The Economic Impact of
Hunters in Concho County
Hunting is an important part of Texas culture and the Texas economy. The opportunity
to enjoy nature and wildlife, spend time with family and friends, and perhaps harvest a
trophy animal attracts hunters from across the state and US to rural counties in particular.
These hunters spend money on hunting fees, food, lodging, gasoline, retail purchases, and
other expenditures.
Concho County welcomes hunters by hosting the Concho County Hunters Dinner. In
2010, 45 volunteers worked to prepare food for 452 attendees. Event organizers surveyed
82 attendees about their hunting habits and expenditures. Ninety percent of respondents
reported hunting or lodging within Concho County. Seventy-nine percent of those
surveyed were non-local (not residents of Concho County). When local residents hunt, they
may be redirecting their expenditures from another local activity, although hunting at
home may prevent locals from spending money outside the county. Expenditures by nonlocals are new money in the county economy.
Table 1. Average spending by local, non-local, and all hunters in Concho County.
Category
Hunt fees
Food service
Auto expenses
Lodging
Retail
Miscellaneous items
Concho County Total
Overall Total
% of spending in
Concho County
Spending by
Local Hunters
$78.27
$23.72
$121.15
$23.08
$4.81
$251.03
$476.67
Spending by NonLocal Hunters
$366.33
$62.54
$94.49
$11.17
$72.66
$34.68
$641.87
$966.42
Spending by All
Hunters
$317.70
$55.98
$98.99
$9.28
$64.29
$29.64
$575.88
$883.73
52.7%
66.4%
65.2%
Table 1 shows the average reported spending of hunters in Concho County. The
average visiting hunter reported spending $641.87
annually or $390.85 more than a resident hunter in
Concho County. The average non-local hunter
spent an additional $324.55 outside Concho
County, for a total average annual hunting
expenditure of $966.42. The average local hunter
spent only $476.67 on hunting annually, including
$251.03 in Concho County. Across both local and
visiting hunters, the average reported hunting
expenditure in Concho County was $575.88.
However, direct spending by hunters is not the only benefit to the local economy. A
hunter’s direct expenditure at a local store, café, or hotel is multiplied as firms purchase
inputs (indirect effect) and pay employees who also make regional purchases (induced
effect). The total effect on employment, labor income, value added (contribution to gross
regional product), and output in the county is greater than the initial dollar spent. Of
course, some of the original expenditure leaks out of the regional economy, for example as
inventory is imported from other regions, employees commute from other regions, and
businesses and households pay state and federal taxes.
Table 2. Economic Impact of Non-Local Hunters to the Concho County Economy.
Direct Effect
Total Effect
Employment
7.8
8.5
Labor Income
$46,100
$61,900
Value Added
$74,700
$114,500
Output
$230,000
$294,700
Hunting by non-local game dinner attendees alone contributed 7.8 direct full- and
part-time jobs and $230,000 in gross sales (output) in Concho County (Table 2). Using the
IMPLAN modeling system (Minnesota IMPLAN Group, 2010, Hudson, WI), these visiting
hunters expenditures resulted in 8.5 jobs across the entire economy. The $294,700 in gross
sales generated across the economy included a $114,500 impact on gross regional
product (value added) and $61,900 in labor income. Labor income is a subset of value
added, which is part of output, so these figures cannot be summed.
Table 3. Economic Contribution of All Hunters to the Concho County Economy.
Direct Effect
Total Effect
Employment
8.8
9.6
Labor Income
$54,900
$72,600
Value Added
$88,900
$133,500
Output
$260,300
$332,800
Most survey respondents were Concho County residents. Although residents’ hunting
expenditures do not represent new economic activity, they do make a contribution to the
local economy. When local and non-local game dinner attendees’ expenditures were
combined, they supported 8.8 direct jobs and $260,300 in output in Concho County (Table
3). These overall expenditures contributed 9.6 jobs, $72,600 in labor income, $133,500 in
value added, and $332,800 in output across the entire economy annually.
Of course, these figures represent only the economic contributions of hunters
attending the game dinner. Hunting expenditures and economic contributions by all
hunters over the year are likely larger. The average hunter reported hunting 18.5 days over
the year. Most survey respondents (46.3%) leased hunting land, 35.4% owned their hunting
land, 34.1% visited hunting land as a guest or family member, and 2.4% hunted public
lands.
The average hunting party included 6.6 people, and the average survey respondent
traveled 170.3 miles to hunt or attend the game dinner. The most popular reason for
hunting in Concho County was spending time with family and friends (73.2% of survey
respondents). Seeing vast quantities of wildlife (43.9%) and enjoying the rural atmosphere
(42.7%) were other popular reasons for hunting in the county. The opportunity to harvest a
trophy animal was an important consideration for 24.4% of
respondents.
Rebekka Dudensing and Michael Palmer CED11-12
June 2011