Mountain bikers ride along the Bonneville Shoreline trail in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Bicycling saw a 26.6% increase in popularity, making it the fastest-growing outdoor recreation activity in 2023.
Outdoor recreation generated $1.2 trillion for the U.S. economy last year.
California, Florida and Texas were the top states for outdoor recreation.
Two wheels good.
Bicycling was the fastest-growing outdoor recreation activity in 2023, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Pedaling a bike increased 26.6% from the previous year, narrowly outpacing winter activities, which include skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling, at 25.2% growth. Hunting/shooting/trapping (19.3%), climbing/hiking/tent camping (13.9%) and motorcycling/ATVing (7.6%) rounded out the top five.
Last year, 54.7 million people participated in bicycling as an outdoor activity, according to the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report released earlier this year by the Outdoor Industry Association.The growth in bike riding could be attributed to a number of factors including environmental awareness, health and fitness, urban congestion, improved bike paths, cost efficiency and the proliferation of e-bikes.Related From hiking to fishing: Americans heading outdoors in record numbers Outdoor recreation continues to be a major driver of the U.S. economy, jobs and local communities. According to the latest numbers, outdoor recreation generated $1.2 trillion in economic output (2.3% of GDP), comprised 3.1% of U.S. employees and accounted for 5 million jobs last year.“Our sector continues to show growth and the industry’s impact remains strong, driving local and national economies forward, especially in rural regions,” […]
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