U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Birding in the United States: 

A Demographic and 

Economic Analysis

Addendum to the 2006 National 

Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and 

Wildlife-Associated Recreation

Report 2006-4

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

June 2009, Amended July 2009

Erin Carver

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Economics

Arlington VA

This report is intended to complement the National and State reports from the 

2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. 

The conclusions are the author’s and do not represent official positions of the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The author thanks Sylvia Cabrera and Richard Aiken for their input into this report.

Birding in the United States: 

A Demographic and 

Economic Analysis

Addendum to the 2006 National 

Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and 

Wildlife-Associated Recreation

Report 2006-4
2 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Birders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Where and What are They Watching? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Avidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Economics of Bird Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Total Industry Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Employment and Employment Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Federal and State Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 3

Introduction

Erin Carver/USFWS

The following report provides up-todate information so birders and policy 

makers can make informed decisions 

regarding the management of birds and 

their habitats. This report identifies 

who birders are, where they live, how 

avid they are, and what kinds of birds 

they watch. In addition to demographic 

information, this report also provides 

an economic measure of birding. It 

estimates how much birders spend on 

their hobby and the economic impact of 

these expenditures.

By understanding who birders are, they 

can be more easily reached and informed 

about pressures facing birds and bird 

habitats. Conversely, by knowing who is 

likely not a birder, or who is potentially 

a birder, information can be more 

effectively tailored. The economic impact 

estimates presented here can be used by 

resource managers and policy makers 

to demonstrate the economic might of 

birders and, by extension, the economic 

impact of birds.

All data presented here are from the 

wildlife-watching section of the 2006 

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, 

and Wildlife-Associated Recreation 

(FHWAR). It is the most comprehensive 

survey of wildlife recreation in the United 

States. Overall, 11,300 detailed wildlifewatching interviews were completed 

with a response rate of 78 percent. The 

Survey focused on 2006 participation and 

expenditures by U.S. residents 16 years 

of age and older.
4 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Birders

In 2006, there were 48 million 

birdwatchers or birders, 16 years of age 

and older, in the United States—about 

21 percent of the population. What is 

a birder? The National Survey uses a 

conservative definition. To be counted as 

a birder, an individual must have either 

taken a trip one mile or more from home 

for the primary purpose of observing 

birds and/or closely observed or tried to 

identify birds around the home. Thus, 

people who happened to notice birds 

while they were mowing the lawn or 

picnicking at the beach were not counted 

as birders. Trips to zoos and observing 

captive birds also did not count.

Backyard birding or watching birds 

around the home is the most common 

form of bird-watching. Eighty-eight 

percent (42 million) of birders are 

backyard birders. The more active form 

of birding, taking trips away from home, 

is less common with 42 percent (20 

million) of birders partaking.

The average birder is 50 years old 

and more than likely has a better than 

average income and education. She is 

slightly more likely to be female and 

highly likely to be white. There is also a 

good chance that this birder lives in the 

south in an urban area. Does this paint 

an accurate picture of a birder? Like 

all generalizations the description of an 

“average” birder does not reflect the 

variety of people who bird, with millions 

falling outside this box. The tables and 

charts show numbers and participation 

rates (the percentage of people who 

participate) of birders by various 

demographic breakdowns.

The tendency of birders to be middle-age 

or older is reflected in both the number of 

birders and participation rates. Looking 

at the different age categories in Table 

1, the greatest number of birders were 

in the 55 plus age group. People over the 

age of 55 had the highest participation 

rates while the participation rate was 

particularly low for people ages 16 to 24.

Chart 1. Birders in the United States: 2006

(16 years of age and older.)

Total Birders 48 million

Around-the-home 42 million

Away-from-home 20 million

Table 1. Age Distribution of the U.S. Population and Birders: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands.)

Age U.S. Population Number of Birders Participation Rate

16 to 24 31,564 2,607 8%

25 to 34 37,468 4,825 13%

35 to 44 45,112 10,168 23%

45 to 54 44,209 11,088 25%

55 plus 70,891 19,097 27%

Chart 2. Birders’ Participation Rate by Age

U.S. Average: 21% ▼

16 to 24 8%

25 to 34 13%

35 to 44 23%

45 to 54 25%

55 plus 27%
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 5

The higher the income and education 

level the more likely a person is to 

be a birder. Twenty-nine percent of 

people who live in households that earn 

$75,000 or more were bird-watchers—8 

percent above the national average of 21 

percent. Education, which is often highly 

correlated with income, shows the same 

trend. People with less than high school 

education participated at 12 percent—far 

below the national average—while people 

with at least a college degree had the 

highest participation rate at 28 percent. 

See Tables 2 and 3 for more information.

Unlike hunting and fishing where men 

were overwhelmingly in the majority, a 

larger percent of birders were women—

54 percent in 2006 (See Chart 5).

Chart 3. Birders’ Participation Rate by Income

U.S. Average: 21% ▼

Less than $20,000 15%

$20,000 to $29,999 17%

$30,000 to $49,999 22%

$50,000 to $74,999 27%

$75,000 or more 29%

Chart 4. Birders’ Participation Rate by Education

U.S. Average: 21% ▼

11 years or less 12%

High School Graduate 17%

Some College 23%

College Graduate + 28%

Chart 5. Percent of Birders by Gender: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older.)

Table 2. Income Distribution of the U.S. Population and Birders: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands.)

Income U.S. Population Number of Birders Participation Rate

Less than $20,000 26,046 3,942 15%

$20,000 to $29,999 21,898 3,680 17%

$30,000 to $49,999 39,209 8,691 22%

$50,000 to $74,999 33,434 9,000 27%

$75,000 or more 50,678 14,749 29%

Table 3. Educational Distribution of the U.S. Population and Birders: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands.)

Education U.S. Population Number of Birders Participation Rate

11 years or less 34,621 4,300 12%

High School Graduate 78,073 13,279 17%

Some College 53,019 12,369 23%

College Graduate + 63,531 17,837 28%

Male

46%

Female

54%

Dave Menke/USFWS
6 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Excepting people that categorize their 

race as “Other,” birders are not a racially 

or ethnically diverse group. Eightyeight percent of birders identified 

themselves as white. The scarcity of 

minority birders is not just a reflection 

of their relatively low numbers in the 

population at large; it’s also a function of 

low participation rates. The participation 

rates of Hispanics, African-Americans, 

and Asians were all 8 percent or lower 

while the rate for whites, 24 percent, was 

slightly above the 21 percent national 

average. Those that chose “Other,” 

however, had a participation rate 

(21 percent) the same as the national 

average.

The sparser populated an area, the more 

likely its residents were to watch birds. 

The participation rate for people living 

in small cities and rural areas was 27 

percent—6 percent above the national 

average. Whereas large metropolitan 

areas (1 million residents or more) had 

the greatest number of birders, their 

residents had a low participation rate of 

17 percent. See Table 5.

Chart 6. Birders’ Participation Rate by Race and Ethnicity: 2006

U.S. Average: 21% ▼

Hispanic 8%

White 24%

African American 6%

Asian 7%

Other 21%

Table 4. Racial and Ethnic Distribution of the U.S. Population and Birders: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands.)

Race U.S. Population Number of Birders Participation Rate

Hispanic 29,218 2,428 8%

White 189,255 44,497 24%

African American 25,925 1,625 6%

Asian 10,104 734 7%

Other 3,960 837 21%

Table 5. Percent of U.S. Population Who Birded by Residence: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands.)

Metropolitan 

Statistical Area U.S. Population Number of Birders Participation Rate

1,000,000 or more 120,356 20,545 17%

250,000 to 999,999 46,506 6,779 15%

Less than 249,000 23,562 4,295 18%

Outside MSA 38,820 10,597 27%
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 7

Participation rates are varied across 

the United States. However, the highest 

participation rates are prevalent in the 

northern half of the country, where the 

top 5 States include Montana, Maine, 

Vermont, Minnesota, and Iowa. See 

Chart 7 for more details.

Chart 7. Birding Participation Rates by State Residents: 2006

U.S. Average: 21% ▼

Montana 40%

Maine 39%

Vermont 38%

Minnesota 33%

Iowa 33%

South Dakota 32%

New Hampshire 32%

Tennessee 31%

Washington 31%

Alaska 30%

Missouri 30%

 Wyoming 30%

Idaho 28%

Connecticut 28%

Arkansas 28%

Kentucky 27%

Oregon 27%

Wisconsin 26%

Oklahoma 26%

Ohio 26%

Rhode Island 25%

Pennsylvania 25%

Colorado 25%

Indiana 24%

Virginia 24%

Massachusetts 24%

Nebraska 23%

New Mexico 23%

Michigan 23%

Kansas 21%

Utah 20%

Alabama 19%

Maryland 19%

Mississippi 19%

South Carolina 19%

Delaware 19%

North Carolina 19%

West Virginia 18%

Florida 17%

Arizona 17%

Illinois 16%

Nevada 16%

Georgia 15%

Louisiana 15%

New York 15%

California 15%

New Jersey 14%

Texas 14%

North Dakota 14%

Hawaii 10%
8 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

There were more participants in the 

South region (33%) compared to the 

rest of the United States (see Figure 

1). The Midwest had the second highest 

participation at 27 percent. The West 

and Northeast had lower participation of 

21 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Figure 1. Participation by Region of Residence: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older.)

West

21%

33%

27% 19%

Midwest

South

Northeast

Alaska

Washington

Idaho

Oregon

California

Hawaii

Nevada

Utah

Arizona

New Mexico

Colorado

Wyoming

Montana

North

Dakota Minnesota

Iowa

Wisconsin

Ohio

Kentucky

Virginia

Tennessee

Georgia

Illinois

Missouri

South

Dakota

Nebraska

Kansas

Oklahoma Arkansas

Texas Alabama

Indiana

Louisiana

Mississippi

South

Carolina

North Carolina

Florida

West Virginia

Delaware

New Jersey

Connecticut

Rhode Island

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Vermont

Maryland

Pennsylvania

Maine

 New York

Michigan
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 9

Bird watching by state residents tells 

only part of the story. Many people travel 

out-of-state to watch birds and some 

states are natural birding destinations. 

Wyoming reaped the benefits of this 

tourism with 73 percent of their total 

birders coming from other states. Four 

other states (Hawaii, Vermont, Montana, 

and New Mexico) had more than 45 

percent of their total birders coming from 

other states. (See Table 6.)

Table 6. Birding by State Residents and Nonresidents: 2006

(Population 16 years of age and older. Numbers in thousands).

State Total Birders

Percent 

State Residents

Percent 

Nonresidents

Alabama 828 83% 17%

Alaska 429 34% 66%

Arizona 1,038 74% 26%

Arkansas 764 79% 21%

California 4,493 88% 12%

Colorado 1,229 73% 27%

Connecticut 857 91% 9%

Delaware 189 66% 34%

Florida 3,101 79% 21%

Georgia 1,210 88% 12%

Hawaii 205 49% 51%

Idaho 557 56% 44%

Illinois 1,784 87% 13%

Indiana 1,345 86% 14%

Iowa 842 93% 7%

Kansas 493 92% –

Kentucky 1,041 84% 16%

Louisiana 552 94% –

Maine 622 68% 32%

Maryland 980 84% 16%

Massachusetts 1,377 86% 14%

Michigan 1,997 89% 11%

Minnesota 1,448 93% 7%

Mississippi 535 79% 21%

Missouri 1,576 87% 13%

Montana 571 53% 47%

Nebraska 364 87% –

Nevada 518 57% 43%

New Hampshire 548 60% 40%

New Jersey 1,132 83% 17%

New Mexico 641 54% 46%

New York 2,517 87% 13%

North Carolina 1,586 79% 21%

North Dakota 83 83% –

Ohio 2,405 95% 5%

Oklahoma 765 94% –

Oregon 1,046 74% 26%

Pennsylvania 2,669 91% 9%

Rhode Island 297 71% –

South Carolina 809 78% 22%

South Dakota 283 68% 32%

Tennessee 1,838 79% 21%

Texas 2,476 94% 6%

Utah 639 57% 43%

Vermont 364 52% 47%

Virginia 1,572 89% 11%

Washington 1,853 83% 17%

West Virginia 398 67% 33%

Wisconsin 1,454 79% 21%

Wyoming 448 27% 73%

Note: A hyphen (–) denotes sample sizes that are too small to report reliably (9 or less). This sample 

size criteria is consistent with the “2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated 

Recreation.”

Donna Dewhurst/USFWS
10 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Where and What are They Watching?

Backyard birding is the most prevalent 

form of birding with 88 percent of 

participants watching birds from the 

comfort of their homes. Forty-two 

percent of birders travel more than a mile 

from home to bird watch, visiting both 

private and public lands.

What kinds of birds are they looking 

at? Seventy-seven percent reported 

observing waterfowl, making them the 

most watched type of bird. Birds of 

prey were also popular with 71 percent 

of birders watching them, followed in 

popularity by songbirds (69 percent) and 

other water birds such as herons and 

shorebirds (58 percent). See Chart 8.

Avidity

All people identified as birders in this 

report said that they took an active 

interest in birds—defined as trying to 

closely observe or identify different 

species. But what is the extent of their 

interest? In order to determine their 

“avidity” the number of days spent bird 

watching was considered.

Presumably because of the relative ease 

of backyard birding, birders around the 

home spent nine times as many days 

watching birds as did people who traveled 

more than a mile from home to bird 

watch. In 2006, the mean number of days 

for backyard birders was 124 and for 

away-from-home birders it was 14.

Table 7 shows how avidity has changed 

from 2001 to 2006. The only change that 

is significant at the 95 percent level is 

“Total Away-from-Home Birders.” As 

shown, the number of away-from-home 

birders has increased 8 percent as more 

birders are traveling to observe birds.

Chart 8. Types of Birds Observed by Away-From-Home Birders: 2006

Total, all birders 100%

Waterfowl 77%

Birds of Prey 71%

Songbirds 69%

Other water birds* 58%

Other birds** 44%

* shorebirds, herons, etc.

**pheasants, turkeys, etc.

Table 7. National Birding Trends

2001 2006 Percent Change*

Total Birders 45,951 47,693 4%

Around-the-home 40,306 41,821 4%

Away-from-home 18,342 19,860 8%*

Total Days 5,467,841 5,473,398 0%

Around the home 5,159,259 5,202,536 1%

Away-from-home 308,583 270,861 –12%

Note: An asterisk denotes the change is significant at the 95% level. All other “percent changes” are not 

statistically significant.
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 11

The Economics of Bird Watching

Birders spend money on a variety of 

goods and services for trip-related 

and equipment-related purchases. 

Trip-related expenditures include 

food, lodging, transportation, and 

other incidental expenses. Equipment 

expenditures consist of binoculars, 

cameras, camping equipment, and other 

costs. By having ripple effects throughout 

the economy, these direct expenditures 

are only part of the economic impact of 

birding. The effect on the economy in 

excess of direct expenditures is known 

as the multiplier effect. For example, an 

individual may purchase a bird house 

to enhance birding at home. Part of 

the purchase price will stay with the 

local retailer. The local retailer, in turn, 

pays a wholesaler who in turn pays the 

manufacturer of the bird houses. The 

manufacturer then spends a portion of 

this income to pay businesses supplying 

the manufacturer. In this sense, each 

dollar of local retail expenditures can 

affect a variety of businesses. Thus, 

expenditures associated with birding can 

ripple through the economy by impacting 

economic activity, employment, and 

household income. To measure these 

effects, a regional input-output modeling 

method1 is utilized to derive estimates 

for total industry output, employment, 

employment income, and tax revenue 

associated with birding.

1 The estimates for total industry output, 

employment, employment income, and 

federal and state taxes were derived using 

IMPLAN, a regional input-output model 

and software system. 

Maslowski/USFWS
12 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Table 8 highlights birders’ trip-related 

and equipment-related expenditures 

in 20062. Birders spent an estimated 

$12 billion on trip expenditures and $24 

billion on equipment expenditures in 

2006. For trip expenditures, 57 percent 

was allocated for food and lodging, 35 

percent was spent on transportation, and 

7 percent was spent on other costs such 

as guide fees, user fees, and equipment 

rental. Equipment expenditures were 

relatively evenly distributed among 

wildlife watching equipment (29 percent), 

special equipment (35 percent), and other 

items (33 percent). Auxiliary equipment 

accounted for only 3 percent of all 

equipment expenditures.

2 The Survey does not have an expenditure 

category for birding. Therefore, 

expenditures are prorated by multiplying 

wildlife watching expenditures by a ratio 

to derive birding expenditures. For triprelated expenditures, the ratio includes 

only away-from-home birders and is (total 

number of away-from-home days watching 

birds)/(total number of away-from-home 

days watching wildlife). For equipmentrelated expenditures, the ratio includes 

both away-from-home birders and backyard 

birders. The equipment-related expenditure 

ratio is (total number of days watching 

birds)/(total number of days watching 

wildlife). 

Table 8. Trip and Equipment Expenditures for Birding by Category: 2006

Trip-Related Expenditures*, total $12,068,182,000 

Food $4,008,032,000 

Lodging $2,948,366,000 

Transportation $4,218,433,000 

Other $893,351,000 

Equipment**, total $23,659,542,000 

Wildlife-watching equipment $6,869,054,000 

Auxilliary equipment $742,276,000 

Special Equipment $8,240,519,000 

Other Items $7,807,693,000 

*Trip-related expenditures include food, drink, lodging, public and private transportation, guide fees, 

pack trip or package fees, public and private land use access fees, equipment rental, boating costs, and 

heating and cooking fuel.

**Equipment expenditures consist of binoculars, cameras, bird food, nest boxes, day packs, and other 

wildlife-watching equipment. Auxiliary equipment includes tents, backpacking equipment, other camping 

equipment, and other auxilliary equipment. Special equipment purchases include boats, campers, trucks, 

and cabins while Other Items includes magazines, land leasing and ownership, membership dues, and 

plantings.
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 13

Total Industry Output

Table 9 depicts the economic effect of 

bird wattching expenditures in 2006. 

The trip and equipment expenditures of 

$36 billion in 2006 generated $82 billion 

in total industry output across the United 

States. Total industry output includes 

the direct, indirect, and induced effects 

of the expenditures associated with bird 

watching.

Direct effects are the initial effects or 

impacts of spending money; for example, 

an individual purchasing a bird house 

is an example of a direct effect. An 

example of an indirect effect would be the 

purchase of the bird house by a retailer 

from the manufacturer. Finally, induced 

effects refer to the changes in production 

associated with changes in household 

income (and spending) caused by changes 

in employment related to both direct 

and indirect effects. More simply, people 

who are employed by the retailer, by 

the wholesaler, and by the birdhouse 

manufacturer spend their income on 

various goods and services which in turn 

generate a given level of output (induced 

effects).

Employment and Employment Income

Table 9 shows that birding expenditures 

in 2006 created 671,000 jobs and $28 

billion in employment income. Thus, 

each job had an average annual salary 

of $41,000. Jobs include both full and 

part-time jobs, with a job defined as 

one person working for at least part of 

the calendar year. Employment income 

consists of both employee compensation 

and proprietor income.

Federal and State Taxes

Federal and State tax revenues are 

derived from birding-related recreational 

spending. In 2006, $6 billion in State tax 

revenue and $4 billion in Federal tax 

revenue were generated.

Jason Carver

Table 9. Summary of Economic Impacts

Birders 47,693,000

Total Expenditures $35,727,724,000

Total Output $82,176,751,000

Jobs 671,000 

Employment Income $27,695,934,000

State Tax Revenues $6,157,252,000

Federal Tax Revenues $4,375,932,000
14 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

Conclusion

This report presented information on the 

participation and expenditure patterns 

of 48 million birders in 2006. Trip-related 

and equipment-related expenditures 

associated with birding generated over 

$82 billion in total industry output, 

671,000 jobs, and $11 billion in local, 

state, and federal tax revenue. This 

impact was distributed across local, state, 

and national economies.

John and Karen Hollingsworth/USFWS
Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis 15

References

MIG, Inc. IMPLAN System (2004 Data 

and Software). 1940 South Greeley 

Street, Suite 101, Stillwater, MN 55082. 

2004.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and 

Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of 

Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 2006 

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, 

and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

Washington DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office, October 2007.

Vernon Byrd/USFWS
16 Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov

Cover photo: Art Sowis/USFWS