Colorado Springs, CO (June 25, 2021) – The Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA), one of several outdoor business alliances across the nation who together have formed the State Outdoor Business Alliance Network (SOBAN), is pleased to share a new report demonstrating that outdoor recreation contributes to economic success in many ways and will help lead recovery from the pandemic. SOBAN is a network of business organizations that share knowledge, opportunities, and best practices to strengthen commerce, infrastructure, and participation in the outdoors.
The report was produced by Headwaters Economics – a Bozeman, MT-based independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research group. SOBAN member organizations, the REI Foundation, and national industry groups support the report that demonstrates pathways to the future outdoor recreation economy.
Nationwide, in 2019, outdoor recreation employed almost 5.2 million people who earned more than $226.3 billion dollars. For comparison, outdoor recreation employs about the same number of people as are employed in the nation’s hospitals, and twice the number employed in farming. The report highlights information from states around the country that illustrates the positive benefits of the outdoor recreation economy.