In 2024, the outdoor recreation participant base grew 3% to a record 181.1 million participants, or 58.6% of all Americans aged 6 and older. There were significant increases in the number of youth and seniors, participants with more than $100K in annual income, participants in the South, participants with a high school diploma and no college education, and Black and Hispanic participants. Additionally, the number of “core”—or most frequent—participants increased by 5.7% (five million participants). Participants are most attracted to walking, hiking, fishing, camping, bicycling, and running outdoors and each of those major activities gained an average of 2.1 million participants. Nearly every signal in the 2024 participation data is positive for prolonged growth. Despite weakening economic conditions, the prospect of growth in the number of Americans who participate in outdoor recreation is very strong.

About This Report

For over 15 years, the Outdoor Participation Trends Report has served as the most trusted and comprehensive source of insights and narratives around who’s doing what, when, and how outdoors. The Outdoor Foundation and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) fund the research that produces the Outdoor Participation Trends Report and publishes the findings every year. For the second year in a row, the report goes beyond the data—use it to stay on top of trends, allocate resources, and inform your overall marketing strategy. 

Why Does This Data Matter?

Knowing the size of the target market can help outdoor brands determine the potential demand for their products and services. This can assist in forecasting sales and production and can help brands allocate resources and marketing budgets accordingly.

Understanding the demographics of the target market can help outdoor brands tailor their products and messaging to better meet the needs and preferences of their customers. For example, if a brand knows that a significant portion of its target market is made up of women in the Middle Atlantic region who trail run a few times per month, it may choose to develop products and marketing campaigns that specifically target this demographic.

Information showing the frequency of participation in outdoor activities can help outdoor brands understand the level of engagement of their customers and can help them identify opportunities to develop new products or services that will appeal to frequent (core) and infrequent (casual) participants.

Outdoor retailers know their customers, but keeping up with consumer, market, and industry trends takes a lot of time. The data available in this report is foundational, it is the primary source of information about the size, geographic dispersal, demographics, preferred activities, gateway activities, and trends across outdoor recreation participation.

Demographics are changing quickly in the U.S. population, and the outdoor recreation market historically has lagged behind. Recognizing the need for increased diversity in the participant base, many industry-wide efforts to open access to outdoor recreation for BIPOC persons, including the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative, have taken off. The new outdoor participant and the young outdoor participant base are significantly more diverse than the total participant base, a formula for long term growth in diversity for outdoor recreation. Monitoring progress on diversity is key to understanding if efforts are bearing fruit.

In summary, understanding consumers is essential for any business that wants to succeed in today's competitive marketplace. By gaining insights into the needs and preferences of their target audience, businesses can create products that meet their customers' needs, build loyalty, and drive sales and revenue growth.

Key Insights
 

Overall Growth

• In 2024, the outdoor recreation participant base grew 3% to a record 181.1 million participants, or 58.6% of all Americans aged 6 and older.

• Since 2019, the participant base has grown by 32 million participants, but the average outings per person has decreased by 5 outings/year, signaling more casual participation.

Demographic Trends 

• Significant Growth Cohorts

• Youth (aged 6–12: +5.6%

• Seniors (aged 65+): +7.4%

• High-Income Households ($100K+): +10.7% 

• High School Graduates (no college): +11.2% 

• Black Participants: +12.8% (2.3 million more) 

• Hispanic Participants: +11.8% (2.8 million more) 

• Declines: 

• White Participants: -1.1% (1.3 million fewer) 

• Asian/Pacific Islander Participants: -382,000 

• Participants aged 45–54: -1.5% 

Household Participation 

• Families with Kids: 66% of households with children participate, the highest rate on record. 

• Kids as Influencers: Children's high participation rates (>70%) appear to encourage parental participation. 

Core Participants 

• Core Base: Gained 5 million participants in 2024, reversing a decade-long decline. 

• Total Core Participants: 93.4 million, about one-third of all participants. 

• Core Growth Drivers: 

• Participants aged 18–24: +6% 

• Participants aged 65+: +4.2% 

• Black Core Participants: +11.4% 

• Hispanic Core Participants: +5.7% 

• Asian/Pacific Islander Core Participants: +2.1% 

• Core Declines: 

• Participants aged 6–12: -4.3% 

• Participants aged 45–54: -4% 

• Income <$50K: -5.9% 

• White Core Participants: -2.9% 

Popular Activities 

• Most Popular: 

• Walking for fitness: 115 million participants (not counted in the core "outdoor" definition) 

• Hiking: 63 million participants (most popular outdoor-specific activity) 

• Gateway Activities: Hiking, camping, fishing, bicycling, and running added an average of 2.1 million participants each to the total outdoor participant count.

• Cross-Participation: 91% of campers and 85% of hikers also engage in other outdoor activities. 

• Campers and Backpackers: Most likely to engage in multiple outdoor activities. 

Indoor vs. Outdoor Participation 

• Younger Americans: More likely to participate in outdoor vs. indoor recreation. 

• Older Americans (Especially Women): Prefer indoor recreation, though this trend may be reversing as older adults return to outdoor activities. 

• Seniors Getting Outdoors: Participation in the 65+ age group has more than doubled over the past decade, driven by health and lifestyle factors. 

Outdoor Participation in 2024: A High-Level Overview

Since 2019, the participant base has grown by 22 million participants and the total number of outings has increased by about 900 million, but the average participant experiences 5 fewer outings per year. The relatively low growth in the number of outings compared to the growth in the number of participants demonstrates the transition to a more “casual” (less frequent participation) participant base overall.

Which Demographic Groups Fueled This Growth?

The outdoor participant base gained 5.3 million participants between 2023 and 2024. Specific groups across demographics drove significant growth, including a 5.6% increase in youth aged 6 to 12, a 7.4% increase in participants aged 64 and older, a 10.7% increase in participants from households with $100,000 in annual income or more, an 11.2% increase in participants with a high school diploma (without college education), a 12.8% (or 2.3 million) increase in Black participants, and an 11.8% (or 2.8 million) increase in Hispanic participants. The number of White participants fell 1.1% in 2024 to 121.1 million, which is 1.3 million fewer participants than 2023. Additionally, there were 382,000 fewer Asian/Pacific Islanders participating in 2024. Households with children have a 66% participation rate in outdoor activities, which was a record high in 2024. Overall, the bulk of the growth came from outside of the white, middle-aged, bachelor's degree-carrying cohort.

OIA members, download the full report and data in your Member Portal.