2017 Topline Report FINAL
2017 Topline Report FINAL
PARTICIPATION
TOPLINE REPORT 2017
Photo credit: Pogo Park, an Outdoor Foundation-supported organization that teaches environmental education to a park poor neighborhood in Northern California.
Ages
6+ 2016 Outdoor Participation
11.0 Billion Outdoor Outings
76.5 Average Outings Per Participant
In 2016, nearly half of all Americans — 48.6% — reported participating in at least one outdoor
activity. That equates to 144 million participants, who went on a total of 11 billion outdoor outings.
The participation rate and number of participants slightly increased, while the number of total outings
decreased. The decline in outings was a result of the decline in core participation. In other words, in 2016,
Americans participated in outdoor activities, such as traditional and non-traditional triathlons, mountain
and road biking, boardsailing and others, less often than they did the year before.
Running, jogging and trail running remained the most popular outdoor activity, but BMX biking saw the
largest growth in participants from 2015 to 2016. Over the past three years, stand up paddling was the top
outdoor activity for growth, increasing participation an average of 18 percent.
Outdoor participation for youth and young adults skewed heavily Caucasian, with Hispanics coming in a
distant second. Among the genders, however, participation was almost evenly split.
Aspirational participation, which measures the physical activities that interest non-participants, showed
that many Americans were drawn to outdoor recreation over sports, fitness and leisure activities. In fact,
all aspirational participants — regardless of age — reported camping in their top three most appealing
activities.
The Outdoor Foundation® has produced the Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report to provide a
snapshot of American participation in outdoor activities with a focus on youth and young adults. The report
is based on an online survey of 24,134 Americans ages six and older. A more in-depth look at outdoor
participation in America is forthcoming.
Participation Rate
49.1% 50.0% 48.6% 48.9% 48.6% 49.4% 49.4% 49.2% 48.4% 48.4% 48.6%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
78%
69%
67%
64% 64% 64%
62% 62% 63% 63% 63% 63% 62% 62%
61% 61% 60% 60% 60%
60%
59% 59%
58% 58%
57% 57% 57% 57%
55% 56% 56%
55%
54% 54% 54%
53%
48%
‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Gender Male 52% 50% 57% 53% 53% 52% 50% 50% 51% 51%
Female 48% 50% 43% 47% 47% 49% 50% 50% 49% 49%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
6 to 12 33% 29% 37% 36% 36% 38% 38% 38% 39% 39%
Age
13 to 17 24% 25% 30% 30% 30% 26% 26% 27% 28% 28%
18 to 24 44% 46% 34% 34% 34% 36% 36% 34% 33% 33%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
African
American/Black 8% 8% 8% 11% 7% 11% 11% 10% 8% 9%
Asian/Pacific
Race/ Islander 4% 6% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7%
Ethnicity Caucasian/
White, non-
Hispanic 77% 75% 78% 71% 76% 71% 68% 70% 71% 70%
Hispanic 7% 7% 7% 9% 8% 8% 10% 10% 12% 12%
Other 4% 4% 3% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 2% 2%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
New England 5% 5% 5% 5% 4% 5% 5% 4% 4% 4%
Middle Atlantic 15% 14% 12% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 13% 14%
East North
Central 17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 16% 17% 17% 17% 16%
58%
57% 57% 57%
56% 56% 56% 56% 56%
55%
54% 54% 54%
53%
48%
39%
37% 38% 39%38% 38% 38% 38% 37% 37% 38%
‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 2016
18%
3-Year Average Change
13% 13%
11%
10% 10%
8% 8%
7%
6%
Stand Up Paddling
BMX Bicycling
Adventure Racing
Boardsailing/Windsurfing
Kayak Fishing
Trail Running
Non-traditional/
Off-road Triathlon
Hiking
Traditional/
Ice Climbing
15%
13%
12%
11%
9%
8%
1-Year Change
7%
6% 6%
5%
BMX Bicycling
Hiking
Telemarking
Traditional/
Ice Climbing
RV Camping
Stand Up Paddling
Fly Fishing
Kayaking
Trail Running
Adventure Racing 725 698 920 1,089 1,339 1,065 2,170 2,213 2,368 2,864 2,999 35.5%
Backpacking Overnight - More
Than 1/4 Mile From Vehicle/
Home 7,067 6,637 7,867 7,647 8,349 7,095 8,771 9,069 10,101 10,100 10,151 11.9%
Bicycling (BMX) 1,655 1,887 1,904 1,811 2,369 1,547 2,175 2,168 2,350 2,690 3,104 43.2%
Bicycling (Mountain/Non-
Paved Surface) 6,751 6,892 7,592 7,142 7,161 6,816 7,714 8,542 8,044 8,316 8,615 0.9%
Bicycling (Road/Paved Surface) 38,457 38,940 38,114 40,140 39,320 40,349 39,232 40,888 39,725 38,280 38,365 -6.2%
Birdwatching More Than 1/4
Mile From Home/Vehicle 11,070 13,476 14,399 13,294 13,339 12,794 14,275 14,152 13,179 13,093 11,589 -18.1%
Boardsailing/Windsurfing 938 1,118 1,307 1,128 1,617 1,151 1,593 1,324 1,562 1,766 1,737 31.2%
Camping (RV) 16,946 16,168 16,517 17,436 15,865 16,698 15,108 14,556 14,633 14,699 15,855 8.9%
Camping (Within 1/4 Mile of
Vehicle/Home) 35,618 31,375 33,686 34,338 30,996 32,925 29,982 29,269 28,660 27,742 26,467 -9.6%
Canoeing 9,154 9,797 9,935 10,058 10,553 9,787 9,839 10,153 10,044 10,236 10,046 -1.1%
Climbing (Sport/Indoor/
Boulder) 4,728 4,514 4,769 4,313 4,770 4,119 4,592 4,745 4,536 4,684 4,905 3.4%
Climbing (Traditional/Ice/
Mountaineering) 1,586 2,062 2,288 1,835 2,198 1,609 2,189 2,319 2,457 2,571 2,790 20.3%
Fishing (Fly) 6,071 5,756 5,941 5,568 5,478 5,683 6,012 5,878 5,842 6,089 6,456 9.8%
Fishing (Freshwater/Other) 43,100 43,859 40,331 40,961 38,860 38,868 39,135 37,796 37,821 37,682 38,121 0.9%
Fishing (Saltwater) 12,466 14,437 13,804 12,303 11,809 11,983 12,017 11,790 11,817 11,975 12,266 4.0%
Hiking (Day) 29,863 29,965 32,511 32,572 32,496 34,491 34,545 34,378 36,222 37,232 42,128 22.5%
Hunting (Bow) 3,875 3,818 3,722 4,226 3,908 4,633 4,075 4,079 4,411 4,564 4,427 8.5%
Hunting (Handgun) 2,525 2,595 2,873 2,276 2,709 2,671 3,553 3,198 3,091 3,400 3,512 9.8%
Hunting (Rifle) 11,242 10,635 10,344 11,114 10,150 10,807 10,164 9,792 10,081 10,778 10,797 10.3%
Hunting (Shotgun) 8,987 8,545 8,731 8,490 8,062 8,678 8,174 7,894 8,220 8,438 8,271 4.8%
Kayak Fishing n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,044 1,201 1,409 1,798 2,074 2,265 2,371 31.8%
Kayaking (Recreational) 4,134 5,070 6,240 6,212 6,465 8,229 8,144 8,716 8,855 9,499 10,017 14.9%
Kayaking (Sea/Touring) 1,136 1,485 1,780 1,771 2,144 2,029 2,446 2,694 2,912 3,079 3,124 16.0%
Kayaking (White Water) 828 1,207 1,242 1,369 1,842 1,546 1,878 2,146 2,351 2,518 2,552 18.9%
Rafting 3,609 4,340 4,651 4,318 4,460 3,821 3,690 3,836 3,781 3,883 3,428 -10.6%
Running/Jogging 38,559 41,064 41,130 43,892 49,408 50,713 52,187 54,188 51,127 48,496 47,384 -12.6%
Sailing 3,390 3,786 4,226 4,342 3,869 3,725 3,958 3,915 3,924 4,099 4,095 4.6%
Scuba Diving 2,965 2,965 3,216 2,723 3,153 2,579 2,982 3,174 3,145 3,274 3,111 -2.0%
Skateboarding 10,130 8,429 7,807 7,352 6,808 5,827 6,627 6,350 6,582 6,436 6,442 1.5%
Skiing (Alpine/Downhill) n/a 10,362 10,346 10,919 11,504 10,201 8,243 8,044 8,649 9,378 9,267 12.4%
Skiing (Cross-Country) n/a 3,530 3,848 4,157 4,530 3,641 3,307 3,377 3,820 4,146 4,640 40.3%
Skiing (Freestyle) n/a 2,817 2,711 2,950 3,647 4,318 5,357 4,007 4,564 4,465 4,640 2.7%
Snorkeling 8,395 9,294 10,296 9,358 9,305 9,318 8,011 8,700 8,752 8,874 8,717 0.2%
Snowboarding n/a 6,841 7,159 7,421 8,196 7,579 7,351 6,418 6,785 7,676 7,602 3.4%
Snowshoeing n/a 2,400 2,922 3,431 3,823 4,111 4,029 3,012 3,501 3,885 3,533 -12.3%
Stand Up Paddling n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,050 1,242 1,542 1,993 2,751 3,020 3,220 61.6%
Surfing 2,170 2,206 2,607 2,403 2,767 2,195 2,895 2,658 2,721 2,701 2,793 5.1%
Telemarking (Downhill) n/a 1,173 1,435 1,482 1,821 2,099 2,766 1,732 2,188 2,569 2,848 3.0%
Trail Running 4,558 4,216 4,857 4,833 5,136 5,610 6,003 6,792 7,531 8,139 8,582 26.4%
Method
During the 2016 calendar year, a total of 24,134 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals
and households from the US Online Panel of over one million people operated by Synovate/IPSOS. A total of 11,453
individual and 12,681 household surveys were completed. The total panel is maintained to be representative of the US
population for people ages six and older. Over sampling of ethnic groups took place to boost response from typically under
responding groups.
The 2016 participation survey sample size of 24,134 completed interviews provides a high degree of statistical accuracy. All
surveys are subject to some level of standard error — that is, the degree to which the results might differ from those obtained
by a complete census of every person in the US. A sport with a participation rate of five percent has a confidence interval of
plus or minus 0.31 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
A weighting technique was used to balance the data to reflect the total US population ages six and above. The following
variables were used: gender, age, income, household size, region, population density and panel join date. The total
population figure used was 296,251,344 people ages six and older.
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Absolute Outdoor Inc | ACV Consulting | Adventure Cycling Association | Adventure Hardware | Adventure Medical Kits | Alaska Air
Visa | Alchemy Design and Engineering LLC | Allett | Alpenglow Adv. Sports | Alpharetta Outfitters | Alta Group Inc | Amaterrace Inc.
| Amble Magazine (Amblemag.com) | Amfit Inc | Appalachian Outfitters | ATRunner, Corp. | Backpacker’s Pantry / American Outdoor
Products Inc | Bearcub Outfitters | Beaumont Products (Dermatone) | Bedrock Sandals LLC | bel air fashions | Bending Branches |
Bezzy Inc | The Bike Cooperative and CCA Sports Retail Services | Bill’s Base Camp | bluesign technologies ag | Blue Water Ropes
& Equip | Boatgirl LLC | Boker USA Inc. | Bolt Threads | Boquist International Marketing, Inc. | Buff, Inc. | Burley Design LLC | Burton
Snowboards/RED/Anon | Cairn | Campman | Canfield’s Sporting Goods | Cannon Clay | Carl Zeiss Sports Optics | Cascade Designs
| Chain Yarn Corporation | Chemours | ChicoBag | Chums-Beyond Coastal | Clif Bar & Company | Clothing Arts | Coast Products |
Colorado Yurt Company | COLDPRUF Base Layer | The Coleman Company | CoolVisions by FiberVisions | Costa Del Mar Sunglasses |
CRANE’S STORE | Craghoppers LLC | Crazy Ivan Enterprises | Dakota Grizzly | Dakota Watch Company | Darn Tough Vermont | DATUM
| Davidson River Outfitters | DCurve USA | Deckers - Ugg and Teva | Diamond Brand Gear | Diyang Merino Textile Ltd | DrinkTanks |
Duofold | Dupont Sorona | Eagle Creek | Eagles Nest Outfitters | Eastside Sports | Ecoxgear | ELEVENPINE / 11 Pine Inc. | Electronic
Interconnect | Element Brand | Endurance Enterprises Inc | eVent fabrics | Evolve Sports & Designs | Ex Fty | Exotac Inc | Exped | E-Z UP
International | Feathered Friends | Film Festival Flix | Fireside Industries, Inc. | Fisher Space Pen Co. | Fitter International Inc. | Fjallraven
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Intl. North America, Inc. | GEAR AID | Gear Well | Goal Zero | Goodhew LLC | goTenna Inc | GR GEAR | Gramicci | Granite Marketing,
Inc. | Grayl | Great Outdoor Provision Co | GU Energy Gel | Hammock Bliss | Hanwag | Holland & Hart LLP | Hillsound Equipment Inc
| HippyTree | HO YU Textile Co., Ltd. | Hydro Flask | Indigenous Design Corp. | Inov-8, Inc. | International Recreational Products LLC |
Invista | www.itrekkers.com | Jack’s Plastic Welding | JAM Collective | Jana Designs | JanSport | Jiangsu Acome HK Outdoor Products
Company | Joules USA Inc. | Kamik | Kampgrounds of America / KOA | Kayak Distribution | Kevin Brew Sales | Kelloggs & Lawerence
| Kenyon Consumer Products | Kenyon Consumer Products | Killtec NA, Inc. | KOLON FASHION MATERIAL, INC | L.C. Industries
Inc. | Leatherman Tool Group | NPD Group - Sports & Leisure Trends | Levitation 49 | Lifetime Products Inc | Lightspeed Outdoors |
LINE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT | Lisle Apparel, LLC | LUNA Sandals | Luna Packaging LLC | Mad Rock | Madison Creek Outfitters
| Malone Auto Racks | Markovitz Consulting | Maroon Bell Outdoor LLC | Maschmedt & Associates | Masterfit Enterprises | Maven
Outdoor Equipment | Mazamas | MHT MidSpan | Michael Best & Friedrich | Microban Products Company | Minus | 33 Merino Wool
Clothing | Montana Outdoor Radio Show | Mondo Marketing Inc. | Morsel Munk LLC | Mountain House | Mountain Khakis | Mountain
News | MUSTANG SURVIVAL | National Geographic Maps | National Park Service | Nation’s Best Sports | Native Eyewear | Nester
Hosiery / Farm To Feet | Nexgen Packaging LLC | Nifco America Corp. | Nolah Sleep LLC | The North Face | NuDown | Nuf Said
Advertising | Nuun & Co. | Nuu-Muu LLC | O. A. R. S. | Oboz Footwear | Opinel USA | OPR | OpSec Security | Optic Nerve / Mountain
Shades | Origin Design & Communications | OROS | Ortlieb USA LLC | Osprey Packs | Outdoor Sports Marketing | Outdoor Specialty
Group LLC | Paceline Products Inc | Pacific Edge Indoor Climbing Facility | Pau Hana Surf Supply | Pertex | Pelican International |
Perkins Coie LLP | Pigeon Mountain Industries Inc | Pinneco Research Limited | PlumRiver LLC | Point 6 LLC | Police Security Flashlights
| Polartec, LLC | prAna | Primus | PrimaLoft Inc. | The Printed Image | Prism Designs, Inc | Prolific Business Solutions | Pro-Tec Athletics
| Purple Orange Brand Communications | Rab USA | Rad Roller LLC | Redington | Red Paddle Co North America | RedRoller, Inc. |
REI | RepSpark | Rinsekit | Robert W. Baird & Co. | Rocky Mountain Rafts | Ross Automatics, LLC | Rowman + Littlefield | Rsport | Ryan
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Sports | Shoes on the Web | Shoulders of Giants | Shuksan Trading | SIDFACTOR | Sierra Trading Post, Inc | Simms Fishing Products
| SJ Creations Inc. | Smartwool | SOAR Communications | Sorini, Samet & Associates | Sperry Top-Sider | Spikeball Inc. | The Sports
Alley Ltd. | Star Arrow Company | STORMDFX | Strongback Chairs | Summit Sales, Inc. | Summit Distribution | Sunday Afternoons,
Inc. | Surf Technicians LLC | Sustainable Down Source / Down Decor | swrve| Tasc Performance, Inc. | Tenkara USA | tentree | Terramar
Sports | TEXSPORT | The American Alpine Club | The Conservation Fund | Thermore | Thomas Bates / Bates Accessories, Inc. | Thrive
Creative Labs | Thule | Toad&Co | TomTom | Travel Country Outdoors | Travelon | TrailHeads | Trailtopia LLC | Trek Light Gear | TSL
Snowshoes, LLC | Twenty Two Designs, LLC | Ugly Mugz | Uinta Brewing | Ultimate Direction Inc | Unlikely Hero | US Gearheads |
Vasque / Red Wing Shoe Company | Vetex NV | Vibram USA | Victorinox Swiss Army Brand Inc. | VSSL Outdoor Utility Tools | Waypoint
Outdoor | Werner Paddles | Western Mountaineering | Western Rise | The Whiting Group | Wicked Mountain Outfitters | wiild | Wild
Places | WindWarrior LLC | Winthrop Mountain Sports | Wolverine / Wolverine World Wide | World T.E.A.M. Sports | Wow Sports
LLC. | WSI-Sales LLC | Yaleet Inc/Naot | Yeti Coolers | Zamst | Zamberlan USA | ZANheadgear & Bobster Eyewear | ZEAL Optics