Grazing

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Railroad Valley Oil Well, Battle Mountain NV



BLM>Socioeconomic Impacts>Grazing

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Socioeconomic Impacts from Grazing

Grazing on BLM lands made possible the introduction of $768 million worth of feed, fiber, and livestock into the market. Overall, BLM-administered lands provided $1.4 billion in grazing-related benefits and supported nearly 17,000 jobs in Fiscal Year 2011. This table provides employment and economic output in each state. Economic output data are in millions of dollars.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
Energy
Recreation
Timber
Grazing

State	Employment		Output ($million)
	Direct	Total	Direct	Total
Alaska	—	—	—	—
Arizona	677	912	25.8	52.4
California	217	515	25.6	65.8
Colorado	467	842	46.1	94.1
Eastern States	—	—	—	—
Idaho	1,844	2,898	146.8	274.6
Kansas	—	—	—	—
Montana	1,417	2,220	98.9	184.9
Nebraska	1	1	<0.1	0.1
Nevada	939	1,342	83.3	132.2
New Mexico	1,929	2,566	99.9	173.3
North Dakota	10	16	0.9	1.5
Oklahoma	—	—	<0.1	<0.1
Oregon	1,416	2,145	68.4	139.7
South Dakota	137	183	7.7	13.2
Texas	—	—	—	—
Utah	1,258	1,650	57.2	104.7
Washington	78	122	3.2	8.4
Wyoming	1,036	1,543	103.8	165.8
Sum of States	11,426	16,954	767.7	1,410.8
National¹	11,426	16,954	767.7	1,410.8

¹National grazing impacts cannot be calculated due to technical limitations. Statewide totals are substituted.

About These Numbers

Data in the "Direct" column are an estimate of the BLM's economic contribution to local economies in terms of employment and other economic benefits directly associated with BLM-managed lands and resources. These benefits might be associated with river guides and other recreation outfitters, for example. Data in the "Total" column for each category of BLM activity demonstrate the agency's impacts, including indirect and induced benefits with, for instance, companies that manufacture outdoor gear and local service businesses in gateway communities.

National numbers may be larger than the sum of individual state numbers because the national number accounts for activity across state lines. For example, machinery production in California might be used to support mining activity in Wyoming. Employment benefits reflect an annual average for full- and part-time private sector jobs. Table totals may not add exactly, because of rounding. The data are preliminary and are subject to change based on further review.

Available for Download

A PDF version of data from BLM's 2012 report, “A Sound Investment for America,” is available for download by clicking this link. In addition, the Department of the Interior has an economic report that incorporates economic data on hardrock minerals that are not included in the BLM report. You can also download the BLM's 2011 report by clicking this link.