The outdoor recreation industry contributed $9.8 billion to Wisconsin’s gross domestic product in 2022, growing 6.8 percent over 2021.
The data from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that it was highest contribution by the outdoor recreation sector since 2018, when the BEA started measuring the industry’s economic impact and releasing the figures annually. All topline metrics for the outdoor recreation industry in Wisconsin were record-breaking:
- $9.8 billion contributed to Wisconsin’s GDP (up 6.8 percent)
- 2.5 percent share of Wisconsin’s GDP (up 0.1 percent)
- 94,042 jobs supported (up 4.8 percent)
- 3.1 percent of state employment (up 0.1 percent)
- $4.7 billion in employee compensation (up 5.3 percent)
- Wisconsin’s Motorcycling/ATVing sector contributed over $1 billion and ranks first among all states. Top contributing sectors by activity in Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry included:
- Multi-use apparel and accessories: $1.15 billion
- Motorcycling/ATV/UTV: $1.1 billion
- Boating and Fishing: $710 million
- RVing: $553 million
Notably, travel and tourism, as well as local trips (trips less than 50 miles) associated with outdoor recreation, grew to nearly $3 billion in 2022, increasing by 14.2 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.
“The outdoors is consistently cited as a top reason visitors choose Wisconsin, and that is a credit to our amazing natural places and our passionate destinations, guides, and outfitters who welcome travelers to experience all our state has to offer,” said Tourism Secretary Sayers. “
“These historic numbers are a testament to the importance of the outdoors and the outdoor recreation economy to Wisconsin,” said Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Monroe Brown. “More than just a fun thing to do, outdoor recreation is big business and a solution for our local communities as it drives tourism, workforce attraction, and retention in all sectors of the economy.”
Nationally, the outdoor recreation industry posted record-breaking numbers, too. For the first time, the outdoor industry contributed more than $1 trillion in gross output to the U.S. economy, which accounted for 2.2 percent of the nation’s GDP. It grew nearly 2.5 times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole, at 4.8 percent, versus 1.9 percent for the U.S. economy. Nationwide, the industry employed nearly five million people.
Additional information on Wisconsin’s outdoor industry can be found on the Office of Outdoor Recreation website at: https://outdoorrecreation.wi.gov/Pages/Resources/Report.aspx.
For the national report and state-level data and tables, visit the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account section of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis website at: https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/outdoor-recreation.
