This Is the State Where Over Half of the Population Fishes

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24/7 Wall St. Insights

• Fishing is now one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United States
• There are millions of licensed anglers nationwide, and in one state, over half of the population fish
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Public interest in outdoor recreation has surged in recent years. According to the Outdoor Industry Association , a market research group, nearly 176 million Americans participated in at least one outdoor sport or activity in 2023, up from about 140 million a decade earlier. From jogging and cycling to mountaineering and kayaking, there are dozens of ways for Americans to enjoy the outdoors -- but few activities are as popular today as fishing.

An estimated 18.2% of Americans aged six and older went fishing at least once in 2023, the second highest participation rate of any outdoor activity included in the OIA survey, trailing only hiking. Meanwhile, the number of licensed anglers in the U.S. recently hit an all-time high. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, there were 32.2 million paid fishing license holders in the U.S. in 2021, more than in any other year going back to the mid-1960s, when record keeping began. Though that number fell to 31.0 million in 2022, participation in fishing remains at a historically high level.

Fishing's popularity is attributable, in part, to its accessibility. The United States has more than 95,000 miles of shoreline along oceans and the Great Lakes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- and with over 3.5 million miles of rivers and tributaries nationwide, most of the population lives within a mile of a river or stream. Still, fishing is far more popular in certain parts of the country than in others.

Using 2022 data from the U.S. FWS , 24/7 Wall St. identified the states where the most people fish. States are ranked by the number of paid fishing license holders for every 100 people, calculated using population data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey.

Among the 50 states, the number of paid fishing license holders ranges from about 3,400 to nearly 2 million. Adjusting for population, the concentration of license holders is less than 5 for every 100 people in some states, and more than 40 per 100 in others.

Between fly fishing, ice fishing, angling from a dock, and trolling from a boat, there are many different ways to fish, and some parts of the country are better suited to certain activities than others. Partially as a result, many of the highest ranking states on this list do not have a shoreline along an ocean or a Great Lake -- including several land-locked Western states where fly fishing is especially popular. (Here is a look at some of the biggest fish ever caught by state. )

It is important to note that fishing regulations vary at the state and local level, and in some states, such as Hawaii, fishing does not necessarily require a license. As a result, the number of paid license holders in a given state can be a more accurate reflection of the regulatory environment, rather than public interest in the sport.

Why It Matters

Not only a popular pastime, fishing is also big business in the United States. According to the FWS, the 50 states reported a combined $898 million in fishing license, tag, permit, and stamp sales in 2022. All told, Americans spent a reported $99.4 billion on fishing in 2022, including $36.6 billion in trip related expenditures and another $40.7 billion on equipment.

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