The outdoor recreation industry grew faster in 2016 than the rest of the U.S. economy.
"The outdoor recreational industry contributed toward two percent of the U.S. GDP in 2016, according to a preliminary report the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released Wednesday," reports Yessennia Funes.
According to Funes, this is the first attempt to measure the total economic footprint of the outdoor recreation industry, and the new data lends to some interesting comparisons. So, for instance, that two percent of U.S. GDP represents "enough money to fund the Department of Interior 27 times [pdf] over."
Environmentalists are quick to point out that, the $374 billion generated by outdoor recreation in 2016 is also more money than the mining industry generated, at $260 billion.
FULL STORY: Outdoor Recreation Is a Bigger Economic Booster Than Mining
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