By Randee Brown for WNCBusiness.com
Outdoor Recreation
According to Riverbird Research, the number of jobs in the region’s outdoor-related industries (Modified Purdue Cluster Definition) increased over the five-year span between 2018 and 2023.
The 15% increase in the number of industry jobs in an 18-county region of WNC was greater than the state’s 11% growth rate, and the concentration of jobs in the region was 2.6 times the national average. The total of 8,323 jobs supported by the outdoor recreation industry in the region occurred across 424 payrolled business locations, and earned an average annual salary of $38,563.
The highest concentration of these jobs occurred in Buncombe County which supported 2,930 of these jobs, followed by Henderson, Avery, and Watauga Counties which supported 804, 782, and 715 jobs, respectively.
Summer Camps
According to Riverbird Research, the number of jobs in the region’s summer camp industry increased over the five-year span between 2018 and 2023.
The 18% increase in the number of industry jobs in an 18-county region of WNC was slower than the state’s overall growth rate of 29%; however, the concentration of jobs in 2023 was 10.3 times the national average. The total of 853 jobs supported by the summer camp industry in the region occurred across 47 payrolled business locations, and made up approximately 60% of the state’s overall estimated 1,419 jobs in this industry. The average annual salary in this industry in 2023 was $34,978.
The highest concentration of these jobs occurred in Henderson County which supported 309 of these jobs, followed by Transylvania County which supported 257 of these jobs.
