Recreation Counties Attract New Residents and Higher Incomes

JANUARY 2019

Recreation counties, especially in non-metro places, draw new residents and have higher incomes and faster earnings growth than places without recreation.

  • People are more likely to move to Recreation counties than to Non-Recreation counties, particularly in Rural places.
  • Households moving into Recreation counties have, on average, higher income than households moving into Non-Recreation counties.
  • Recreation counties have, on average, lower earnings per job than Non-Recreation counties, but earnings per job in Rural Recreation counties are growing much faster than in Non-Recreation counties.
  • Recreation appears to drive varied economic benefits, including short-term support for tourism-related businesses and longer-term support by recruiting new residents who may be business owners, entrepreneurs, or workers.

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