Montana Outdoor Economy Grows 14%, 3rd Largest in the Nation

MISSOULA – The Montana outdoor economy grew 14% from 2021 to 2022. According to the latest report by the  U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), outdoor recreation accounted for 4.3% of Montana's gross domestic product, positioning the state third in the U.S. based on the proportion of its economy associated with outdoor recreation's economic impact.

“Montana’s contribution is impressive, with the outdoor recreation economy driving $2.9 billion in economic output and providing support for 29,450 jobs across the state,” said Melissa Weddell, director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.

She said the growth from $2.5 billion in 2021 to the $2.9 billion in 2022 GDP showcases the vibrant outdoor recreation industry and the economic prospects that come with embracing and investing in the outdoors.

The 2022 economic impact of outdoor recreation nationwide is $1.1 trillion, with employment for 5 million jobs. Outdoor recreation now constitutes 2.2% of the nation’s GDP and employs 3.2% of the entire U.S. workforce.

Learn more about the BEA report at 

https://recreationroundtable.org/resources/national-recreation-data/.

All information and reports published by ITRR are available online at http://www.itrr.umt.edu.

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Contact: Melissa Weddell, UM Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research director, 406-243-2328, melissa.weddell@umontana.edu.