A sourced snapshot of outdoor participation, national park visitation, and spending. Built for writers, researchers, and anyone who needs numbers they can trace back to the original source.
Last updated November 5, 2026
Outdoor recreation is broad, and no single source measures every activity or purchase. This page brings together the most useful recent figures from the Outdoor Industry Association and the National Park Service. Each statistic links to its original report and includes the source’s reporting year.
Browse the statistics183.2 million
That is 59% of Americans in this age group, according to the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2026 participation report.
Source: Outdoor Industry Association, 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report (2026)1.1%
The participation base continued to grow in the 2026 report, although the pace was slower than earlier years.
Source: Outdoor Industry Association, 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report (2026)53.4%
The 2026 report identifies this as a record participation rate for women.
Source: Outdoor Industry Association, 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report (2026)22.6 million
That group grew 5% in the 2026 report, helping make the outdoor audience more multigenerational.
Source: Outdoor Industry Association, 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report (2026)12.1 million
The Outdoor Industry Association also reported an 800,000-person increase in the 65+ group in one year.
Source: Outdoor Industry Association, 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report (2026)331.9 million
The National Park Service reported 331.9 million recreation visits in 2024, up 2% from 2023.
Source: National Park Service, 2024 Visitor Spending Effects report (2024 data, report published 2025)$29.0 billion
The National Park Service estimates this 2024 spending supported $56.3 billion in economic output nationwide.
Source: National Park Service, 2024 Visitor Spending Effects report (2024 data, report published 2025)The outdoor audience is large and continues to broaden across generations. The Outdoor Industry Association’s 2026 report shows participation at a record level, with growth among children, adults 65 and older, women, and Hispanic Americans. The same report notes that average annual outings have declined since 2019, a reminder that participation and frequency are different measures.
National park figures add a concrete view of travel demand. In 2024, National Park Service sites recorded nearly 332 million recreation visits. Visitor spending in surrounding gateway communities shows how a day outside can also support lodging, food, fuel, and local services.
These figures are a concise reference, not a replacement for the underlying reports. Participation statistics come from the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report. National park visitation and economic figures come from the National Park Service’s analysis of 2024 visitor spending effects, published in 2025.
Last reviewed: November 5, 2026. Statistics stay in place with stable anchors so references to a specific figure can keep pointing to it as the page is refreshed.
Loam & Ledge. “U.S. Outdoor Recreation Statistics: 2026.” Accessed November 5, 2026. https://loamledge.co/outdoor-recreation-statistics
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