Summertime invites us to get outdoors. The long, warm days beckon us by their very nature to leave our air-conditioned comfort and enjoy the sunshine. In this modern age, when screens exert their own gravity and fear of the unsafe invades our everyday lives, Americans still get outside more often than ever before — but spend less time there overall. Something is changing in our relationship with the world beyond our doors. Why is that? And what are we missing out on? Here’s the Breakdown.
One-fourth as hardcore
A record 80 percent of people practiced sports or fitness in 2023. Pickleball has exploded, growing fivefold from 2018 to 2024. Skateboarding isn’t far behind, with more than 3,900 skateparks and wheels-on-concrete in all 50 states. But the number of outdoor outings per person fell to 62.5 in 2023, down from 70.5 the year before. And the rate of “core participants” — devotees who practiced a certain sport at least 50 times a year — dropped about two-thirds from 2013 to 2023, landing at just over 10 percent.
331,863,358 visitors
More of us visited national parks than ever in 2024, led by 12 million at the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee and five million at Zion National Park in Utah. More commonly, 82 percent of Americans spent time at a local park, playground, dog park or other open space; 53 percent hiked, biked or walked a trail; a third played basketball, golf, tennis and other sports with friends; and 31 percent hit a swimming pool.
A 13-Figure Investment
Americans spent over $1 trillion on outdoor recreation in 2022, another record. That bought tents and sleeping bags, bug spray, fishing rods and lures, outboard motors, scooters and bike helmets, soccer cleats and archery classes. Children from wealthy families are more likely to spend time outdoors than lower-income kids, and twice as likely to play sports. Some 20,000 summer camps generate $70 billion a year.
8-10 minutes of sunlight
Researchers recommend enough midday summer sunlight for the body to produce a healthy dose of vitamin D3 to fuel our hearts, muscles, bones, immune systems and mental health. The “sunshine vitamin” is produced by a chemical reaction when sunlight falls on human skin, though it’s also found in salmon, beef, egg yolk and supplements. Getting outside — especially in nature — also helps us to sleep, breathe and exercise better. It’s even good for our mood and overall mental health.
3x screen time
Kids age 8 to 12 spent three times as many weekly hours looking at screens than going outdoors, according to one study from 2017. Researchers have found links to improved well-being and better attention spans among people who deleted the internet from their phones for two weeks. Experts recommend a “summer screen time plan” to help children to disconnect. Rather than limiting electronics, some recommend a minimum amount of time off screens.
100 million ballgames
More than 71 million fans attended Major League Baseball games in 2024, the most in seven years; 31 million more watched minor league teams, like the Charleston Dirty Birds, Modesto Nuts and Salt Lake Bees. Twice as many music festivals take place in the summertime, from Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza to Kilby Block Party. Roughly 4 in 10 Americans visit a farmers market like the one at Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park at least six times a year.
200,000 ER visits
That’s how many kids end up at the hospital each year for treatment of broken bones, concussions and other playground injuries. Parents should also monitor their exposure to sunlight, especially during peak hours. About 33,000 people visit the emergency room yearly for severe sunburns. Five “blistering burns” in childhood raise the chances of eventually developing melanoma by about 80 percent.
This story appears in the June 2025 issue of DeseretMagazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.