Residents of Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District spend an estimated $2.17 billion on outdoor recreation every year — a lot of money by any standard, but right about the middle of the pack when compared to the state’s nine other districts, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.
The state’s biggest spenders are the residents of the 7th Congressional District, which encompasses Seattle and a few surrounding suburbs. People in that area spend about $2.41 billion annually.
The spending figures are based on where recreationalists live, not where they spend their money, nor does it account for spending by international visitors.
The 3rd District, which includes all of Clark County, is home to at least 36 outdoors companies. But the 7th hosts more than 200.
In total, consumers spend about $26.2 billion on outdoor recreation in Washington annually, with residents accounting for 83 percent of that. Out-of-state visitors make up the rest.
About 72 percent of the state’s residents do something in the outdoors every year, and 30 percent do so within a half hour’s drive from our home, according to the report.
The spending snapshots are part of a district, state and national report titled The Outdoor Recreation Economy put out by the outdoor association. This is the third year the organization has quantified consumer spending habits on outdoors trips and products.
Amy Roberts, the association’s executive director, said the numbers reflect people’s desire across party lines to spend time outside. That, she said, is something policymakers should think about when making land-management decisions.
“I think the main takeaway is, investing in outdoor recreation as part of how you plan your local communities pays off in both sustainable jobs and economic development,” she said. “The outdoor recreation amenities attract jobs and employees and new residents.”
The most recent iteration comes out when the Trump administration is pushing back against public land protections and promoting a greater presence for extraction industries on public lands.
Rather than focusing on a purely emotional argument, championing the beauty and grandeur of America’s wild land, Roberts said, the organization is amplifying a dollars and cents argument about outdoors recreation to promote conservation.
“For a long time, other uses of public lands had economic data before we did. This puts us on a level playing field,” she said.
“We are in a climate where we need to be able to make an economic and job argument in order to be effective, and that’s what this report allows us to do.”
