Birders and business owners will be especially interested to learn that not only are more than 96 million Americans identifying as birders – more than 1/3 of our population – but they are learning that we birders spend $107½ Billion Dollars annually on birding trips and equipment that includes binoculars, cameras and lenses, spotting scopes, books, clothing and footwear, bird foods, feeders, nest boxes, and much more. Spending by birders helps to support jobs and business activities in local economies across the country. Direct trip-related and equipment expenditures are only part of the economic contribution of birders, because the economic activities of birders have ripple effects throughout local and state economies.
This insightful information is presented statistically in the most recent publication on the subject: Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis, which will be of interest to all birders and everyone in business, industry, tourism, advertising, wildlife management, land management, research, education, and planning. Published by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the information presented is extensive and it is the most up to date information available – but if anything, birding has been growing in numbers and in economic importance since the 2022 government survey that was published in 2024.
Birders of all backgrounds have a profound effect as their expenditures contribute to economies both in and near their neighborhoods and around the country. Trip-related and equipment-related expenditures associated with birding supported $279 Billion in total industry output, 1.4 Million jobs, and $90 Billion in job income. These economic contributions are distributed across local, state, and national economies.
Birding positively influences people as they enjoy birds through a window at home, during a walk in a park, and on a birding trip near or far from home. Birding connects people with nature in a way that they become more intimate with their surroundings, and it can be a passive activity or a more physical, rigorous effort that combines a workout with binocular stops. It's educational and entertaining, and it's therapeutic in a number of ways.
Matt Hogan, the Mountain-Prairie Regional Director with the US Fish & Wildlife Service noted: "Birds are accessible and nearly always with us wherever we are – town or country. A connection to nature is demonstrably good for body, mind, and soul, and birding is one way to get there." Hogan, also an avid birder, added: "The positive influence of birding on the American economy and jobs is hefty, encouraging, and appreciated. Birding and wildlife-related pursuits also have immeasurable aesthetic and intrinsic value. No doubt about it, birding is important to the American people."
The government publication also provides new insights into the demographics of birders. For example, women and men participate at nearly equal levels with a slightly higher percentage of women involved in birding. And the average age of birders is 49, although the age groups surveyed didn't include birders 16 and under, so that means the mean average age is lower – 45 let's say. The study shows that every age group is well-represented among birders, and recent growth in birding numbers is said to be powered by younger adults who have been discovering birding through online communities and social media.
To refer to the new economic information about birding that provides many interesting insights into birders as a group, see "Birding in the United States: An Economic and Demographic Analysis," which you can read online or download a copy of the report at Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis (fws.gov)