Hunters and anglers on Capitol Hill are welcoming the release of the first government statistics on the outdoor industry as a contributor to the U.S. Economy. This may sound familiar to you, we reported about the passing of
Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act back in 2016.
A federally funded report by the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce was released on September 20, 2018 by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). In this report the BEA published that the outdoor industry has a U.S. GDP contribution of 2.2 percent and a economic impact of $731 billion.
Capitol Outdoors has said it before along with countless other organizations, hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts are a huge part of the economy in the United States. Shopping, hotels the list goes on and on. Outdoors people now have federal numbers to back up our statements.
"This economic contribution level is greater than other key economic sectors, including the mining, utilities and chemical products manufacturing industries. In addition, with 4.55 million jobs, the outdoor recreation sector generates similar employment as other major job creators in the United States, including hospitals, transportation and warehousing and educational services."
ASA
According to the BEA report boating and fishing contribute over $36 million of gross output and is the largest of all the outdoor activities. Hunting, shooting and other activities contribute nearly $14 million.
The full report issued by BEA can be found
here.
