The Outdoor Foundation (OF) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) released their 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends report, which provides members of the outdoor industry exclusive participation data and activity insight to inform business strategy for the year ahead.
The report indicates that participation in outdoor recreation grew by 4.1 percent in 2023, to a record 175.8 million participants. This number, it noted, represents 57.3 percent of the U.S. population. Outdoor recreation participants increased across demographics and activities as new, more casual participants began hiking, biking, camping, running and fishing.
Other key findings included:
- 22.2 million more Americans, aged six or older, participated in outdoor recreation than in 2019.
- For the first time, more than half of American women participated in outdoor recreation.
- Members of the LGBTQ+ community continued to be the most active adult cohort.
- Participants were more ethnically and racially diverse in 2023, with Caucasian (69.7 percent), Hispanic (13.4 percent), Black (10.3 percent), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3 percent) and other ethnic/racial origins (1.4 percent) represented.
- Average number of outings per participant falling 11.4 percent, from 70.5 outings per participant (2022) to 62.5 outings per participant (2023).
- 7.7 million Americans trying one or more outdoor recreation activities for the first time.
“For any business that wants to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace, understanding the evolving consumer base and how they choose to spend their time outdoors is essential knowledge,” said Kent Ebersole, president of OIA. “The data in this report reveals invaluable insights so that our members can strategically grow their business and so that our industry can serve a broader audience of participants and make outdoor recreation even more accessible.”
The Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association, funds the research that produces the annual Outdoor Participation Trends report, and publishes the findings in partnership with OIA every year.
“Our report highlights interesting shifts in who’s recreating in the outdoors. While we’re excited to see some increases in participation diversity, there is still more work to be done in order to keep pace with changes in the demographics of the U.S. population,” said Lesford Duncan, Outdoor Foundation’s executive director. “The findings of this report is a clear call for our outdoor ecosystem, including outdoor industry and public sector efforts, to work together to increase participation by prioritizing representation and inclusion in design, marketing, programming, outreach, and advocacy.”
The 2024 report reflects data gathered during the 2023 calendar year. While the executive summary of the report is available to the public, the full report is available exclusively to OIA members and Outdoor Foundation partners.
For the full report, click here.
