Athletic women more affluent, educated, not just in urban centers
Not just occupying the New Yorks and San Franciscos of this country, athletically active women tend to be more affluent, more educated -- and spend an estimated $17 billion a year on active wear and other needed items for their pursuits.
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Not just occupying the New Yorks and San Franciscos of this country, athletically active women tend to be more affluent, more educated — and spend an estimated $17 billion a year on active wear and other needed items for their pursuits. These women, of which the most active group is 25 to 34 years old, tend to have professional, executive or managerial positions and have household incomes in excess of $60,000, according to data by Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI), illustrated in the October issue of American Demographics magazine.
MRI did a nationwide survey of 26,109 women, 18 and older, and American Demographics used 100 standard measures to determine that the areas with the most active women are: Boulder Country, Colo.; Dakota County, Minn.; Collin Country, Texas; Contra Costa County, Calif.; and Montgomery County, Md. In each of those areas, women were spending anywhere from $27 to $89 more than the average spent in various categories including equipment for water sports, fitness, biking and winter sports, as well as recreation and sports. Especially noteworthy was the conglomeration of such women in a chain of California coastal counties from San Diego to San Francisco, in bedroom communities from central Virginia’s horse country to the wetlands and wilderness of Maine, and in a cluster of counties in the Rocky Mountains.
SNEWS View: Well, interesting, of course. But surprising? Not really. Of course those women (heck, men too) will gravitate to live in areas near where they can pursue their sports and fitness interests. California, that doesn’t take brain surgery to figure out with the coast’s water sports and the mountain’s winter pursuits and other hiking and fitness opportunities in between, as well as just plain great surroundings to live in you like such things. Rocky Mountains? Makes sense with the mountain playground there, too. And it’s clear that these women who live in these areas will not only go outside to play and for fitness, but will also wander indoors into gyms and yoga centers to complement all of their interests.
