The Economic Impact of
Hunters in Sterling 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.
Sterling County welcomes hunters by hosting the Sterling County Annual Hunters’
Appreciation Dinner. In 2010, 50 volunteers helped to prepare food and offer a welcoming
experience including more than $13,800 in prizes. Approximately 450 people attended the
event. Event organizers surveyed 91 attendees about their hunting habits and
expenditures. Almost three quarters of respondents reported hunting within Sterling County.
Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed were non-local (not residents of Sterling 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 non-locals are new money in the county economy.
Table 1. Average spending by local, non-local, and all hunters in Sterling County.
Category
Hunt fees
Food service
Auto expenses
Lodging
Retail
Miscellaneous items
Sterling County Total
Overall Total
% of spending in
Sterling County
Spending by NonLocal Hunters
$1,399.36
$77.06
$126.25
$12.69
$54.31
$27.04
$1,696.72
$2,016.51
84.1%
Spending by All
Hunters
$1,284.14
$70.71
$117.03
$11.65
$49.84
$28.44
$1,561.81
$1,855.27
84.2%
Table 1 shows the average reported
spending of hunters in Sterling County. The
average visiting hunter spent $1,696.72 annually in
Sterling County and an additional $319.80 outside
Sterling County, for a total average annual
hunting expenditure of $2,016.51. Hunters from
outside the county made 84.1% of their hunting
within the county. Dinner attendees who were
hunting or lodging in Sterling County reported
spending more in the county than those with
other hunting locations ($1,816.16 versus
$1,392.67). Several dinner attendees reported hunting in surrounding counties.
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 Sterling County Economy.
Direct Effect
Total Effect
Employment
1.2
2.6
Labor Income
$36,500
$68,700
Value Added
$57,100
$155,800
Output
$641,900
$807,500
Hunting by non-local game dinner attendees alone contributed 1.2 direct full- and
part-time jobs and $641,900 in gross sales (output) in Sterling County (Table 2). Using the
IMPLAN modeling system (Minnesota IMPLAN Group, 2010, Hudson, WI), these visiting
hunters expenditures resulted in 2.6 jobs across the entire economy. The $807,500 in gross
sales generated across the economy included a $155,800 impact on gross regional
product (value added) and $68,700 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 Sterling County Economy.
Direct Effect
Total Effect
Employment
1.2
2.6
Labor Income
$37,900
$71,100
Value Added
$59,300
$161,100
Output
$662,300
$833,100
Although residents’ hunting expenditures do not represent new economic activity,
they do make a contribution to the local economy. Assuming a representative sample of
all attendees, just over 10% of dinner attendees were locals. When local and non-local
game dinner attendees’ expenditures were combined, they supported 1.2 direct jobs and
$662,300 in output in Sterling County (Table 3). These overall expenditures contributed 2.6
jobs, $71,100 in labor income, $161,100 in value added, and $833,100 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. Futhermore, several Sterling County residents did not
identify their hunting expenditures so local spending is likely larger than estimated here. The
average attendee reported hunting 27 days over the year. Most survey respondents
(68.1%) leased hunting land, 28.6% visited hunting land as a guest or family member, and
25.3%% owned their hunting land. The average traveling party included 6.3 people, and
the average survey respondent traveled 186 miles to attend the game dinner. The most
popular reason for hunting in Sterling County was spending time with family and friends
(39.6% of survey respondents). The opportunity to harvest a
trophy animal was an important consideration for 31.9% of
respondents.
Rebekka Dudensing and Chad Coburn
CED11-09
June 2011