Hawaii, Montana and Maine are the three states whose economies depend most on outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, water sports, hunting and skiing.
The outdoor recreational industry accounted for 5.4% of Hawaii’s gross domestic product in 2017, the largest share of all U.S. states. The Aloha State was followed by Montana and Maine, where recreation contributed 5.1% and 4.8% to their states’ economies, respectively. The industry added $427 billion, or 2.2%, to the nation’s GDP, according to a Commerce Department report Friday.