A newly released economic impact study conducted by Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports and CRO Planning & Design shows that Vermont Adaptive contributes more than $10.3 million annually to Vermont’s economy while supporting 72 jobs and generating $1.8 million in state, local, and federal tax revenue.
The study, conducted throughout 2025 and completed in December, measured the direct and ripple effects of Vermont Adaptive’s operations, programs and major events across the state. The analysis examined organizational spending, participant and volunteer spending related to winter and summer programs, and two of the organization’s largest annual events plus an additional fundraising event.
“This study confirms what we see every day in our programs and through the participants who recreate with us,” said Jeff Alexander, director of strategic partners and business development. “Adaptive recreation doesn’t just change lives. It supports jobs, strengthens local businesses and plays a meaningful role in Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.”
While Vermont has long measured the economic value of outdoor recreation, little data has existed on the economic impact of adaptive and accessible recreation, despite nearly one in three Vermonters living in a household affected by disability.
The study was designed to close that gap by quantifying how people participating in adaptive sports, specifically Vermont Adaptive’s programs — along with their families, travel companions and volunteers — contribute to Vermont’s economy through lodging, dining, retail, transportation, and other spending.
The analysis was conducted using IMPLAN, a nationally recognized economic modeling system commonly used by state agencies, universities, and policymakers to evaluate economic activity. IMPLAN measures not only direct spending, but also the indirect and induced effects that occur as dollars circulate through local economies.
Researchers analyzed three years of Vermont Adaptive organizational spending, along with visitor spending surveys collected in 2025 from program participants, volunteers, and event attendees across the state. Surveys captured spending on lodging, food, transportation, retail and other categories, allowing researchers to estimate how participation in Vermont Adaptive programs translates into economic activity for local businesses and communities.
According to the study:
Vermont Adaptive adds $10.3 million in total economic output to Vermont each year.
The organization supports 72 jobs statewide, including 17 of its own employees and 55 jobs supported indirectly.
Vermont Adaptive contributes $6.1 million to Vermont’s gross domestic product, accounting for nearly 0.3% of the state’s entire outdoor recreation GDP.
Every dollar Vermont Adaptive spends generates more than $1 of additional economic activity across the state.
Each job directly supported by Vermont Adaptive helps support roughly half an additional job elsewhere in the Vermont economy.
Winter programming generated the largest economic impact, contributing $3.6 million annually, driven largely by overnight travel, lodging and lift ticket purchases. Summer programs contributed nearly $491,000, while major events such as the Vermont 100 and the Vermont 50 Endurance Races generated $2.6 million in economic output over just a few days each year.
The study found that the greatest economic benefits flow directly to local businesses, including lodging and accommodations, restaurants and breweries, grocery and retail stores, gas stations, and sporting goods shops.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Vermont Adaptive on this first-of-its-kind economic impact study,” said Drew Pollak-Bruce, founder and principal for CRO Planning & Design. “For too long, people with disabilities and adaptive recreation organizations have been missing from the data that drives funding, policy, and investment decisions. This work helps level the playing field by ensuring the adaptive recreation community has access to the same high-quality economic information that other recreation sectors rely on. We hope this study sets a precedent for how equity in outdoor recreation is measured and valued moving forward.”
Funding for the Vermont Adaptive Economic Impact Study was provided through a grant from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Collaborative, which supports projects that strengthen Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy and expand access to outdoor opportunities for all.
Outdoor recreation contributes approximately $2.1 billion annually to Vermont’s economy according to VOREC’s 2025 annual report. Based on statewide participation and disability data, researchers estimate that adaptive and accessible recreation could represent hundreds of millions of dollars of that total.
“This report shows that inclusion is not only a social value, but an economic one,” said Alexander. “Investing in access benefits everyone.”
For more information, visit: vermontadaptive.org.