Participation Trends Report Released

The Outdoor Industry Association has tracked outdoor recreation participation trends for more than 15 years.

The 2026 report was recently released to outdoor industry executives. Five findings of interest.

More Americans are getting outside than ever. A record 183.2 million Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2025, representing 59% of the population ages six and older.

Participation is growing, but frequency is falling. The average participant now takes about five fewer outdoor outings per year than in 2019, pointing to a growing base of more casual participants.

Kids and older adults are driving growth. Participation among kids ages 6–12 grew 5%, while the 65+ age group added 800,000 participants in just one year.

The outdoors continues to become more diverse. Hispanic participation grew 6.5%, and women reached a record participation rate of 53.4%.

Turning participation into a lifelong habit is the next challenge. With record numbers getting outside but fewer participating frequently, the report highlights an opportunity to focus not just on getting people outdoors, but keeping them engaged over time.