Montana and Montanans are defined in part by the tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities that surround us. But those recreation opportunities bring with them significant economic benefits. Montana ranks second in the country (only Hawaii is higher) for how much outdoor recreation contributes to its gross domestic product — 5.1% in 2017. It is not some left-leaning think tank that reports those figures. The data is

from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that”Outdoor recreation continues to get bigger. The Bureau of Economic Analysis report found that between 2012 and 2017, Montana’s GDP grew by 6%. During the same period, the contribution from outdoor recreation to the state’s GDP grew by 24%.”