American Participation in Outdoor Recreation Hits an All-Time High

Outdoor recreation is at an all-time high.

That’s the big takeaway from the latest participation report by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the trade group that works alongside the companies and brands that focus on outdoor recreation.

According to OIA, outdoor participation in the United States grew by 3 percent in 2024, to a record-breaking 181.1 million people. That’s nearly 60 percent of all Americans aged six and older, all being active and enjoying the great outdoors.

While the 2024 increase is in line with a trend of steady overall growth in outdoor participation that has existed for the past decade, there were also significant increases in a diverse array of socio-economic groups.

Young people (18-24), senior citizens (65+), high school graduates with no college degree, high-income households, and Black and Hispanic participants are all getting outside in higher numbers than before.

“Overall, the bulk of the growth came from outside of the white, middle-aged, bachelor’s degree-carrying cohort,” wrote the OIA.

The report found that certain accessible “gateway activities” led this charge—walking, hiking, fishing, camping, bicycling, and running. But the number of “core” outdoor enthusiasts also increased by 5.7 percent, reversing a decline that had been occurring for nearly a decade.

“I want to beat caffeine. That’s my goal. 73 percent. That’s the big number,” Kelly Davis, an OIA statistician, told The Colorado Sun, referring to the percentage of people in the U.S. who consume a caffeinated beverage daily. “We already killed flossing. That was 30%.”

The study also indicates that children are encouraging adults to get outside and be more active, too. A record-high 66 percent of all American households with children now participate in outdoor activities, and “children’s high participation rates (>70 percent) appear to encourage parental participation.”

Not every metric went up. The number of outdoor enthusiasts from White or Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic backgrounds declined slightly, as did middle-aged individuals (45–54 years old). The overall amount of time spent outside also dipped. Compared to 2019, in 2024 the average enthusiast took five less trips outside per year, “signaling more casual participation,” said the OIA. However, the report added that in spite of this, “nearly every signal in the 2024 participation data is positive for prolonged growth.”

The bad news? The reports themselves may be at risk. While the OIA is a private entity and independent of federal funding, its reports are partially built upon a bedrock of statistics compiled by federal agencies that are on the chopping block after Trump administration’s changes and budget cuts, such as the Department of Commerce and Department of Labor, which oversee the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), respectively.