What if your weekend in the woods was actually an investment in Washington’s economy?
Jobs, tax revenue, and consumer spending may not be top of mind when you’re playing outside. But whether you think about it or not, every time you hit a trail, cast a line, or visit a local park, you’re helping drive one of Washington’s biggest economic engines: outdoor recreation.
The Recreation and Conservation Office’s Economic Analysis of Outdoor Recreation in WA shows that in 2024 alone, outdoor recreation generated $25.2 billion in consumer spending and supported more than 237,000 jobs across Washington. When that spending ripples through local economies – from restaurants and gear shops to guiding services and tour companies – it amounts to $33.1 billion in total economic activity and $5.1 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Whew. Those numbers are so large they can be a bit blinding. So let’s not lose sight of why they matter: behind those billions are real communities, including rural gateway towns, growing suburbs, and urban neighborhoods, all benefiting from people getting outside.
In addition to consumer spending and employment data, RCO’s report estimates that more than $53 billion is generated annually from non-market or “spillover” benefits from outdoor recreation and natural lands. Time outside, for instance, improves physical and mental health, lowers stress, supports better sleep, and helps combat chronic disease. Access to green spaces reduces long-term healthcare costs. And for youth, outdoor play is critical for their development, building skills like confidence, cooperation, resilience, and social connection.
These benefits may be harder to quantify – but they’re certainly no less important.
The WWRP helps make these economic benefits possible
Since 1991, the WWRP has leveraged more than $2.2 billion in funding and supported over 1,800 projects statewide, including 53 new or improved local parks and trails this biennium. These are places where families gather, kids play, and entire adventures unfold – from trailhead to summit, and shoreline to campsite. In other words, the WWRP helps build and protect the very infrastructure that powers Washington’s recreation economy.
Spread across Washington’s 8 million residents, the state’s $120 million investment in the WWRP this biennium works out to about $7.50 per person per year. That’s roughly 63 cents per month. Meanwhile, recreation spending generates about $625 per person per year in tax revenue – far exceeding the scale of the state’s investment in the program.
The WWRP is often thought of as a parks and habitat program. It is that. But it’s also an economic development strategy, a public health investment, and a quality-of-life engine rolled into one.
For a little more than sixty cents a month per Washingtonian, the WWRP helps sustain a $25 billion recreation economy. The result of that economy? Healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities throughout our beautiful state.