Outdoor recreation contributed nearly $13.9 billion to the Colorado economy and employed almost 130,000 people in 2022, according to the latest results of an annual reported compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“We are grateful to the BEA for gathering this data showing clearly that the outdoor industry is a critical economic driver and source of jobs for both Colorado and the country,” said Conor Hall, director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. “We must continue to champion destination stewardship, more equitable access to the outdoors, a healthy workforce and continued sustainable growth of the industry.”

The BEA prepares an annual statistical snapshot of the outdoor recreation industry based on national and state data.

In Colorado, outdoor rec accounted for 2.8 percent of gross domestic product, the broad measure of goods and services produced in the state, and 4.3 percent of employment.

The economic contribution of outdoor recreation rose almost 20 percent from 2021, while employment increased 9 percent.

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a coalition of outdoor recreation associations and organizations, compiled a state-by-state comparison using the BEA report.

Colorado ranked 12th for the economic contribution of outdoor recreation. The state ranked sixth for the proportional growth of that contribution between 2021 and 2022 and 21st for the gain between 2019 and 2022.

Nationwide, outdoor recreation accounted for $1.1 trillion in economic output and nearly 5 million jobs in 2022.

Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, hailed the latest numbers. “The state of the outdoor recreation economy is strong, and sustained investment in outdoor recreation and our shared public lands and waters pays dividends for our local and national economies and quality of life,” Turner said. “We are thrilled to once again see the data reflect what we hear everyday, that outdoor recreation is not a nice to have, but a necessity for healthy people, places and economies.”

The BEA separated outdoor recreation into three general categories:

Such conventional activities as bicycling, boating, hiking and hunting.

Other activities, including gardening and outdoor concerts.

Supporting activities, such as construction, government expenditures, tourism and travel.

For 2022, conventional activities accounted for 34.2 percent of the value added by outdoor recreation, while other activities accounted for 19.8 percent. Supporting activities accounted for the remaining 46 percent of value added.

Activities associated with recreational vehicles was the largest conventional activity nationwide at $35.5 billion in value added. Boating and fishing came in second at $32.4 million, followed by motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles at $11.5 billion.

Snow activities contributed $7 billion nationwide. Colorado was the largest state contributor at $1.4 billion.

Retail trades was the largest industry contributor to outdoor recreation nationwide in 2022, accounting for $153.6 billion. Accommodations, arts, entertainment, food services and recreated accounted for a total of $144.5 billion. Manufacturing contributed $77.6 billion.