The Top 10 Outdoor Activities Based on Money Spent

Originally Published Jun 27, 2012 Updated Feb 24, 2022

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Screenshot of The Outdoor Recreation Economy. Photo: OIA

People in the United States spend $646 billion a year on outdoor activities, according to The Outdoor Industry Association's recently released report “The Outdoor Recreation Economy.” Here's a quick summary of some numbers from the report. People in the United States spend $121 billion on gear and $525 billion on travel a year. Somewhere around 6.1 million jobs result, at least in part, from all of the spending. Roughly 140 million Americans make outdoor recreation a priority in their daily lives. Outdoor recreation is a growing sector of the economy, which has increased at a clip of five percent a year from 2005 to 2011.

Now, here's a list of the activities that account for the most spending, according to the report.

10. Hunting: $23 Billion

9. Wildlife Viewing: $33 Billion

8. Fishing: $35 Billion

7. Motorcycling: $43 Billion

6. Snow Sports: $53 Billion

5. Off-Roading: $66 Billion

4. Trail Sports: $81 Billion

3. Bicycling: $81 Billion

2. Water Sports: $86 Billion

1. Camping: $143 Billion

For more on the report, check out “OIA: Making an Economic Case for Outdoor Recreation,” by Avery Stonich.

H/T: National Geographic Adventure

—Joe Spring
@joespring
facebook.com/joespring.1