Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Outdoor activities provide a wide range of benefits for states and their citizens. For individuals, being in nature boosts their physical and mental health. For states, the presence of outdoor activities provides an economic benefit, while also helping preserve natural areas through increased participation in conservation efforts.

In order to highlight the best states for outdoor enthusiasts, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from national parks per capita to the share of adults reporting no physical activity in their free time to the economic impact of outdoor recreation.

If you want to support organizations promoting outdoor recreation and preservation but don’t know where to donate, check out our picks for the Best Charities for Sports & Recreation in 2024.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Environmental Quality Rank	Outdoor Activity Access Rank	Economic Impact & Job Opportunities Rank
1	Montana	60.81	11	2	7
2	Alaska	59.31	1	17	1
3	Colorado	58.38	14	6	3
4	South Dakota	57.71	20	7	4
5	Utah	57.34	27	1	11
6	Vermont	56.83	4	9	5
7	Washington	55.95	24	4	10
8	Wyoming	55.59	3	15	2
9	Maine	55.19	5	10	12
10	Oregon	52.47	42	3	22
11	Hawaii	52.39	2	23	6
12	California	51.06	48	5	14
13	Minnesota	50.07	36	8	26
14	Idaho	48.35	19	18	13
15	New Hampshire	47.66	8	20	16
16	Pennsylvania	47.53	34	11	49
17	Wisconsin	47.49	38	12	24
18	Florida	47.12	13	21	9
19	New York	46.99	9	19	46
20	Arizona	46.07	39	13	30
21	New Mexico	45.56	6	22	31
22	Michigan	44.95	32	16	44
23	Texas	44.01	46	14	21
24	Virginia	40.98	7	27	17
25	North Carolina	38.82	23	25	19
26	North Dakota	38.34	22	26	20
27	Ohio	36.09	45	24	34
28	Massachusetts	34.86	15	29	32
29	Tennessee	34.13	21	34	15
30	Connecticut	33.65	16	30	42
31	Missouri	33.40	29	33	18
32	Maryland	33.25	12	35	43
33	Nebraska	30.42	25	38	37
34	Georgia	30.38	35	36	23
35	Indiana	29.92	49	28	33
36	Louisiana	29.85	18	43	35
37	New Jersey	29.36	17	39	47
38	Iowa	29.06	40	31	48
39	South Carolina	28.91	30	41	29
40	West Virginia	28.90	10	45	39
41	Delaware	28.25	43	42	8
42	Rhode Island	28.14	26	46	28
43	Kansas	27.91	44	37	27
44	Illinois	27.40	50	32	38
45	Alabama	26.71	31	44	36
46	Nevada	26.30	47	40	25
47	Arkansas	25.85	28	47	41
48	Kentucky	23.37	33	48	45
49	Oklahoma	21.01	41	49	40
50	Mississippi	17.36	37	50	50

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

 

Methodology

In order to determine the best states for outdoor enthusiasts, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Environmental Quality, 2) Outdoor Activity Access and 3) Economic Impact & Job Opportunities.

We evaluated those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best conditions for outdoor enthusiasts. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Environmental Quality - Total Points: 20

• Air Pollution: Triple Weight (~8.57 Points)
  Note: Average exposure of the general public to particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less, measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
• Share of Land Designated for Parks and Wildlife: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Share of Forest Coverage: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Shoreline Miles: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• National Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Outdoor Activity Access - Total Points: 70

• Sports & Recreation Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Share of Adults Reporting No Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Cost of a Hunting License: Half Weight (~3.50 Points)
• Cost of a Fishing License: Half Weight (~3.50 Points)
• Geocaches per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.
• Miles of Hiking Trails: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Hiking Trails per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Ski Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Camping Sports per Capita*: Double Weight (~14.00 Points)
• Dark Sky Areas per Capita*: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)

Economic Impact & Job Opportunities - Total Points: 10

• Outdoor Gear Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: This composite metric is a proxy for outdoor gear stores and is calculated with REI locations per capita* and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s locations per capita*.
• Outdoor Recreation Economic Impact: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: Note: This composite metric includes the outdoor recreation value added per capita and the outdoor recreation employment per capita.
• Forest and Conservation Workers per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Health Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Hunters Wholesale, Hooked in Fishing, Geocaching.com, Destination Hikers, TrailForks, Go Astronomy, REI and Bass Pro Shops.