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Outdoor Recreation A 'Growing Economic Force' For State Economies

File photo.  Outdoor recreation generates more than $3 billion in state and local tax revenue in the Northwest.
Brian Diehm
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File photo. Outdoor recreation generates more than $3 billion in state and local tax revenue in the Northwest.

Outdoor recreation generates more than $3 billion in state and local tax revenue in the Northwest. That’s according to a report out this week from the Outdoor Industry Association.




According to OIA, consumer spending on outdoor recreation, as well as wages and salaries, the number of jobs, and tax revenue are all soaring. 



That last one—tax revenue—could be particularly important to rural Northwest communities. 



“Whether you’re viewing it through the lens of tourism generally, or outdoor recreation specifically, or from any of the multiple industries that that supports - manufacturing, retail, transportation - in communities that have losses of their traditional economic activity, I think it’s doubly important to recognize the contribution of outdoor recreation,” said Jaime Rossman, a policy advisor with Washington state’s Department of Commerce. 



According to the report, roughly 70 percent of Oregon and Washington’s population participates in outdoor recreation. Combined, more than 270,000 jobs are tied to the outdoor industry in both states.

In Washington, workers made 12 percent more money from jobs tied to trail and snow sports than they did through jobs in forestry. In Oregon, there are more jobs tied to camping, than to the food service industry. 

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Emily Schwing
Emily Schwing comes to the Inland Northwest by way of Alaska, where she covered social and environmental issues with an Arctic spin as well as natural resource development, wildlife management and Alaska Native issues for nearly a decade. Her work has been heard on National Public Radio’s programs like “Morning Edition” and “All things Considered.” She has also filed for Public Radio International’s “The World,” American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” and various programs produced by the BBC and the CBC. She has also filed stories for Scientific American, Al Jazeera America and Arctic Deeply.