Outdoor recreation in the U.S. - statistics & facts

The United States is home to a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities. With the country’s vast landscape ranging from mountains to beaches, activities can range from skiing and snowboarding to surfing and sailing. The outdoor recreation industry contributed approximately 454 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, the segment of the outdoor recreation industry contributing the most to the U.S. GDP was non-local travel, at 142 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, apparel and accessories contributed the second largest sum to the country’s GDP. Considering its contribution to the economy, it is not surprising that this industry also contributed to the nation’s workforce, in the same year, there were approximately 4.5 million outdoor recreation jobs in the United States, a figure that saw a decline as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

What is the leading outdoor activity in the U.S.?

The leading outdoor activity in the U.S. in 2021 was running, jogging, and trail running, with 64.5 million participants; in second place came hiking with around 58 million participants in that year. Also included in the ranking were fishing, cycling, and camping. With many recreational establishments closing and social distancing measures driving people to escape to the great outdoors, the number of fishing participants in the U.S. grew during the pandemic in 2020 to 54.7 million, dropping the following year to 52.4 million - the most popular location to fish in the U.S. was from the shoreline. Meanwhile, camping participation in the United States also saw significant growth in recent years, with as many as 16.4 million participants in 2021. This incline also extended itself to camping equipment sales in the U.S., which have seen year-over-year growth for the past decade.

How popular are national parks in the U.S.?

The National Park Service is a governmental agency that manages all the national parks in the U.S., most national monuments, and various natural, historical, and recreational properties in the United States. In 2021, there were approximately 297 million visitors to National Park Service sites in the United States, a figure that saw an increase over the previous year. When surveyed in that year, the majority of the U.S. public said that they were interested in visiting national parks, with only five percent of the survey sample saying that they were not at all interested. That being said, some national parks are more interesting to Americans than others, in 2022, most visited national park in the U.S. was the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leading reason for visiting a U.S. national park in that year was to see nature, the second most common reason being to see some place new.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Segment of the outdoor recreation industry that contributed the most to GDP in the U.S.
Non-local travel
Number of outdoor recreation jobs in the U.S.
4.5m
Most common outdoor activity in the U.S.
Running
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Outdoor participation in the U.S. 2015-2022, by gender

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Main influences for purchasing outdoor equipment in the U.S. 2022

Number of recreational visits to National Park Service sites in the United States from 2010 to 2023 (in millions)

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5

Overview

Camping

4

Camping

Hunting

5

Hunting

Fishing

6

Fishing

Water-based activities

8

Water-based activities

Winter activities

5

Winter activities

National parks

6

National parks

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Parks in the U.S.
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Outdoor recreation market in the United Kingdom (UK)
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Outdoor recreation market in Canada
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Outdoor recreation and sporting goods in the United States
Outdoor recreation and sporting goods in the United States
Amusement and theme parks in the U.S.
Amusement and theme parks in the U.S.
Outdoor recreation in the U.S.
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