Hawaii, Montana, Maine Economies Rely Most on Outdoor Recreation

(Bloomberg) -- Hawaii, Montana and Maine are the three states whose economies depend most on outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, water sports, hunting and skiing.

The outdoor recreational industry accounted for 5.4% of Hawaii’s gross domestic product in 2017, the largest share of all U.S. states. The Aloha State was followed by Montana and Maine, where recreation contributed 5.1% and 4.8% to their states’ economies, respectively. The industry added $427 billion, or 2.2%, to the nation’s GDP, according to a Commerce Department report Friday.

Vermont, Wyoming, Florida and Alaska also showed a higher relative dependence on outdoor recreation, making up more than 4% of their respective state GDP. Connecticut, Ohio and New York are least dependent on the sector.

Real gross output, labor compensation and employment all grew more in outdoor recreation than the economy as a whole. The industry expanded by an inflation-adjusted 3.9% in 2017, the most recent data available, faster than the broader economy’s 2.4% growth.

Boating and fishing added $20.9 billion to the national economy during the year, led by Florida and California. RVing was the second-largest activity, with $16.9 billion in value added, paced by Indiana and Ohio.

--With assistance from Martin Keohan.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Edwards in Washington at wedwards29@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Vince Golle, Jeff Kearns

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