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“This new study confirms what residents and our tens of millions of visitors have already experienced. There’s a magnetic pull to water in Arizona, especially since we’re so closely associated with the desert,” said Lena Allen, Director of Stewardship for the Arizona Office of Tourism. “From the mighty Colorado River to the gentle streams of the White Mountains and the cottonwood-lined San Pedro River, water here delivers life and economic success for communities statewide.”  

The new analysis assessed participation in water-based recreation by Arizona residents and the time they spent recreating between September 2024 and August 2025. The study also estimated resident and non-resident spending on various water-based recreational activities to measure the economic contributions generated annually from rivers, lakes, and streams throughout the state. 

Key Study Findings:   

• Water-based outdoor recreation generates $11.7 billion in economic output annually in Arizona.
• Arizonans and visitors collectively spent $9.7 billion in Arizona on water-related outdoor recreation.
• Water-based outdoor recreation supports 72,000+ jobs across Arizona, with those jobs paying annual wages of nearly $4 billion.
• Recreation along water added more than $6.9 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product. 

“Water-based outdoor recreation is a helpful way to measure the economic contributions of the water in our rivers, lakes, and streams because without water, much of the economic activity would cease. People don’t fish in dry lakes or kayak in dry riverbeds,” said Haley Paul, Senior Policy Director for ̽����ѡ Southwest. 

Comparatively, water-based outdoor recreation as an industry creates more economic output ($11.7 billion) than Arizona’s golf ($6 billion) or wine ($5.7 billion) industries. While mining creates more economic output ($21.2 billion), water-related outdoor recreation supports more employment throughout the state.  

The results are also broken down to the county level. For example, water-based recreation in Yavapai County generates $720 million in economic output and supports 4,500 jobs in the state. 

“This report provides significant insight into the economic benefits that the Verde River provides in terms of recreation for the City of Cottonwood and all of its Yavapai County neighbors who recognize and rely on this free-flowing Arizona river as a life-source and habitat, not just for the wildlife that the ̽����ѡ works so diligently to preserve, but for all of us who thrive along its banks,” said Cottonwood Mayor Ann Shaw. 

About ̽����ѡ  
The ̽����ѡ protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Incorporated in 1905, the ̽����ѡ is one of the oldest and most effective bird conservation organizations in the Western Hemisphere. ̽����ѡ works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. ̽����ѡ Southwest is the regional office of the ̽����ѡ covering Arizona and New Mexico. Learn more at  

Media Contact: Erika Flores, erika.flores@audubon.org