Ski Tourism's Economic Footprint: A State-by-State Breakdown for 2026

Skiing is a regional industry. Most US states have no ski areas at all. The handful of states that do dominate the activity's economic footprint disproportionately. In three states (Colorado, Utah, Vermont), snow sports are the single largest conventional outdoor recreation activity by value added to the state economy. This article walks through what the federal data actually shows, state by state, drawing on the US Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 outdoor recreation statistics released in March 2026.

The national context

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) tracks outdoor recreation as part of its broader economic accounts. The most recent release, published March 5, 2026, covered 2024 data and provides the cleanest available state-by-state view of the snow sports economy.^[1]

The national headlines:

• The total US outdoor recreation economy generated $696.7 billion in value added in 2024, or 2.4% of national GDP
• Snow activities specifically (skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, dog mushing, tubing, snow shoeing) accounted for $7.6 billion in value-added at the national level
• Snow activities were the largest conventional outdoor recreation activity in four states: Colorado, New Hampshire, Utah, and Vermont
• The outdoor recreation economy grew 2.7% in real (inflation-adjusted) terms in 2024, slightly slower than the overall US economy's 2.8% growth

That $7.6 billion in snow sports value-added is approximately the size of the US recreational flying industry. To put it in further context: snow sports are smaller than boating and fishing ($38.4 billion) but comparable to motorcycling and off-roading. The activity's economic weight is real but concentrated.

The top states for snow sports economic impact

According to the BEA's 2024 data, the states with the largest snow activities value-added were:^[1]

The top three states (Colorado, California, Utah) account for nearly $3 billion of snow activities economic value, or roughly 40% of the national total. This concentration reflects both natural geography (high-elevation mountain ranges) and historical industry development.

Colorado: the dominant ski state

Colorado is, by every meaningful measure, the leading US ski state. In 2024, Colorado's snow sports activity contributed approximately $1.6 billion in value added to the state's economy, more than twice the contribution of the next-largest state.^[1]

That's the federal data. State-level economic impact studies tell a richer story. A 2015 study commissioned by Colorado Ski Country USA and Vail Resorts, conducted by RRC Associates and reviewed by the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business, found that Colorado's ski industry generates $4.8 billion in annual economic output, supports more than 46,000 year-round equivalent jobs, and generates $1.9 billion per year in labor income.^[2] The methodological difference between BEA value-added and total economic output explains the apparent gap. Both numbers are correct for what they measure.

What makes Colorado distinctive:

• Resort concentration. Colorado is home to dozens of major ski resorts, including the largest concentration of destination resorts in North America
• Out-of-state economics. Out-of-state visitors historically spend an average of over $300 per visit during single paid days, a meaningful per-visit economic injection^[3]
• Airport effect. Denver International Airport has historically handled hundreds of thousands of ski-related deplanements per season^[3]
• Mountain community economies. Many Colorado mountain towns are entirely dependent on skiing for their economic base. Taxable retail sales in winter at hotels in six leading ski counties grew 62% over the two decades through the mid-2010s^[2]

The economics extend beyond resort revenues. As we covered in detail in our analysis of Vail Resorts, the publicly traded operator headquartered in Colorado generated $2.885 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024, a substantial portion of which flows through Colorado's economy.

For 2025-26, however, Colorado's ski industry has faced challenges. Low snowfall and a record-hot winter have reduced visitor numbers, with downstream impacts on ski shops, lodging, and resort revenue.^[4] The state's ski economy remains the country's largest, but with reduced winter-2024-25 volume relative to recent peaks.

California: the surprise second-place state

California is often overlooked in discussions of the US ski industry, but the federal data is unambiguous: California's snow sports activity contributed $730.5 million in value-added in 2024, ranking second nationally.^[1]

This reflects the surprising scale and accessibility of California's ski infrastructure:

• Lake Tahoe alone hosts more than a dozen resorts including Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar
• Mammoth Mountain in the eastern Sierra is one of the largest single ski areas in North America
• Southern California ski areas including Mountain High, Big Bear, and Snow Valley serve the dense Los Angeles metropolitan market
• California also has the largest population of US residents living within a half-day's drive of skiing

California's snow sports economy is supported by California's overall outdoor recreation industry, which generated approximately $24.1 billion in value-added in 2024, the largest of any state in absolute terms.^[1]

Utah: the third pillar

Utah generated $598.2 million in snow activities value-added in 2024, ranking third nationally and continuing the state's transformation into a major ski destination.^[1] Snow sports are Utah's largest conventional outdoor recreation activity, a status the state didn't always hold. According to Axios reporting on Utah's outdoor industry, snow sports contributed less to Utah's economy than boating and fishing or RVing until 2022, when snow sports overtook both.^[5]

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City helped establish Utah's destination credentials internationally. Today, the state hosts:

• Park City Mountain Resort: the largest ski resort in the US by skiable acreage
• Alta and Snowbird: among the highest-snowfall resorts in the country
• Deer Valley: a luxury destination known for its skier-only policy and operational standard
• A dozen additional resorts within an hour of Salt Lake City International Airport

Utah's outdoor recreation economy overall was valued at approximately $9.5 billion in 2024, with snow sports accounting for the largest share of that figure.^[5]

Vermont: small state, outsized ski economy

Vermont is a striking example of an entire state economy meaningfully dependent on snow sports. Vermont's outdoor recreation economy generated $2.1 billion in value-added in 2023, accounting for 4.8% of the state's GDP, the second-highest share of any state in the country, behind only Hawaii.^[6]

Of that $2.1 billion, snow sports specifically contributed $220 million in 2023, up from $170 million in 2022, making snow activities the single largest contributor to Vermont's outdoor recreation economy.^[6]

Vermont's ski industry is distinctive for several reasons:

• Concentration of resorts: Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, Stratton, Okemo, Smugglers' Notch, and others form a dense network within a small geography
• Eastern accessibility: Vermont resorts are within driving distance of New York, Boston, and Montreal metro areas
• Snow reliability: Vermont resorts have invested heavily in snowmaking infrastructure for decades. As we covered in our climate risk analysis, the Northeast and Midwest converted to nearly universal snowmaking by the mid-1980s
• Operator diversity: Vermont has both major operator presence (Vail Resorts owns Stowe and Mount Snow) and significant independent operations

Vermont's status as a small state with outsized ski-dependent economy makes it particularly sensitive to industry trends. Whatever shape skiing takes over the next two decades will shape Vermont's economy in ways disproportionate to most other states.

New Hampshire: the under-discussed top-four state

New Hampshire was the only state besides Colorado, Utah, and Vermont where snow activities were the largest conventional outdoor recreation activity in 2024.^[1] The state hosts a dense network of regional ski areas serving the Boston and Portland metro markets, plus larger destinations including Loon Mountain, Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods, and Waterville Valley.

New Hampshire's ski economy benefits from particular geographic advantages: most resorts are within a 2-3 hour drive of one of the largest concentrations of population in the country (Greater Boston), and the state's regulatory environment has historically supported resort development.

The second tier: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

These three states host some of the most famous destination resorts in North America (Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Big Sky and Bridger Bowl in Montana, Sun Valley and Schweitzer in Idaho) but their absolute economic footprint from snow sports is smaller in dollar terms than the leading states above. This reflects both lower visitor volumes and lower overall state GDPs.

Wyoming had outdoor recreation account for an unusually high share of state GDP: 4.8% in 2022, among the top of all states by that share metric.^[7] Snow sports in Wyoming are dominated by Jackson Hole's destination economy, which draws disproportionately from out-of-state visitors with high per-trip spending.

Montana's outdoor recreation economy as a share of state GDP also ranked among the top five in 2022, with snow sports concentrated at Big Sky, Whitefish, Bridger Bowl, and a network of smaller community ski areas.^[7]

Idaho's ski economy is split between destination-class Sun Valley and a network of regional resorts including Schweitzer, Brundage, and Bogus Basin. Idaho's overall outdoor economy includes substantial contributions from other activities (boating, fishing, hunting) alongside snow sports.

The Pacific Northwest: Washington and Oregon

Washington and Oregon both host significant ski operations but rank below the leading states by total snow sports value-added. Washington's Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, Mission Ridge, and Mt. Baker form the core of the state's commercial ski industry, with additional smaller areas. Oregon's Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Mt. Bachelor anchor that state's offering.

Both states' ski economies are notably more weather-sensitive than the Rocky Mountain states. Pacific maritime weather patterns produce both extraordinary snowfall years and challenging warm winters, with year-over-year volatility larger than at higher-elevation continental resorts.

The Midwest and Mid-Atlantic: smaller but durable

Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and to a lesser extent Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio host networks of smaller ski areas serving large urban populations. None of these states ranks near the top for absolute snow sports value-added, but they collectively support a substantial volume of recreational skiing, and a meaningful percentage of US first-time skiers learn at these regional areas before traveling to destination resorts later.

The Mid-Atlantic ski economy, concentrated in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland, operates at smaller scale but with high relative importance to the local economies that host it. Resorts like Snowshoe Mountain (WV), Seven Springs (PA), and Beech Mountain (NC) anchor regional networks that serve major eastern metropolitan populations.

The economic mechanics: why ski tourism punches above its weight

Several structural factors make ski tourism disproportionately economically important in the states where it operates:

High per-visitor spending. Ski visitors spend more per day than most other tourism categories. Lift tickets, lodging, equipment rental, food, and ground transportation combine to make typical daily spending in the hundreds of dollars. We break down typical visitor spending in detail in our cost of a ski trip analysis.

Geographic concentration. Most ski tourism happens in rural mountain counties with limited alternative economic bases. A ski resort in a county of 5,000 people creates concentrated economic effects unlike a hotel in a major metro area.

Out-of-state visitor effect. Skiing draws disproportionately from out-of-state visitors who bring new dollars into the state economy. Colorado's tourism office documents that travel-generated economic impact in 2024 reached $28.5 billion statewide, supporting more than 188,000 jobs.^[8]

Year-round resort operations. Modern resort economics increasingly include summer activities like mountain biking, hiking, weddings, and festivals. This extends the economic base beyond winter alone.

Employment multiplier. Ski operations support not just direct jobs but a broad ecosystem: equipment retail, lodging operations, restaurants, transportation, real estate, construction, and professional services. State studies routinely find that direct ski employment is multiplied 1.5-2x in total economic impact.^[2]

The trajectory: where the data points

Three trends are worth tracking for anyone interested in the ski economy's future:

Snow sports growth has been strong but uneven. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that snow sports was one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities in 2023, growing approximately 25% year over year.^[9] The 2024 BEA data showed continued growth though at a more moderate pace.

Affordability is a watching point. The cost of ski trips has increased substantially faster than general inflation. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable noted in early 2026 that affordability and uncertainty were "weighing on purchases and trips" across outdoor recreation broadly.^[10] Whether the ski industry maintains its visitor base in the face of pricing pressure is one of the open questions.

Climate exposure remains the largest structural risk. As covered in detail in our climate risk analysis, the long-term viability of ski operations at lower elevations is well-documented. State economies most dependent on snow sports (Vermont, parts of New Hampshire, Pacific Northwest resorts) face the most exposure.

The bigger picture

Ski tourism contributes meaningfully, and in some cases definingly, to a small number of US state economies. The federal data is now reasonably good (BEA satellite accounts updated annually), the state-level data varies in quality but is improving, and the picture that emerges is consistent: skiing is a regionally critical industry with disproportionate impact in mountain states.

For the broader US economy, snow sports are a small line item. For Colorado, Vermont, Utah, and the mountain communities of Wyoming, Montana, and New Hampshire, they are foundational. That asymmetry is part of what makes the category genuinely interesting, and part of what makes the digital infrastructure gap in skiing particularly striking. An industry concentrated in specific geographies, with substantial economic dependence on it, and yet no dominant consumer digital brand has emerged to organize the category.

That asymmetry is the structural opportunity. The economic substrate is real and measurable. The brand layer is not.