New economic reports by Southwick Associates reveals more than 53 million Americans consider themselves sportsmen and women, spending more than $93.5 billion in 2016 on gear, licenses, travel, clothing, gas and more. Gear – that includes knives. Sportsmen and women are major knife users in all of their activities.
In a series of reports released by the American Sportfishing Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), expenditures made for hunting, target shooting and sportfishing gear and services in 2016 supported 1.6 million jobs and provided $72 billion in salaries and wages. These monies also generated nearly $20 billion in local, state and federal taxes, much of which benefits vital conservation and educational programs that improve our outdoor areas for all who enjoy them.
“Hunting, angling, and the shooting sports continue to be a critical and significant contributor to the nation’s economy, and to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources through the American System of Conservation Funding,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “CSF looks forward to continuing to work with our partners and policy-makers to enhance our outdoor sporting traditions through federal and state policies.”
“If hunting, fishing and target shooting were a corporation, it would rank #25 on the Fortune 500, ahead of Microsoft,” says Rob Southwick, President of Southwick Associates. “While time spent outside may come across as something to do after the real work day is done, in reality hunting, fishing and target shooting is a critical industry, generating jobs and income for thousands of communities across the country.”
Key highlights of the reports include:
- Each year, 35.8 million people 16 years and older take to America’s waters to fish.
- More than 28 million people over 16 years old took to our nation’s public and private lands and waters and gun ranges to hunt and target shoot in 2016.
- The number of people who participate in sportfishing, hunting and target shooting represents 16.5 percent of the total U.S. population.
- When factoring in multiplier effects, spending by sportsmen created economic activity in excess of $220 billion.
- Hunting, fishing and shooting adds $119 billion of overall value to our nation’s gross domestic product and generates $17.6 billion in federal taxes and $12.2 billion in state and local taxes.
The 2018 edition of the America’s Sporting Heritage: Fueling the American Economy report was sponsored by American Outdoor Brands Corporation; Pure Fishing, Inc.; and Safari Club International.
Information for the American Knife & Tool Institute’s next edition of the State of the Sporting Knife & Tool Industry is currently being gathered. The final will include key information about knives used in outdoor activities. The State of the Sporting Knife & Tool Industry is a key document used in discussion with legislators about the need for the revision or removal of knife laws to help law-abiding citizens participate in work and outdoor activities using the right tool they need for the job.