Outdoor Recreation Generates $1 Trillion for Economy in 2022 (1)

The outdoor recreation industry generated almost $1.1 trillion in economic output in 2022, helping fuel the U.S. economy as the country moved beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

The industry supported five million jobs and contributed 2.2% to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2022, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday. The contribution to GDP was 2.1% in 2021, 1.8% in 2020, and 2.3% in 2019.

Interest among Americans in outdoor recreation grew during the start of the pandemic in March 2020 because most public indoor activity stopped at that time. The trend accelerated further as lockdowns lifted across ...