Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

Insights on Agritourism Among Pennsylvania Producers: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey

According to the Agricultural Census (2022), Pennsylvania has 821 agricultural operators that receive income from agritourism and recreational activities. This number has grown by 8 percent from 751 in the 2017 census. This report presents findings from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey, with a specific focus on Pennsylvania producers. The online survey was open from March through August 2024, and 2,139 agritourism operators across the United States responded. A total of 201 survey responses came from Pennsylvania farms. This represents 9.4% of all responses.

Update (9/28/2026): This report is currently unavailable and will be restored soon.

Authors: Claudia Schmidt, Jason Entsminger, Sarah Cornelisse, and Jackie Schweichler

Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: September 17, 2026

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief

Agritourism in the United States: State and National Factsheets

Data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture

Based on the 2022 Agricultural Census data obtained through a special request from Penn State University, these fact sheets provide comprehensive insights into the demographics of farms that offer agritourism and direct sales services in each state. Fact sheets are organized by geographic region.

Contributors: Claudia Schmidt, Penn State; Yuan (Timothy) Zhuang (Research Assistant), Penn State; Lisa Chase, University of Vermont; Jason Entsminger, University of Maine; Stacy Tomas, Texas A&M; Stephan Geotz, NERCRD and Penn State; Sarah Cornelisse, Penn State; Kristen Devlin, NERCRD and Penn State; Chadley Hollas (Cultivating Tourism)

Authors: Schmidt, C., Zhuang, Y., Chase, L., Entsminger, J., Tomas, S., Goetz, S. J., Cornelisse, S., & Devlin, K.

Publication: Published by Penn State Extension Date Published: July 24, 2026

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief

Insights on Agritourism Among South Carolina Producers: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey

According to the 2022 Agricultural Census, South Carolina has 516 agritourism operators spread across its counties. This report presents findings from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey, with a specific focus on South Carolina producers. The online survey was open from March through August 2024, and 2,139 agritourism operators across the United States responded. A total of 63 survey responses came from South Carolina farms. This represents 2.9% of all responses.

Authors: R. David Lamie, Will C. Culler, Claudia Schmidt, Jason S. Entsminger, Sarah Cornelisse, Jackie Schweichler

Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: July 20, 2026

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief, data brief

Exploring sustainable tourism indicators (STIs) for the U.S. with secondary data

In this article, the researchers propose using secondary data to develop a novel composite sustainable tourism indicator while also addressing advantages and limitations of the survey-based approaches used in Europe to measure sustainability in tourism. They apply this indicator to recreation-dependent U.S. counties and find that while some counties improve across multiple sustainability dimensions, others experience inconsistent trends, highlighting the complex relationships between tourism development and local community well-being.

Authors: Luyi Han, Stephan Goetz, Doug Arbogast, and Daniel Eades

Publication: Tourism Economics Date Published: May 22, 2026

Fostering Sustainable Growth in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest

The Allegheny National Forest region offers significant potential for sustainable tourism growth by balancing environmental protection and economic development. Researchers from West Virginia University and Penn State and their local collaborators drew on the perspectives of ANF visitors and residents in a survey conducted in 2024. This article shares key findings from the survey.

Authors: Claudia Schmidt, Douglas Arbogast, Jinyang Deng, and Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Penn State Extension Date Published: June 25, 2025

Tags: outdoor recreation, tourism, TRIP

Insights on Agritourism Among Producers in Western U.S. States: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey

This report presents findings from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey. A total of 136 survey participants identified themselves as being in a Western region states by reporting the postal (ZIP) code of their farm. (To access the national-level findings, visit this page.) This survey is part of a larger project aimed at defining and enhancing the agritourism support system in the United States.

Authors: Jason Entsminger, Claudia Schmidt, Sarah Cornelisse, and Jackie Schweichler

Publication: NERCRD Research Brief Date Published: June 3, 2025

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief, data brief

Insights on Agritourism Among Maine Producers: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey

This report presents Maine-specific findings from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey, conducted in part to address the type of knowledge gaps just identified. The online survey was open from March through August 2024, and 2,139 agritourism operators across the United States responded. A total of 94 survey participants identified themselves as being in Maine by reporting the postal (ZIP) code of their farm.

Authors: Jason Entsminger (University of Maine); Claudia Schmidt (Penn State and NERCRD); Sarah Cornelisse and Jackie Schweichler (Penn State)

Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: May 2, 2025

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief, data brief, survey

Insights on Agritourism Among US Producers: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey 

This report presents findings from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey. This survey is part of a larger project aimed at defining and enhancing the agritourism support system in the United States. The primary objective of conducting this survey was to identify areas where targeted interventions and programs can support agritourism development across the country.

Authors: Claudia Schmidt (Penn State and NERCRD), Jason Entsminger (University of Maine), Sarah Cornelisse and Jackie Schweichler (Penn State)

Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: April 21, 2025

Tags: agritourism, agritourism data brief, data brief, survey

Insights and oversights: Behind the data on agritourism and direct sales in the United States

Abstract: Agritourism is growing worldwide as farmers and ranchers seek alternative sources of revenue, and consumer demand for agricultural experiences is on the rise. Understanding this sector is important for policymakers, researchers, agricultural service providers, and others seeking to support farm viability and rural entrepreneurship. However, in the U.S., this support is hampered by the lack of a clear definition and consistent, comprehensive means for measuring the agritourism sector. To illustrate the limitations, we highlight cases from two U.S. states (Texas and Vermont), where different forms of agritourism are present.

Authors: Chadley R. Hollas, Claudia Schmidt, Zheng Tian, Stephan J. Goetz, and Lisa Chase

Publication: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Date Published: August 26, 2024

Tags: agritourism

Land-Grant University Capacity to Support Recreation Economies in National Forest Gateway Communities

This report was developed by Doug Arbogast, Rural Tourism Specialist, West Virginia University Extension Service, with support from the Extension Foundation, Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs), and the members of the National Extension Outdoor Recreation Working Group (NEORWG). It describes findings from an assessment conducted in 2024 of the capacity of Land Grant Universities to provide both Extension and research support for the development of recreation economies, and to determine the places in each RRDC region best positioned to deploy resources for program implementation. Arbogast’s analysis also includes two map resources:

• A data dashboard showing USDA RD investments already made in counties that contain a national forest.
• A map designed to identify opportunities for USDA Partnerships (Extension, Forest Service, and Rural Development) to support the development of recreation economies in gateway communities to U.S. National Forests. This map’s layers include Land Grant institutions that responded to the recreation economy survey, USDA Rural Development locations, USDA Forest Service locations, National Forest gateway communities, and regions served by the National Extension Tourism Network and the RRDCs.

Authors: Doug Arbogast, West Virginia University

Publication: Published by Extension Foundation and NERCRD Date Published: September 20, 2024

Tags: neorwg, NET, outdoor recreation