Tennessee Reports $1.8B Outdoor Spend

Recently released data on the impact of hunting and fishing show Tennessee sportsmen have a nearly $3 billion ripple effect annually on the state’s economy.

Approximately 375,000 hunters and 826,000 anglers spend more than $1.8 billion each year on their respective sports and associated equipment, based on numbers released in late February as part of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation study titled America’s Sporting Heritage: Fueling the American Economy.

That spending supports 26,000 jobs across the state, $971 million in salaries and wages and $167 million in local and state tax revenue.

“One in seven Tennesseans enjoys hunting and fishing, usually with family and friends,” said Mike Butler, CEO of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. “The sales and fuel taxes alone could fund 3,600 teachers’ salaries or cover the annual education expenses for more than 18,000 students. That’s an incredible impact, and it really underscores the value of our wildlife and natural resources.”

As a point of comparison, that annual spending figure is larger than the total cash receipts from all of the state’s agricultural commodities ($1.8 billion vs. $1.03 billion), and sportsmen support more jobs in Tennessee than Nissan North America and the University of Tennessee combined (26,389 vs. 16,500).

Butler says the sound management and responsible use of Tennessee’s natural resources are what foster a thriving outdoor economy.

Since 1946, the non-profit Tennessee Wildlife Federation has served as champions for the state’s great outdoors. To learn more, visit www.tnwf.org.