Yesterday, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis announced the final, first-ever report on the economic contribution of the outdoor industry, showing that the RV industry contributed more than $30 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016.
The report, known as the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA), was championed by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and made possible by their bill the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016 (REC Act). During Advocacy Day in 2016, members of the RV Industry asked their Members of Congress to support the REC Act, and thanks to the work of those advocates and the leadership of Gardner and Shaheen, as well as the many Senate and House co-sponsors of the bill, outdoor recreation is now recognized as a powerful force in the U.S. economy.
The wage growth rate of the outdoor recreation industry is 4.3 percent, nearly double the 2.7 percent wage growth of the overall U.S. economy. These wage growth numbers have been particularly evident in the RV manufacturing segment which has seen significant wage increases over the last several years.