Category: Participation

2026 Paddlesports Report 2026

34 Million Americans Are Paddling, and Most of Them Are Casual

Paddlesports have added more than 10 million participants since 2019, and more than 34 million Americans were on the water in 2025, an increase of 446,000 in a single year. Recreational kayaking accounts for 15.3 million of them and canoeing another 10.2 million, with rafting posting the fastest one-year growth of any paddlesport at 4.8%. But the more telling number sits beneath the surface: roughly 85% of all paddlers are casual participants who get out fewer than eight times a year, and that group is driving most of the growth. Rafting, canoeing, and recreational kayaking added the most casual paddlers last year, while sea/touring kayaking, the only activity in decline, lost 92,000 participants. The industry has the participants. The bigger question is how deep the engagement runs.

The 2026 Paddlesports Report is now available. The report covers participation by demographic, region, income, age, and education across all six paddlesports, examines what softening retail sales and the newly Coast Guard-approved Level 50 flotation devices mean for the gear market, and highlights where the biggest opportunities lie, including the casual paddlers who could become regulars and the racial and ethnic gaps that leave paddling less diverse than the broader outdoor participant base. Check out the report for the key findings and what they mean for the industry.

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2026 Special report on fishing

Fishing’s Reach Is Wide. But It’s Becoming an Occasional Outing, Not a Regular Pursuit

Fishing remains one of the most popular and accessible ways Americans get on the water — 57 million people ages 6 and up fished at least once in 2025, well above the 50.1 million recorded in 2019 — but the sport is growing shallower rather than more frequent. The share of anglers heading out weekly has fallen from about 8% a decade ago to under 6% in 2025, while those fishing just 1 to 3 times a year climbed from 22% to 32%; today, 68% of participants fish 11 times or fewer. Overall participation slipped roughly 2% year over year, with the sport shedding close to a million anglers under a 33% churn rate. Saltwater fishing is the standout exception: up 3% to a record 15.5 million anglers in 2025 — 1 million more than in 2020 and the highest total ever tracked — and, unlike the categories around it, growing on both fronts, with total outings rising 2% to 183 million even as freshwater held flat and fly fishing dipped. The through-line across every category is the same: fishing’s future depends less on drawing people to the water than on getting them back more often.

The 2026 Special Report on Fishing, a partnership between the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), is now available. The report breaks down freshwater, saltwater, and fly fishing by frequency, demographic, region, income, and age, profiles key audiences including youth, Hispanic, Black, and female anglers, examines fishing’s heavy crossover into camping, hiking, and walking, and highlights where the opportunities and the headwinds lie — from a younger, more diverse wave of newcomers to the casual and lapsed anglers the industry is struggling to keep. Check out the report for the key findings and what they mean for the industry.

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2026 Running Report

Running Is Growing. But It’s Becoming a Casual Habit, Not a Core Pursuit

Running remains one of the most popular and accessible ways Americans get outside — road running alone reached 52.3 million participants in 2025, second only to hiking among outdoor activities — but the growth is coming almost entirely from the casual end of the spectrum. Over the past three years, casual road running has grown about 7% annually while the core segment (those who run 50 or more times a year) has slipped roughly 1.1%; in 2025, some 29 million road runners didn’t get out often enough to count as core. Trail running is the standout exception: up 6.6% to 17.2 million participants in 2025 and one of the fastest-growing, most diverse segments in the outdoors — up 57% since 2019 — and, unlike the road, growing on both fronts, with core trail runners increasing 7.8%. The through-line across both surfaces is the same: Americans are increasingly folding running into a broader, more flexible fitness mix rather than pursuing it as a primary sport.

OIA’s 2026 Running Report is now available. The report breaks down road and trail running by frequency, demographic, region, income, and age, examines running’s heavy crossover into walking, treadmill, hiking, and gym-based fitness, and highlights where the opportunities and the headwinds lie — from the casual, lifestyle-oriented participants driving growth to the rising race-entry costs that could stall it. Check out the report for the key findings and what they mean for the industry.

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2026 Hiking Report

The Hiking Boom Isn’t Slowing Down

Hiking is now the most popular outdoor recreation activity in America, and for once the headline and the underlying story point the same direction. A record 63.4 million Americans went hiking in 2024, 20.5% of the population ages 6 and older, capping a climb that has nearly doubled the hiking community since 2012 and added more than 13 million new participants since 2019. But the more telling number sits beneath the surface: even as the base expands, hikers are getting out more often, not less. 16.7 million are now “core” hikers who hit the trail 13 or more times a year, and that segment is growing faster than participation overall — a 7.6% five-year average annual growth rate for core hikers versus 5.2% for hiking as a whole. In a category where rising participation usually comes with falling frequency, hiking is doing something rare: growing on both fronts at once.

OIA’s 2026 Hiking Report is now available. The report breaks down hiking participation by demographic, region, income, age, and education, examines hiking’s role as the primary gateway into the broader outdoor industry — over 90% of hikers also take part in other activities — and highlights where the biggest opportunities lie, from middle-aged adults to the untapped growth among communities of color still facing access and safety barriers on the trail. Check out the report for the key findings and what they mean for the industry.

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2026 Birdwatching and Wildlife Viewing Report

Birdwatching and Wildlife Viewing Are a Growing Force in the Outdoor Market

Birdwatching is our industry’s fastest-rising nature-based pursuit. The 2026 Birdwatching and Wildlife Viewing Report reveals how a surging base of birdwatchers, alongside a more established wildlife viewing audience, is creating new opportunities across the outdoor economy, from optics and apparel buyers to enthusiasts who also hike, camp, and fish. Whether you’re a brand looking to reach an older, affluent, and highly engaged audience or a retailer planning for long-term growth, this report gives you the insights to plan smarter.

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2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report

Outdoor Participation Is Growing. But Frequency Is Falling

Outdoor recreation participation reached an all-time high to open 2026, but the headline number tells only half the story. A record 183.2 million Americans got outside in 2025, 59% of the population ages 6 and older, capping a years-long climb that has added nearly 30 million participants since 2019. Yet even as the participant base expands, Americans are heading outdoors less often than they did before the pandemic, a shift toward more casual, less consistent engagement. With the industry’s next phase of growth hinging less on recruiting first-timers and more on turning current participants into frequent ones, understanding where participation is rising and where frequency is slipping has never been more important.

OIA’s 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report is now available. Now in its 15th year, the 70-page report covers participation data by demographic, activity, region, income, and age group, standout gains among children, adults 65+, and Hispanic participants, and the growing frequency gap that will define the industry’s next decade. Check out the report for the key findings and what they mean for the industry.

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participation

2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report

Outdoor Retail Is Holding Its Ground

Tariff-driven price increases tested consumer spending across the outdoor market last year, but the full picture is more nuanced. OIA’s 2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report breaks down what sold, what softened, and where the real opportunities lie across footwear, apparel, equipment, and specialty retail. Whether you’re a brand refining your pricing strategy or a retailer planning for the future, this report gives you the market intelligence to define your strategy.

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participation

OIA 2026 Camping Report

Casual Camping Is the Industry’s Next Big Opportunity

Camping is our industry’s most reliable gateway to broader outdoor recreation. OIA’s 2026 Camping Report reveals how an expanding base of casual campers is creating new opportunities across the outdoor economy, from first-time tent buyers to enthusiasts who go on to invest in hiking, fishing, and beyond. Whether you’re a brand looking to reach untapped demographics or a retailer planning for long-term growth, this report gives you the insights to plan smarter.