Outdoor living in Oregon is an adventure for locals and visitors alike. With a variety of passions, from trips to the coast, bike-rides, fishing, skiing, and camping, there is always something wonderful to do outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.
Americans love the outdoors and people in the United States spend upwards of $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.
- Hunting: $23 Billion
- Wildlife Viewing: $33 Billion
- Fishing: $35 Billion
- Motorcycling: $43 Billion
- Snow Sports: $53 Billion
- Off-Roading: $66 Billion
- Trail Sports: $81 Billion
- Bicycling: $81 Billion
- Water Sports: $86 Billion
- Camping: $143 Billion
It’s no secret that camping, water sports, and bicycling are in the top 3 positions. Ask any Oregonian what the do on the weekends and you’ll understand why this is a billion-dollar industry.
Source: Outside / Oregonhealthnews.org