New Bureau of Business and Economic Research Report Shows Beaverhead County – Outdoor Recreation as Significant Economic Driver 

Research reveals economic impact of hunting and angling in southwestern Montana 

Missoula, Mont. – A new study released today by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana in partnership with the Montana Wildlife Federation shows that hunting and angling accounts for $167 million to the economy in southwestern Montana.

The study also found this type of outdoor recreation in Beaverhead County accounts for:

• 1,451 jobs
• $74.1 million in personal income
• 2,050 population in Montana

“Hunting and angling activities make a sizable contribution to Beaverhead County’s Economy,” said Patrick Barkey, Director of the BBER. “Montana remains a premier location for outdoor recreation related businesses to attract significant spending.”

The report found that outdoor recreation ultimately supports accommodation and food services, retail trade and government employment. The spread across sectors helps illustrate the expansion of spending across the economy set in motion by the spending flows of the hunters and anglers in Beaverhead County.

This study concluded that the activities of outdoor recreation in Beaverhead County makes the economy significantly larger, more prosperous and more populous. The total contribution any sector of the economy makes to the whole can be assessed by assessing how the economy would look in its absence.

For more information including a breakdown in expenditures by category, please view the full report by visiting: http://bber.umt.edu/pubs/econ/EconomicImpactOutdoorRecBeaverheadCnty2021.pdf