Contents
- Recreation industry employment statistics: national outdoor recreation employment
- Recreation industry employment statistics by state: Northeast and Midwest
- Recreation industry employment statistics by state: South and West
- Recreation industry employment statistics: state employment shares and scope
- Recreation industry employment statistics: employment by selected industries
- Recreation industry employment statistics: recent employment changes
- Sources
Recreation industry employment statistics: national outdoor recreation employment
The United States had 5,244,804 outdoor recreation jobs in 2024. That is the national total for outdoor recreation employment across the selected industries in the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) state table. It is a count of jobs, rather than a count of unique people: the BEA defines employment as the number of full- and part-time jobs related to outdoor recreation. The measure therefore includes jobs connected to outdoor recreation across a range of industries, not only positions at recreation venues. BEA, Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, U.S. and States, 2024
Of the national total, private industries accounted for 5,075,626 jobs, while government accounted for 169,178. These are the two broad sectors shown alongside the total in Table 4. The distinction helps describe where the counted jobs sit institutionally, but the total remains an outdoor recreation measure spanning the selected industries. It should not be read as a count of employees in a single recreation business category. BEA, 2024 state employment table
| United States, 2024 | Outdoor recreation jobs |
|---|---|
| Total outdoor recreation industries | 5,244,804 |
| Private industries | 5,075,626 |
| Government | 169,178 |
The same release reports outdoor recreation employment as 3.2% of total wage and salary employment nationally in 2024. This is a share of wage and salary employment, not the percentage of people who participate in recreation or the percentage of workers employed only by recreation establishments. BEA, 2024 employment share table
BEA’s companion article reports that national outdoor recreation employment increased 1.1% in 2024. This is a year-specific change, not a 2026 employment estimate. The count and the change provide different views: one gives the scale of jobs in 2024, and the other describes the direction and rate of change during that year. BEA, “Outdoor Recreation Statistics for 2024”
Recreation industry employment statistics by state: Northeast and Midwest
The selected state figures show substantial variation in the number of outdoor recreation jobs. Among the Northeast and Midwest observations available here, Illinois recorded 179,162 jobs and Pennsylvania 176,752 in 2024. Ohio had 153,614, followed by Michigan at 124,965. These are total outdoor recreation industry jobs attributed to each state, not employment shares or rankings of recreation’s relative importance in the state economy. BEA, Table 4 state totals
| State | Outdoor recreation jobs, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 179,162 |
| Pennsylvania | 176,752 |
| Ohio | 153,614 |
| Michigan | 124,965 |
| Indiana | 110,044 |
| Massachusetts | 107,987 |
| Wisconsin | 100,139 |
| Minnesota | 99,145 |
| Missouri | 90,581 |
| Maryland | 85,083 |
| Iowa | 47,807 |
| Maine | 32,037 |
| Nebraska | 30,234 |
Indiana’s 110,044 jobs and Massachusetts’ 107,987 place them near one another in this selected set. Wisconsin and Minnesota were also close in the reported counts, at 100,139 and 99,145 respectively. Such comparisons describe the size of each state’s measured total; without considering the state’s overall wage and salary employment, they do not establish the relative weight of outdoor recreation in each state economy. BEA, Table 4 state totals
At the lower end of these selected counts, Iowa had 47,807 jobs, Maine 32,037, and Nebraska 30,234. The set includes states from both regions and is not presented as a complete census of Northeast and Midwest states. Each number retains the same 2024 definition: jobs connected to outdoor recreation across selected industries. BEA, Table 4 state totals
Recreation industry employment statistics by state: South and West
The selected South and West totals include the largest state counts in this article: California had 589,354 outdoor recreation jobs in 2024, and Florida had 508,656. Georgia recorded 168,231. The table also shows Arizona at 118,672 and Colorado at 137,762. These are job counts, so a larger number does not on its own indicate a larger employment share within a state. BEA, Table 4 state totals
| State | Outdoor recreation jobs, 2024 |
|---|---|
| California | 589,354 |
| Florida | 508,656 |
| Georgia | 168,231 |
| Colorado | 137,762 |
| Arizona | 118,672 |
| Louisiana | 60,462 |
| Kentucky | 56,360 |
| Hawaii | 51,118 |
| Arkansas | 43,384 |
| Idaho | 39,228 |
| Alaska | 24,458 |
| Delaware | 16,706 |
The rest of the selected state totals range from Louisiana’s 60,462 and Kentucky’s 56,360 to Alaska’s 24,458 and Delaware’s 16,706. Hawaii had 51,118, Arkansas 43,384, and Idaho 39,228. These values make regional contrasts visible while preserving the source’s measure: the number of outdoor recreation jobs located in each state. BEA, Table 4 state totals
Connecticut had 50,275 jobs in 2024. It appears with this group because its state total is included in the checked figures, though it is geographically a Northeast state. Keeping it explicit also helps distinguish the count from the next section’s employment-share measure. BEA, Table 4 state totals
Recreation industry employment statistics: state employment shares and scope
Counts and employment shares answer different questions. A state can have a large number of outdoor recreation jobs while those jobs make up a different proportion of its overall wage and salary employment than in a state with a smaller count. The 2024 state table reports the share directly for the states listed below. For example, California’s 589,354 jobs represented 3.1% of total wage and salary employment, while Alaska’s 24,458 jobs represented 6.7%. BEA, 2024 state employment and share tables
| State | Outdoor recreation jobs, 2024 | Share of total wage and salary employment |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 24,458 | 6.7% |
| Colorado | 137,762 | 4.5% |
| Delaware | 16,706 | 3.3% |
| Alabama | 71,755 | 3.2% |
| Arkansas | 43,384 | 3.2% |
| California | 589,354 | 3.1% |
| Connecticut | 50,275 | 2.8% |
| Arizona | 118,672 | 3.5% |
Among these eight observations, Alaska has the highest reported share at 6.7%, while Connecticut has the lowest at 2.8%. Colorado’s share was 4.5%, Arizona’s 3.5%, and Delaware’s 3.3%. Alabama and Arkansas each registered 3.2%. The table presents the BEA’s reported percentages, retaining their one-decimal precision; it does not derive new ratios from the job counts. BEA, 2024 state employment and share tables
The distinction in scope matters. These percentages are shares of total wage and salary employment, not shares of all residents, the labor force, or workers employed exclusively in outdoor recreation. BEA’s state estimates use the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Its selected-industry approach allocates outdoor recreation jobs across several industries. A job counted in the measure may be in a broader industry that also serves non-recreation activity. BEA, methodology and state tables
Recreation industry employment statistics: employment by selected industries
The national private-industry allocation illustrates why outdoor recreation employment is broader than jobs at recreation establishments. Retail trade accounted for 1,758,058 outdoor recreation jobs in 2024, and accommodation and food services accounted for 1,096,381. Arts, entertainment, and recreation contributed 1,015,366. In other words, the measured total includes recreation-related employment allocated to industry groups that cover services and goods extending beyond a single venue type. BEA, Table 4 selected-industry totals
| Selected industry or group | Outdoor recreation jobs, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,758,058 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,096,381 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 1,015,366 |
| Manufacturing | 291,620 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing | 44,250 |
| All other private industries | 869,951 |
Manufacturing accounted for 291,620 jobs, while finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing accounted for 44,250. The broad “all other private industries” category contained 869,951 jobs. These are allocations of outdoor recreation jobs to selected industry categories, as reported in the BEA table. They are not separate estimates of every employee in those industries, and the groups should not be interpreted as exclusive recreation sectors. BEA, Table 4 selected-industry totals
This distinction is especially relevant for readers interested in karting and motorsport venues. The supplied industry breakdown does not isolate karting, motorsport facilities, or people whose work is exclusive to recreation establishments. It can describe the wider employment footprint associated with outdoor recreation, but it cannot provide a specific karting workforce count. Treating “arts, entertainment, and recreation” as a direct count of karting jobs, for example, would go beyond what the table measures. BEA, Table 4 and methodology
Recreation industry employment statistics: recent employment changes
National outdoor recreation employment increased 1.1% in 2024. At the state level, employment increased in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The BEA’s companion article reports declines in 14 states, with Hawaii experiencing the largest decline at 4.0%. North Dakota had the largest increase, at 4.3%. Together, these observations show that the national increase coexisted with both state-level gains and declines. BEA, “Outdoor Recreation Statistics for 2024” BEA, 2024 state news release
The state changes are percentage changes in outdoor recreation employment during 2024. North Dakota’s 4.3% increase marks the largest increase reported, while Hawaii’s 4.0% decrease marks the largest decline. They are not job counts, and the figures do not explain why employment changed. The reported pattern describes direction and magnitude across geographies; it does not establish causes for the changes. BEA, “Outdoor Recreation Statistics for 2024”
These statistics offer a national frame, selected state comparisons, and a view of the industries where the measured jobs are allocated. Their proper interpretation depends on keeping those lenses separate: total jobs, shares of wage and salary employment, and annual percentage changes are related but distinct measures. All figures discussed here describe 2024 estimates and changes, not current 2026 employment counts.