Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy
A force as big as all outdoors
A dollar here. A hundred dollars there. It adds up to more than you might think. America’s 34 million hunters and anglers are an economic powerhouse, driving the economy. They’re passionate about their pastimes. And they spend passionately too. Multiply individual spending by those many millions of people, and you’re talking a major force in our economy, through booms as well as recessions. They directly support 1.6 million jobs. They spend more than a billion dollars just on licenses, stamps, tags and permits. And they generate $25 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes. By any measure, hunters and anglers are among the most prominent and influential of all demographic groups.
Without hunters and anglers, our economy would be a lot smaller. $76 billion smaller, in fact. That’s how much they spend each year on their passion for the outdoors. If a single corporation grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend, it would be among America’s 20 largest, ahead of Target, Costco and AT&T. But hunters' and anglers’ influence goes even further. They create an economic “ripple effect” of $192 billion a year. They keep people working: not just in typical hunting and fishing jobs, but also in gas stations, retail, restaurants and hotels throughout every state and congressional district of the USA. There are other numbers, too. For instance, Americans spend more time hunting and fishing each year than days spent running the Federal government (737 million days vs. 486 million). Together, hunters and anglers are a significant voting bloc. In fact, their voting potential was 31% of all votes cast in the 2004 presidential election. Eighty percent of sportsmen are “likely voters,” far more than the national average. They can change the tide of elections. And, as you might guess, they tend to favor pro-sporting candidates.
Add up the populations of America’s two largest cities, New York and Los Angeles. Roughly, that’s 12 million people—a pretty enormous number. But it’s still less than the number of people who hunt. More people hunt than play tennis. More people hunt than ski. And they spend more time doing it, too. The average hunter spends 18 blissful days engaged in his passion each year. With 12.5 million individuals, that’s 220 million days spent in the woods, fields and wetlands each year. Of course, the bigger story isn’t the time they spend. It’s the money. At $1,992 per hunter per year, that’s $24.9 billion pumped into our economy. And where do those billions go? Well, $2.1 billion goes just into food and drinks consumed on hunting trips. That’s enough to feed 360,000 soldiers for a year. Another $56 million goes towards boat fuel alone, plus $30 million for boat trailers, motors and accessories. Bow hunters alone spend $674 million just on their bows and arrows. All this spending adds up to support close to 600,000 jobs—more than the number of people employed by McDonald’s corporation.
Quick: Guess what American anglers spend $1.1 billion a year on. No, it’s not their equipment. (That costs $5.3 billion.) Not food ($4.3 billion). Not even lodging ($2 billion). Nope. That $1.1 billion is what anglers spend just on bait. That’s twice what ski enthusiasts spend on all of their pricey gear (a mere $615 million). Obviously, sportfishing is one of America’s favorite outdoor pastimes—outranking football, basketball, baseball and tennis. One in every six Americans 16 and older goes fishing. One quarter of all men do. And, perhaps surprisingly, some eight percent of all women. Besides spending lots of money, anglers spend an average of 17 days a year on the water. That’s in stark contrast to the 13 days the average American spends on vacation. And during those 17 days, they’re supporting not just bait stands and boat makers, but gas stations, local motels, grocery and convenience stores, and of course, sporting goods retailers.
Hunters and anglers have historically been — and continue to be — the largest contributors to government wildlife conservation programs. Through excise taxes and license revenues, they have contributed more than $10 billion dollars to conservation, and annually provide more than 80% of the funding for most state fish and wildlife agencies.
American sportsmen know that their passion for the outdoors must be matched with active participation in the political process. Lawmakers and regulators make decisions every day that affect sportsmen. Hunters and anglers pay attention, and take those decisions into account when they vote. And there are even more hunters and anglers than the licensed sportsmen cited in this report. Including those who don’t require licenses, there are an estimated 18.6 million hunters (1.6 million under 16). And an estimated 44.4 million people (8.4 million under 16) who fish. It is estimated that there are 40 million sportsmen of voting age in the United States – nearly a third of the entire vote. Nearly 8 in 10 hunters always vote in presidential elections, while 6 in 10 always vote in non-presidential elections. A huge majority of all sportsmen consider themselves “likely voters.” Approximately 20% of the entire population of major swing states – Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida – hold either a hunting or fishing license, or both. 8 in 10 sportsmen state that a candidate’s position on sportsmen’s issues is important in determining whom they will vote for. Polls show that the American public has an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward hunting and fishing. Americans understand that hunting and fishing serve multiple needs – sustenance, recreation and conservation. The fact is, hunting and fishing have been part of the American culture since before our nation began. So it’s no wonder that these timeless pursuits are perceived more favorably.
You've seen the national economic impact of hunting and fishing. Now, here's how the states stack up. Every single state makes a contribution through revenue, taxes and jobs, but these are the states where hunting and fishing truly drive the economy.
This report was produced by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. CSF is the most respected and trusted hunting and fishing organization in the political arena. With support from every major hunting and fishing organization, CSF is the leader in promoting sportsmen’s issues with elected officials. CSF works directly with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as affiliated state sportsmen’s caucuses in state legislatures around the country. www.sportsmenslink.org
~In Partnership with~
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the shooting, hunting and firearms industry, whose purpose is to provide trusted leadership in addressing industry challenges and to deliver programs and services to meet the identified needs of their members. NSSF concentrates efforts on measurably advancing participation in and understanding of hunting and the shooting sports; reaffirming and strengthening their members' commitment to the safe and responsible use of their products, and promoting a political climate supportive of America's traditional firearms rights. www.nssf.org
For over 30 years, SCI’s mission has been to protect and expand the freedom to hunt, instituting sustainable use conservation worldwide while protecting hunting heritage. To that end, SCI is involved at all levels of government – from state and local to national and international. SCI chapters in the U.S., with the assistance of the Government Affairs Department, get involved with state legislative and regulatory issues, with federal plans that affect management, conservation and hunting access on public lands, as well as national legislative issues. www.scifirstforhunters.org
National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA's nearly 1,700 member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in North America. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications, and provides leadership necessary to unite the industry in pursuit of its primary goal: To make boating the #1 choice in recreation. Visit NMMA.org for more information.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers represents the common interests of its members and provides a forum to enable them to advance public policies that meet consumer and societal needs for clean, safe, efficient, and affordable personal transportation. www.autoalliance.org
CSF also gratefully acknowledges the following for their contributions: American Sportfishing Association, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, InterMedia Outdoors, Fountain and Associates, Patrick O’Malley, Southwick and Associates
By Chris Avena 