Last year, the Outdoor Industry Association put out data on the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Arkansas. The numbers came in like this; 96,000 Direct Jobs, $9.7 BILLION In Consumer Spending, $2.5 BILLION In Wages and Salaries, and $698 MILLION In State and Local Tax Revenue. Since Outdoor Recreation is now considered part of the United States GDP thanks to legislation signed by President Obama in 2016 the Bureau of Economic Analysis has been working to refine statistics concerning the impact of outdoor recreation on the Gross National Product. We know of other studies being done nationally and within our state borders that will shead more light on this major U.S. industry. So stay tuned.
Bureau of Economic Analysis releases initial study
Today, for the first time ever, outdoor recreation’s contributions are being counted as a unique part of United States gross domestic product (GDP). The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released a preliminary look at United States GDP outputs from outdoor recreation. The analysis shows that growth in the outdoor industry continues to outpace growth of the economy as a whole and accounts for over 2 percent of the entire United States GDP. (more)
Source: Govt Data: Americans Love Outdoor Recreation – Outdoor Industry Association
