National parks’ economic impact
Quick, would you rather visit Zion National Park or Disney's Magic Kingdom? Well, assuming your a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) the entrance fee for Mickey will run you about $700/day. Zion? $35 for the entire car (good for seven days). And apparently the Parks are running out of money.
Since people are flocking to the National Parks, and spending a sheetload of money, perhaps the Federales might consider charging more? Sorry, what was I thinking. That would require a little business savy. Oops. My bad!
National parks’ economic impact
USA Facts
Sep 9,2026
Many people spent the unofficial end of summer at one of the US's many national parks. But while a camping trip can be an opportunity to unplug, national park visitors don’t just take in the scenery — they spend money, and that spending flows into the towns and counties near each park. In 2024, 332 million visitors spent a record high in those nearby communities, supporting jobs and local businesses beyond the park gates.
Adjusted for inflation, 2024’s $29.0 billion was the highest visitor spending total in more than a decade of data, surpassing the previous high of $27.2 billion in 2023.
Visitors spent the most at/around Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2024: $2.0 billion. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area garnered the second-most spending, $1.7 billion, and Blue Ridge Parkway garnered $1.5 billion. Spending at the rest of the top 10 ranged from $612.0 million to $905.3 million.
Top 10 national parks by visitor spending
Lodging was the largest visitor expense, accounting for 38.3% ($11.1 billion) of 2024 spending. Restaurants were next, at an estimated $5.7 billion. Spending on gas, recreation, transportation, and retail each drew $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion. Groceries generated $1.9 billion and camping generated $610 million.
National park visitor spending helped sustain 340,100 jobs and $18.8 billion in wages, with California accounting for the most jobs (35,683) and North Carolina second (25,824). About 60% of those jobs were for businesses that serve visitors directly. The remaining 40% were secondary effect jobs created by the local economy. For example, a local tour guide (a direct job) spends money at a nearby restaurant, helping sustain a waitstaff position (a secondary effect job).
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