CARLSBAD, N.M. — New Mexico’s multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened and visitation surged.

A study from the Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked New Mexico as 27th in the nation for outdoor recreation’s contribution to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, with about 2% of the state’s GDP coming from the industry.

Montana was ranked first with outdoor recreation accounting for about 4% of its GDP, also supporting 26,000 jobs, the study read, and $1.12 billion in wages.

In total New Mexico’s outdoor recreation activities contributed about $2.07 billion to the state’s GDP of about $95 billion, records show, supporting 26,000 jobs and $1.04 billion in wages.

In 2019, the industry provided about 33,000 jobs, and 31 in 2018, the report read.

Last year was the first since 2012 that New Mexico’s outdoor recreation jobs fell below 30,000, read the study.

Tourism including hotels and food service made up the most jobs last year at 10,000, followed by 8,000 in retail trade.