Detailed estimates of summer trail use help show the impacts of growing recreational use and highlight infrastructure needs in southwest Montana.
United States
The Outdoor Recreation Economy by State
The outdoor recreation economy is large, growing faster than the overall economy, and consists of jobs in many industries. Explore data by state.
Improving benefit-cost analyses for rural areas
Benefit-cost analysis, required for many federal funding sources, puts smaller, rural, and low-income communities at a disadvantage.
Western State Housing Prices
Western States Unprecedented Housing Prices
Housing costs broke records across the U.S.
Unaffordable housing came to a head during the pandemic as communities across the country saw unprecedented rises in housing costs.
Unaffordability for renters made worse during the pandemic
The unprecedented rise in housing prices since 2020 has affected renters more than homeowners—especially in places that were already unaffordable.
The unequal impacts of wildfire
See where wildfire risk intersects social and economic factors that can make it difficult for people to prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire.
Diversifying Revenue on New Mexico State Trust Lands
New activities can help guarantee and diversify future revenue from New Mexico state trust lands, complementing the successful Land Grant Permanent Fund.
Mountain, Midwest, and Gulf States Fail to Secure FEMA Resilience Funding
Rural and lower capacity communities failed to successfully compete for FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funding in FY 2020.
Federal Fossil Fuel Disbursements to States
States tend to spend, rather than save, federal fossil fuel disbursements, potentially making them vulnerable to economic transitions.
The Future of the Outdoor Recreation Economy
The outdoor recreation economy is strong, diverse, and growing, helping communities thrive.
Living with wildfire
Watch “Living with wildfire.” Wildfires are an inescapable and necessary function of healthy ecosystems. In the past decade they have increased in severity and duration, killed more people, and burned more structures.
National monuments can boost local economies
Recent studies find that national monument designations do not negatively impact local economic performance, and in many cases strengthen local economies.
Innovative New Ways to Count Outdoor Recreation
New data sources can change the way we count outdoor recreation, allowing trail managers to better advocate for improvements and plan for growing demand.
Why fiscal policy solutions are necessary
This panel discussion, with examples from Montana and New Mexico, examines how fiscal policies have failed rural communities.
Decreasing flood risk in rural communities: a pilot program in Three Forks, Montana
Flood risk is underestimated in the U.S., but better maps and data are not enough to help communities. They must be accompanied with resources to support local action.
Wildfire Risk Report for every U.S. community
A new report in our Economic Profile System provides community-level data about wildfire hazard and potentially vulnerable populations.
Wildfires destroy thousands of structures each year
Explore the number of structures destroyed in each state by wildfire. Structures lost—rather than acres burned—provides a more complete measure of the broad impacts of wildfire.
Is rural America really doing so badly?
Nearly half of rural communities have grown so much since the 1970s they are now classified as “urban.” Those that remain are diverse, but often have more specialized economies.