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Birding Economics & Statistics
In 2001, the United States government conducted a survey of wildlife-associated
outdoor recreation. Overall, more than 66 million adults –
31% of all Americans – participated in observing, feeding,
and photographing wildlife (mostly birds) – spending $40 billion
per year.
- 22 million people (33%) took outings 1 mile or more away from
home for birding and wildlife viewing
- 63 million (95%) enjoyed wildlife-related activities around their
homes
- 54 million enthusiasts fed birds and other wildlife around the
home
- 14 million photographed wildlife
- Almost 13 million people maintained landscaping or natural areas
for wildlife around their homes
- 11 million visited public parks or natural areas within 1 mile
of home to enjoy wildlife
From 1991 to 1996, the number of people observing, feeding, and
photographing wildlife increased by 5%, while their expenditures
remained constant at $510 each.
On a state by state level, birding and other non-consumptive wildlife
had amazing impact for increased tourism and equipment sales in
each of the American states.
METHODS: The U.S. Bureau of Census interviewed 80,000 households
in the United
States to determine participants in wildlife-associated activities.
From this group, 15,000 birders and other wildlife watchers (80%
are birders) were selected for detailed interviews about their participation
and expenditures in 2001.
Table Below: Birders’ and other wildlife watchers’ state
of residence, from Table 1 in USFWS National Survey publication
2001.
| State |
Participants |
Percent of
State Pop. |
State Population |
Rank % |
Rank - Total Participants |
| Alabama |
965,000
|
28 %
|
3,427,000
|
|
|
| Alaska |
241,000
|
53 %
|
454,000
|
3
|
|
| Arizona |
1,107,000
|
30 %
|
3,700,000
|
|
|
| Arkansas |
778,000
|
39 %
|
1,999,000
|
|
|
| California |
5,491,000
|
21 %
|
25,982,000
|
|
1
|
| Colorado |
1,213,000
|
38 %
|
3,215,000
|
|
|
| Connecticut |
883,000
|
35 %
|
2,536,000
|
|
|
| Delaware |
170,000
|
28 %
|
599,000
|
|
|
| Florida |
2,856,000
|
23%
|
12,171,000
|
|
5
|
| Georgia |
1,326,000
|
22 %
|
6,096,000
|
|
|
| Hawaii |
126,000
|
14 %
|
916,000
|
|
|
| Idaho |
388,000
|
40 %
|
972,000
|
|
|
| Illinois |
2,492,000
|
27 %
|
9,244,000
|
|
7
|
| Indiana |
1,786,000
|
39 %
|
4,558,000
|
|
|
| Iowa |
983,000
|
45 %
|
2,201,000
|
|
|
| Kansas |
735,000
|
36 %
|
2,017,000
|
|
|
| Kentucky |
1,264,000
|
40 %
|
3,121,000
|
|
|
| Louisiana |
840,000
|
25 %
|
3,306,000
|
|
|
| Maine |
520,000
|
52 %
|
1,005,000
|
5
|
|
| Maryland |
1,311,000
|
32 %
|
4,078,000
|
|
|
| Massachusetts |
1,493,000
|
31 %
|
4,837,000
|
|
|
| Michigan |
2,424,000
|
32 %
|
7,587,000
|
|
8
|
| Minnesota |
1,993,000
|
54 %
|
3,688,000
|
2
|
|
| Mississippi |
579,000
|
27 %
|
2,111,000
|
|
|
| Missouri |
1,612,000
|
38 %
|
4,206,000
|
|
|
| Montana |
362,000
|
52 %
|
699,000
|
5
|
|
| Nebraska |
498,000
|
39 %
|
1,266,000
|
|
|
| Nevada |
334,000
|
23 %
|
1,454,000
|
|
|
| New Hampshire |
450,000
|
47 %
|
954,000 9
|
|
|
| New Jersey |
1,694,000
|
27 %
|
6,300,000
|
|
|
| New Mexico |
471,000
|
35 %
|
1,337,000
|
|
|
| New York |
3,524,000
|
25 %
|
14,201,000
|
|
2
|
| North Carolina |
1,884,000
|
32 %
|
5,918,000
|
|
|
| North Dakota |
135,000
|
28 %
|
483,000
|
|
|
| Ohio |
2,768,000
|
32 %
|
8,645,0000
|
|
6
|
| Oklahoma |
1,042,000
|
40 %
|
2,587,000
|
|
|
| Oregon |
1,286,000
|
49 %
|
2,630,000
|
7
|
|
| Pennsylvania |
3,522,000
|
38 %
|
9,303,000
|
|
3
|
| Rhode Island |
242,000
|
32 %
|
765,000
|
|
|
| South Carolina |
1,079,000
|
35 %
|
3,080,000
|
|
|
| South Dakota |
251,000
|
45 %
|
559,000
|
|
|
| Tennessee |
1,706,000
|
40 %
|
4,317,000
|
|
|
| Texas |
3,088,000
|
20 %
|
15,445,000
|
|
4
|
| Utah |
572,000
|
37 %
|
1,554,000
|
|
|
| Vermont |
287,000
|
60 %
|
479,000
|
1
|
|
| Virginia |
2,168,000
|
40 %
|
5,471,000
|
|
10
|
| Washington |
2,234,000
|
49 %
|
4,516,000
|
7
|
9
|
| West Virginia |
517,000
|
36 %
|
1,447,000
|
|
|
| Wisconsin |
2,159,000
|
53 %
|
4,059,000
|
3
|
|
| Wyoming |
172,000
|
46 %
|
377,000
|
|
|
| USA totals |
66,105,000
|
31%
|
212,298,000
|
|
|
The top 10 states with the highest percent of participants (birders)
were Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Montana, Maine, Oregon,
Washington, New Hampshire, and Wyoming.
The top 10 states with the highest number of participants were
California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Illinois,
Michigan, Washington, and Virginia. (These numbers mostly parallel
centers of U.S. population.)
Birding is big business! Birding
and similar wildlife-related activities generate amazing amounts
of money through associated tourism and equipment sales, spending
more than $66 billion dollars annually.
Table Below: Annual numbers of
participants where birding and other wildlife watching took place
as indicators of in-state and out-of-state tourism (from Table 7
in USFWS National Survey publication 2001); and Annual expenditures
for travel and equipment in the state where the spending took place
(from Table 9 in USFWS National Survey publication 2001).
|
State
|
Non-residents
|
% Total
|
Rank
|
Travel Spending
|
Rank |
Equipment Spending
|
| Alabama |
276,000
|
27
|
|
$ 79,531,000
|
|
$ 117,866,000
|
| Alaska |
292,000
|
69
|
4
|
$ 386,233,000
|
4
|
$ 25,921,000
|
| Arizona |
638,000
|
44
|
|
$ 304,677,000
|
6
|
$ 125,399,000
|
| Arkansas |
211,000
|
25
|
|
$ 20,044,000
|
|
$ 79,595,000
|
| California |
2,270,000
|
40
|
|
$ 880,805,000
|
1
|
$ 520,565,000
|
| Colorado |
838,000
|
54
|
|
$ 416,734,000
|
3
|
$ 132,796,000
|
| Connecticut |
279,000
|
29
|
|
$ 38,010,000
|
|
$ 111,124,000
|
| Delaware |
96,000
|
41
|
|
$ 14,287,000
|
|
$ 19,148,000
|
| Florida |
1,503,000
|
46
|
|
$ 675,384,000
|
2
|
$ 268,129,000
|
| Georgia |
411,000
|
28
|
|
$ 123,264,000
|
|
$ 126,764,000
|
| Hawaii |
141,000
|
64
|
6
|
$ 69,057,000
|
|
$ 15,021,000
|
| Idaho |
451,000
|
70
|
3
|
$ 96,807,000
|
|
$ 41,706,000
|
| Illinois |
638,000
|
24
|
|
$ 85,618,000
|
|
$ 240,146,000
|
| Indiana |
474,000
|
25
|
|
$ 118,525,000
|
|
$ 216,743,000
|
| Iowa |
310,000
|
30
|
|
$ 22,067,000
|
|
$ 105,714,000
|
| Kansas |
297,000
|
37
|
|
$ 32,175,000
|
|
$ 68,245,000
|
| Kentucky |
385,000
|
28
|
|
$ 49,776,000
|
|
$ 104,876,000
|
| Louisiana |
314,000
|
34
|
|
$ 55,424,000
|
|
$ 69,708,000
|
| Maine |
419,000
|
54
|
|
$ 147,530,000
|
|
$ 54,070,000
|
| Maryland |
533,000
|
35
|
|
$ 129,692,000
|
|
$ 149,180,000
|
| Massachusetts |
542,000
|
32
|
|
$ 162,433,000
|
|
$ 146,733,000
|
| Michigan |
884,000
|
33
|
|
$ 281,978,000
|
8
|
$ 284,188,000
|
| Minnesota |
634,000
|
29
|
|
$ 115,640,000
|
|
$ 198,180,000
|
| Mississippi |
131,000
|
21
|
|
$ 36,109,000
|
|
$ 52,539,000
|
| Missouri |
738,000
|
40
|
|
$ 156,986,000
|
|
$ 161,573,000
|
| Montana |
511,000
|
74
|
2
|
$ 207,496,000
|
|
$ 52,669,000
|
| Nebraska |
186,000
|
33
|
|
$ 18,413,000
|
|
$ 40,110,000
|
| Nevada |
309,000
|
57
|
9
|
$ 70,164,000
|
|
$ 34,787,000
|
| New Hampshire |
425,000
|
56
|
|
$ 177,305,000
|
|
$ 61,153,000
|
| New Jersey |
688,000
|
36
|
|
$ 142,042,000
|
|
$ 177,159,000
|
| New Mexico |
387,000
|
58
|
8
|
$ 151,015,000
|
|
$ 123,706,000
|
| New York |
1,330,000
|
34
|
|
$ 248,174,000
|
9
|
$ 487,135,000
|
| North Carolina |
588,000
|
27
|
|
$ 158,523,000
|
|
$ 210,109,000
|
| North Dakota |
93,000
|
49
|
50
|
$ 9,361,000
|
50
|
$ 7,968,000
|
| Ohio |
898,000
|
31
|
|
$ 129,788,000
|
|
$ 279,554,000
|
| Oklahoma |
403,000
|
36
|
|
$ 69,211,000
|
|
$ 101,866,000
|
| Oregon |
910,000
|
54
|
|
$ 304,990,000
|
5
|
$ 124,557,000
|
| Pennsylvania |
1,279,000
|
34
|
|
$ 171,658,000
|
|
$ 353,549,000
|
| Rhode Island |
98,000
|
33
|
|
$ 66,639,000
|
|
$ 13,316,000
|
| South Carolina |
331,000
|
28
|
|
$ 89,045,000
|
|
$ 111,568,000
|
| South Dakota |
181,000
|
51
|
|
$ 53,556,000
|
|
$ 14,654,000
|
| Tennessee |
683,000
|
33
|
|
$ 206,729,000
|
|
$ 158,771,000
|
| Texas |
1,002,000
|
31
|
|
$ 228,780,000
|
|
$ 311,298,000
|
| Utah |
530,000
|
66
|
5
|
$ 175,861,000
|
|
$ 65,496,000
|
| Vermont |
307,000
|
62
|
7
|
$ 63,243,000
|
|
$ 36,398,000
|
| Virginia |
772,000
|
31
|
|
$ 172,351,000
|
|
$ 256,963,000
|
| Washington |
1,065,000
|
43
|
|
$ 282,492,000
|
7
|
$ 268,627,000
|
| West Virginia |
219,000
|
36
|
|
$ 78,860,000
|
|
$ 63,388,000
|
| Wisconsin |
1,000,000
|
41 |
|
$ 250,760,000
|
|
$ 244,093,000
|
| Wyoming |
416,000
|
84
|
1
|
$ 135,626,000
|
|
$ 23,482,000
|
| USA totals |
66,105,000
|
|
|
$8,162,439,000
|
|
$ 7,353,977,000
|
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