7839-R1_MSA_Dec2021_MaineSnowmobiler

Bureau of Economic Analysis – U.S. Department of Commerce Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2020

New statistics for 2020; prior years updated The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released sta- tistics today measuring the outdoor recreation economy for the nation, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The new U.S. data show that the outdoor recreation econ- omy accounted for 1.8 percent ($374.3 billion) of current-dol- lar gross. domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2020 (national table 3). At the state level, outdoor recreation value added as a share of state GDP ranged from 4.3 percent in Montana to 1.2 percent in New

York and Connecticut. The share was 0.8 percent in the District of Columbia. Inflation-adjusted (real) GDP for the outdoor recreation economy decreased 19.0 percent from 2019 to 2020, compared with a 3.4 percent decrease for the overall U.S. economy. Real gross output for the outdoor recreation economy decreased 17.4 per- cent, while outdoor recreation compensation decreased 12.5 percent and employment decreased 17.1 percent.

COVID-19 Impact on the 2020 Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account

Outdoor recreation estimates were impactedby the response to the spread of COVID-19, as governments issued and lifted “stay-at-home” orders. This led to rapid changes in demand as consumers can- celed, restricted, or redirected their spending. The U.S. government passed several laws to support and sustain businesses and individuals through the pandemic. The full economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be

quantified in the outdoor rec- reation estimates because the impacts are generally embed- ded in source data and cannot be separately identified. For more information, see Federal Recovery Programs and BEA Statistics. Across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, out- door recreation employment decreased in 2020, ranging from –9.3 percent in Indiana to –27.2 percent in Hawaii. yment decreased 17.1 percent.

COVID-19 Impact on the 2020 Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account

Outdoor recreation activities fall into three general catego- ries: conventional activities (such as bicycling, boating, hiking, and hunting); other core activities (such as gar-

dening and outdoor concerts); and supporting activities (such as construction, travel and tourism, local trips, and gov- ernment expenditures).

In 2020, conventional outdoor recreation accounted for 37.4 percent of U.S. outdoor recre- ation value added, compared with 30.6 percent in 2019. The increase was due to higher spending on boating/fishing and RVing. Other outdoor rec- reation accounted for 16.8 per- cent of value added in 2020, compared with 19.7 percent in 2019. The decrease was driven by amusement parks/

water parks and festivals/ sporting events/concerts. Sup- porting activities accounted for the remaining 45.8 per- cent of value added in 2020, compared with 49.7 percent in 2019. Supporting activities, particularly travel and tour- ism-related activities, declined in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers trav- eled less and reduced spend- ing at hotels and restaurants.

8

e r 2 0 2

b

e m

1 l M a i n e S n o w m o

e c

D

e r

b i l