AbstractThe increasing proportion of the population which lives and works in metropolitan areas is a primary factor in the growing demand for recreation. Recreation research concerning the allocation of land and water to meet more fully the demand for water‐oriented outdoor recreation is of increasing importance as population increases. The model developed here allows appraisal of nonprice information needed by private and government decision makers in planning for recreational uses of land and water. It permits projections of recreation participation for a population of a metropolitan area by utilizing changes in the socioeconomic composition of the population as well as its size.