WYOMING — According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2019, outdoor recreation added $1.7 billion to the Wyoming economy.
The outdoor recreation sector accounted for 21,344 jobs and $785 million in wages. Overall thats, 5.2% of all jobs and 4.1% of all wages in the state of Wyoming.
“This latest report confirms what we already know about the impact of outdoor recreation on Wyoming’s economy,” said Dave Glenn, Deputy Director of State Parks and Cultural Resources. “Think about it, outdoor recreation brings in millions of outdoor enthusiasts who contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in needed state and local tax revenue. Throw in 21,344 jobs and $785 million in wages for our communities, and outdoor recreation is a driving economic force in Wyoming.”
Wyoming ranked fourth nationally in terms of outdoor recreation’s percentage of state Gross Domestic Product at 4.2%. Wyoming comes in just behind Montana at 4.7% but ahead of Utah’s 3.3% and Colorado’s 3.1%. Nationally, 4.2% is double the average outdoor recreation GDP for states.
“With continued efforts, there is no reason this number won’t continue to grow in the coming years,” said Glenn.
The top five contributing recreational activities in Wyoming are snow activities, RVing, equestrian, hunting/shooting/trapping, and boating/fishing.
“The numbers in this report are pre-Covid-19, so it will be interesting to see how they change for 2020,” said Chris Floyd, Manager of the Office of Outdoor Recreation. “The pandemic has accelerated the growth of outdoor recreation tourism, and we have the capacity to bring in more. For our office, the goal is to sustainably design, manage and direct this visitation in order to preserve the wide-open spaces we love in Wyoming.”
The full 2019 outdoor recreation report can be found here.
