Six current U.S. figures that show the scale of wildlife-focused travel, each linked to its original public source.
Last updated October 23, 2026
Wildlife watching, birding, and time in national parks all bring people closer to the places and subjects they care about.
This reference brings together a small set of directly relevant, primary-source figures for writers, educators, travel planners, and anyone tracking the wildlife travel audience. Each statistic names its measurement year and links to the agency that reported it.
Figures are presented as reported by their original sources. Links open the source material in a new tab.
This estimate covers U.S. residents age 16 and older who participated in wildlife watching, including observing and photographing wildlife.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching in the United States ↗These away-from-home participants took trips specifically to watch wildlife, a useful measure of the travel-oriented audience.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching in the United States ↗The figure includes equipment, travel, food, lodging, transportation, and related goods and services for wildlife watching.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching in the United States ↗The Fish and Wildlife Service reports that birding reached 37% of the U.S. population age 16 and older.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Birdwatching in America, based on 2022 survey data ↗At least 44% of U.S. birders traveled one mile or more to bird, showing how closely birding and travel are linked.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Birdwatching in America, based on 2022 survey data ↗The National Park Service reported more than 323 million recreation visits in 2025, including more than 13 million overnight stays.
Source: National Park Service, 2025 visitation statistics ↗Natural Exposures compiled this page from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. The wildlife watching and birding figures are based on 2022 survey data. The national park figure is the National Park Service's 2025 visitation report.
This page is reviewed regularly. Figures are updated when the source agency publishes a newer comparable measure.
Suggested citation: Natural Exposures, Wildlife Watching and Birding Travel Statistics, updated October 23, 2026, https://naturalexposures.com/wildlife-watching-statistics.
When citing an individual figure, link directly to its numbered section and include the original agency source named with it.