Michigan lags US in outdoor economy growth, report says
FILE - Kayakers approach the St. Joseph Lighthouses and Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, Mich., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP, File)
By LAURA HERBERG/Bridge Michigan Bridge Michigan
Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy is growing, but not as fast as it is for much of the rest of the country.
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis has released data from 2024 on the outdoor industry. The numbers show that outdoor recreation in Michigan added $15.1 billion to the economy, up from $14.6 billion in 2023. While that’s an increase of 3.5%, it lags behind the country’s year-over-year increase of 4%. It also lags behind the growth seen in 35 other states.
“In some ways, that’s not entirely unexpected,” said Brad Garmon, executive director of the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. “One thing about Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy is it’s really diverse. In some ways, that means that we don’t grow as fast as some other states that see a big upswing.”
The data, which lags by a year, comes as heavy snowfall this year is giving ski hills one of their best seasons in years. Outdoors retailers, too, are reporting strong sales, said Mike Panich, executive director of the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association.
“We’ve had a very strong winter,” he said, noting snowfall in the Midwest has been stronger than in the western mountain states, meaning people probably stayed closer to home this year. “We do believe that that will have an impact on the numbers for next year.”
He noted, however, that “we can’t rest on that.” Three years ago, an unusually warm winter was one of the worst for the industry. He said outdoors businesses continue monitoring climate change data and looking for ways to diversify their offerings.
In 2024, the federal data shows, Massachusetts, at 6.9%, saw the biggest growth from the outdoors, followed by Arizona at 6.8% and Iowa at 6.6%. Louisiana, Hawaii and Wyoming were on the bottom, each with growth of half a percent or less.
Michigan’s outdoor industry economy is slowing after it experienced double-digit growth during the early years of the coronavirus pandemic, when people were chomping at the bit to get outside and buying things like RVs, bicycles and kayaks.
While the goal is to see faster growth for Michigan’s outdoor recreation industry, Garmon noted “we want long, slow, steady growth over more volatile big wins and big losses.”
The data also showed the economic contribution to each state from a variety of categories like boating/fishing, RV-ing and snow activities. Michigan ranked in the top 20 for most categories, compared to other states.
Garmon said that tells him “we’re actually punching above our weight in almost everything.”
In Michigan, travel and tourism added $4.8 billion to the economy, while transportation added $1.7 billion and conventional multi-use apparel and accessories added $1.5 billion. Canoeing/kayaking added the least amount of money at $17.7 million. Recreational flying added $34.4 million and skiing/snowboarding added $48.5 million.
The report said the outdoor industry contributed nearly 125,000 jobs to the state.
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This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.