I have been working in and around the camping industry for 8 years now. 5 summers working directly at camps and 3 seasons in the international staffing world, which in camp life, is just a drop in the ocean.
I have had the privilege of visiting over 150 camps through my years and have been able to experience the unique elements that each camp has. I have known the camp industry is large, but I recently came across the ACA Facts and Trends page and wanted to share some info on how big the industry is:
National Data and Statistics
- Camp is an $18 billion industry. (2015 ACA Business Operations Report)
- More than 14,000 day and resident camps exist in the U.S. 8,400 are resident (overnight) and 5,600 are day camps. (2017 ACA Sites, Facilities, Programs Report)
- Each year more than 14 million children and adults attend camp in the U.S. (2013 ACA Camp Compensation and Benefits Report)
- Camps employ more than 1.5 million camp staff to work in various camp positions. (2013 ACA Camp Compensation and Benefits Report)
Here is the link to the rest of the site: https://www.acacamps.org/press-room/aca-facts-trends
With everything that is currently going on in the world, we are a very strong community of people that all strive for the same thing, to support and advance the camping world. I, for one, am grateful and proud to be a part of that community.
Yours in Camping,
Adam