The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released statistics 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 value added of the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.3 percent ($639.5 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2023 (national table 2). At the state level, value added for outdoor recreation as a share of state GDP ranged from 6.3 percent in Hawaii to 1.6 percent in Delaware, Connecticut, and New York. The share was 0.8 percent in the District of Columbia (state table 1). Inflation-adjusted (“real”) GDP for the outdoor recreation economy increased 3.6 percent in 2023, compared with a 2.9 percent increase for the overall U.S. economy, reflecting a deceleration from the increase in outdoor recreation of 10.2 percent in 2022 (chart 1 and national table 1).…