New Report Reveals Youth Summer Camp Industry Has a Direct Economic Impact on the Northeast of $3.2 Billion

LEXINGTON, Mass. and NEW YORK, June 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — An Economic Impact Report conducted by Consulting Economist Charles Lawton, Ph.D. on behalf of the American Camp Association, Northeast Region reveals that the youth camping industry provides economic benefits to the Northeast and has a direct financial benefit of $3.2 billion annually on nine states including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. There are over 6,000 licensed camp programs in the Northeast that employ almost 175,000 people seasonally and 10,000 full-time.

The direct economic impact of the youth summer camp industry comes from three main sources:

1. Employment
   
   Almost 175,000 seasonal workers and 10,000 full-time workers in the regions camps receive more than $1.1 billion in wages.  The 16-to-24 age group holds most of the seasonal jobs, helping a demographic with a national unemployment rate of 8% (2016 statistic).  Besides the economic impact, youth camps also foster the non-academic life skills that U.S employers seek when hiring for jobs.  These are the skills that aren’t learned in school and can’t be measured on standardized tests including creativity, communication, leadership, resilience and teamwork.
2. Spending
   
   Including payroll, camps spend more than $2.5 billion on goods and services in the Northeast including food, supplies, fuel, marketing, banking, maintenance and repair in small, local communities who rely heavily on this income.
3. Camps as Tourist Destinations
   
   Each summer, millions of young people go to day and overnight camp in the Northeast.  As a result, there is a great deal of intra-regional, out-of-region and out-of-country tourism.  Family trips surrounding drop-off day, pick-up day, visiting day, and visits from prospective campers are common.  The communities surrounding camps see increased spending on lodging, meals, transportation, shopping and recreation by families visiting camps and campers.  According to the American Camp Association, Northeast Region’s Economic Impact Study, when the indirect economic impact, which includes tourism, is added in, the total economic contribution to the Northeast rises to $8 billion.