BY THE NUMBERS State of the Great Outdoors The 2012 Outdoor Recreation Economy Report by the Outdoor Industry Association shows great promise for parks and recreation in a down economy. 6.1 million: Number of American jobs directly related to outdoor recreation. $646 billion: Amount spent annually on outdoor recreation in the United States. $120.7 billion: Amount spent annually by Americans on outdoor recreation product sales. $524.8 billion: Amount spent annually by Americans on outdoor recreation-related trips and trip-related spending. $39.9 billion: Amount of federal tax revenue generated annually in the U.S. by the outdoor recreation industry. $39.7 billion: Amount of state and local tax revenue generated annually in the U.S. by the outdoor recreation industry. 140 million: Number of Americans who make outdoor recreation a priority in their daily lives. $53 billion: Amount spent annually by Americans on snow sports. $81 billion: Amount spent annually by Americans on bicycling gear and trips. 735 million: Annual visits taken to U.S. state parks. $20 billion: Annual nationwide economic benefit to communities surrounding state parks deriving from these visits. 4x: Rate of job increase in rural counties in the U.S. West with more than 30 percent of their land under federal protection compared to rural counties with no federally protected lands. $32 million: Estimate by the National Park Service of the amount lost per day if budget cuts shut down the parks. 5 percent: Rate of growth in the outdoor recreation industry between 2006 and 2011, during an economic recession when many other sectors contracted. Source: The 2012 Outdoor Recreation Economy Report by the Outdoor Industry Association (www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/OIA_OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf). 64 Parks & Recreation | JANUARY 2013 | WWW.NRPA.ORG THINKSTOCK For comparisons between the outdoor recreation industry and other fields, visit www.parksandrecreation.org/2013/January/Outdoor-Recreation-Industry-Comparisons.