Outdoor Recreation Impact

The Maryland Outdoor Recreation Economic Impact Dashboard is an interactive data visualization tool developed by the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC), in partnership with the Mid-Shore Regional Council and the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Part of a broader suite of tools aimed at supporting regional planning and economic development, this dashboard highlights the significance of outdoor recreation as a driver of Maryland’s economy.

Built using data from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), this dashboard offers a deep dive into how outdoor recreation contributes to Maryland’s economy through value added, employment, and compensation across multiple industries.

Users can interact with a range of visualizations that explore trends over time, the relative economic contribution of specific recreational activities (like boating, camping, and bicycling), and the breakdown of outdoor recreation’s economic impact by category: conventional, supporting, and other outdoor recreation.

Whether you're a policymaker evaluating investment priorities, a regional planner considering infrastructure improvements, or a stakeholder in tourism and recreation, this tool provides valuable, data-driven insight into the evolving role of outdoor recreation across the state.

Key Takeaways:

• Outdoor Recreation Contributed Over $8 Billion to Maryland’s Economy in 2022.
  The total value added from outdoor recreation in Maryland reached its highest recorded level, signaling strong post-pandemic growth in the sector.
• Steady Growth with a Dip During COVID-19.
  A visual time-series trend shows steady growth in outdoor recreation's economic impact over the last decade, with a noticeable dip in 2020, followed by a strong rebound in 2021 and 2022.
• Sector Supports a Range of Industries.
  The dashboard breaks down economic contributions not just by activity, but by industry—showing how outdoor recreation supports construction, tourism, retail, manufacturing, and more.

Data 

• Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA)
• Geography: Statewide
• Industry: Tourism
• Data Freshness: Data is refreshed annually to reflect the most current information from the source. 

Partners
This dashboard, developed by the developed by the ESRGC in partnership with the Mid-Shore Regional Council and the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, provides a powerful way to explore the impact of outdoor recreation and tourism in the state.