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September 23, 2019

New data: CT's outdoor-recreation economy has undersized impact

By Matt Pilon

There’s plenty of boating, fishing and other activities to be had in Connecticut, but it turns out the state’s outdoor industry ranks last in the country in terms of the relative size of its economic contributions. 

Outdoor recreation activities contribute 1.4 percent of Connecticut’s overall gross domestic product -- the lowest percentage of any state, according to a new set of prototype data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Friday.

The data, for 2017, account for spending on outdoor recreation as well as production of related goods and services, like boats or sailing lessons. Besides “core activities” like boating, camping, and hunting, BEA also counted “supporting activities” like construction, tourism and government expenditures.

While the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Connecticut is small when compared to the overall size of the state's economy, the $3.59 billion dollar value of outdoor recreation's economic impact is larger than 16 other states.

"The methodology used in this study undervalues the significant contributions to our economy from outdoor recreation," Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesperson Kristina W. Rozek said. "Connecticut is proud of its investment in outdoor recreation programs including our Passport to the Parks program, which has led to over a 10 percent increase in park visits this season. We are always looking for ways to ensure our parks and programs are economic drivers for local communities." 

In Connecticut, conventional activities contributed $1.47 billion in 2017, with boating and fishing as the largest category. Supporting activities contributed $1.20 billion.

There were 48,390 outdoor recreation jobs in Connecticut that year.

The top five states that saw the greatest economic value added from the outdoor recreation includes Hawaii (5.4 percent), Montana (5.1 percent), Maine (4.8 percent), Vermont (4.5 percent) and Wyoming (4.4 percent).

Editor's note: This story has been updated to provide context about the dollar value of outdoor recreation's contribution to Connecticut GDP and to include comment from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

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