVing. Other outdoor recreation accounted for 16.8 percent of value added in 2020, compared with 19.7 percent in 2019. The decrease was driven by amusement parks/water parks and festivals/sporting events/concerts. Supporting activities accounted for the remaining 45.8 percent of value added in 2020, compared with 49.7 percent in 2019. Supporting activities, particularly travel and tourism-related activities, declined in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers traveled less and reduced spending at hotels and restaurants.

Conventional Outdoor Recreation Categories, Nominal Value Added, 2019 and 2020

Additional value added by activity highlights for 2020 include:

Boating/fishing was the largest conventional activity for the nation as a whole at $30.8 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Florida ($3.8 billion), California ($2.8 billion), and Texas ($2.8 billion) were the largest contributors to U.S. value added for the activity (state table 2).
RVing was the second-largest conventional activity nationally at $19.1 billion in current-dollar value added and was the largest conventional activity in five states. The largest contributors were Indiana ($3.4 billion) and Texas ($1.7 billion).
Snow activities was the largest conventional activity in Colorado ($1.2 billion), Utah ($468.0 million), Vermont ($191.3 million), and Wyoming ($92.2 million) in current-dollar value added. At the national level, current-dollar value added for snow activities was $4.7 billion.

Outdoor recreation by industry

The outdoor recreation by industry data show the contribution of different industries to the outdoor recreation economy, including their impact on value added, gross output, employment, and compensation.

For the nation, the retail trade sector was the largest contributor to U.S. outdoor recreation value added in 2020, accounting for $101.9 billion (national table 6). At the state level, retail trade was the largest contributor to outdoor recreation value added in 35 states. The leading contributors were California ($11.6 billion), Florida ($8.8 billion), and Texas ($8.6 billion) (state table 3).

Additional value added by industry highlights for 2020 include:

Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services, the second-largest sector, contributed $86.8 billion in current-dollar value added to outdoor recreation nationally. At the state level, this industry was the largest contributor to outdoor recreation in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Manufacturing, the third-largest sector, contributed $52.8 billion nationally to the outdoor recreation economy. At the state level, this sector was the largest contributor to the outdoor recreation economy in Indiana ($5.3 billion) and Wisconsin ($1.9 billion).

Industry Composition of Outdoor Recreation, Nominal Value Added, 2020

Updates for 2012–2019

Today's release also reflects updated statistics for 2012–2019. At the national level, gross output, value added, employment, and compensation were updated to include the results of the 2021 annual update of the National Economic Accounts, which includes the Industry Economic Accounts. The updated state statistics reflect the updated national data as well as the 2021 annual update of the Regional Economic Accounts as well as newly available and revised regional source data.

Next release: November 2022
Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2021

Full Release & Tables (PDF)

Highlights (PDF)

Tables - National Level (Excel)

Tables - State Level (Excel)

Interactive State Tables

Regional

Stanislaw Rzeznik

301-278-9458

OutdoorRecreation@bea.gov

National

Patricia Washington

301-278-9114

OutdoorRecreation@bea.gov

Media

Connie O'Connell

301-278-9003

Connie.OConnell@bea.gov

Resources

Information on COVID-19 and recovery impacts is available on our website.
Find the latest information on the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account at BEA's outdoor recreation website.
Historical time series for these estimates can be accessed in BEA's Interactive Data Application.
Stay informed about BEA developments by reading The BEA Wire, signing up for BEA's email subscription service, or following BEA on Twitter @BEA_News.
Access BEA data by registering for BEA's Data Application Programming Interface.
For more on BEA's statistics, see our monthly online journal, the Survey of Current Business.
For upcoming economic indicators, see BEA's news release schedule.
Details on the preparation of BEA's national statistics are in NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts.
Complete information on the sources and methods for the estimation of BEA's state personal income and employment.

Definitions

Gross domestic product (GDP) or value added is the value of the goods and services produced by the nation's economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production. GDP is also equal to the sum of personal consumption expenditures, gross private domestic investment, net exports of goods and services, and government consumption expenditures and gross investment.

Gross output is the value of the goods and services produced by the nation's economy. It is principally measured using industry sales or receipts, including sales to final users (GDP) and sales to other industries.

Current-dollar estimates are valued in the prices of the period when the transactions occurred–that is, at "market value." Also referred to as "nominal estimates" or as "current-price estimates."

Chained-dollar estimates are calculated by taking the current-dollar level of a series in the base period and multiplying it by the change in the chained-type quantity index number for the series since the base period. Chained-dollar estimates correctly show growth rates for a series but are not additive in periods other than the base period.

ORSA employment consists of all full-time, part-time, and temporary wage-and-salary jobs in which the workers are engaged in the production of outdoor recreation goods and services. Self-employed individuals are excluded from employment totals.

ORSA compensation consists of the pay to employees (including wages and salaries and benefits such as employer contributions to pension and health funds) in return for their outdoor recreation-related work during a given year. Pay to the self-employed is excluded from compensation but included in value added.

ORSA value added (also referred to as GDP) consists of the value of outdoor recreation goods and services produced less the value of expenses incurred for their production. The activity of self-employed individuals is included in value added.

Geography of outdoor recreation

Outdoor recreation is measured by place of production, not residence of consumer. The value of manufactured goods, such as boats, is assigned to the state where they are produced, even if the goods are not ultimately used there. Services, such as sailing lessons, are assigned to the location where they are consumed. The value of services provided by retailers, such as boat dealers, is also assigned to the location of sale. The services of retailers (known as trade margins) are not measured by sales but are most akin to sales less the cost of goods sold. The production of imported goods is excluded from ORSA, but the value of the services of retailers selling the imported goods is included.

Outdoor recreation spending and production are allocated to states by applying state-level data to detailed, underlying national values. The underlying estimates are distributed to states before aggregation to publication levels to provide the most accurate state values possible. Statistics are primarily based on time-series data generated from the Economic Census and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Additional government and nongovernment data sources are used to supplement the census data and to refine and evaluate the statistics.

List of National-Level News Release Tables

Table 1. Real Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity

Table 2. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity

Table 3. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity as a Percentage of Gross Domestic Product

Table 4. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Activity as a Percentage of Total Outdoor Recreation Value Added

Table 5. Real Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Industry

Table 6. Outdoor Recreation Value Added by Industry

Table 7. Real Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Activity

Table 8. Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Activity

Table 9. Real Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Industry

Table 10. Outdoor Recreation Gross Output by Industry

List of State-Level News Release Tables

Table 1. Outdoor Recreation Value Added, Employment, and Compensation as a Percent of Total, 2020

Table 2. Value-Added Outdoor Recreation, by State, Selected Activities, 2020

Table 3. Value-Added Outdoor Recreation, by State, Selected Industries, 2020

Table 4. Employment, Outdoor Recreation, by State, Selected Industries, 2020

Table 5. Compensation, Outdoor Recreation, by State, Selected Industries, 2020