NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, is reporting that the total economic impact of the firearm and ammunition industry in the U.S. increased from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $91.7 billion in 2024, a 379 percent increase, while the total number of full-time equivalent jobs rose from approximately 166,000 to over 383,000, a 130 percent increase over that period.

The NSSF said the industry’s economic impact rose to $91.7 billion in 2024 from $90.5 billion in 2023.

“The firearm industry has broader impacts throughout the economy,” the NSSF said in a media release. “It supports and generates business for firms seemingly unrelated to firearms at a time when every job in America counts. These are real people, with real jobs, working in industries as varied as banking, retail, accounting, metalworking, and printing, among others.”

The firearms and ammunition industry paid nearly $11 billion in business taxes, including property, income and sales-based levies. It also paid and additional $886 million in federal excise taxes, directly contributing to wildlife conservation.

“Our industry is a vital economic contributor to every state and every community. These are companies employing men and women from all walks of life, and they prove daily that the American firearm and ammunition industry is strong,” said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. “This industry proudly provides the means for law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Our industry enables Americans to engage in the American traditions of recreational target shooting and hunting, and we are the primary source of wildlife conservation funding in America.”

Bartozzi said the growth of the firearm industry equals more jobs that add to local economies, averaging $68,300 in wages and benefits, up from $67,500 reported last year. Since 2008, federal business tax payments have increased by 340 percent, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes that support wildlife conservation by 152 percent, and state business taxes by 238 percent.

The annual Firearm and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report provides a state-by-state breakdown of job numbers, wages and output covering direct, supplier and induced employment, including Federal excise taxes paid.

Access the full report here.

Image courtesy Garmin