Tourism to Yellowstone creates $560 million in economic benefits - NPS
News Release
Tourism to Yellowstone creates $560 million in economic benefits
Report shows visitor spending supports 6,110 jobs in local economy
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
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Contact: Morgan Warthin, (307) 344-2015
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – A new National Park Service (NPS) report
shows that 3.8 million people to Yellowstone National Park in 2020 spent
over $444 million in communities near the park. That spending supported
6,110 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local
economy of $560 million.
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists
with the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report shows $14.5
billion of direct spending by more than 237 million park visitors in
communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported
234,000 jobs nationally; 194,400 of those jobs are found in these
gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was
$28.6 billion.
Looking at the economics of visitor spending nationally, the lodging
sector had the highest direct effects, with $5 billion in economic
output. The restaurant sector had the second greatest effects, with $3
billion in economic output. Visitor spending on lodging supported more
than 43,100 jobs and more than 45,900 jobs in restaurants. Visitor
spending in the recreation industries supported more than 18,100 jobs
and spending in retail supported more than 14,300 jobs.
Report authors also produce an interactive tool that enables users to
explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added and output
effects by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can
also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are
available on the NPS Social Science Program webpage.
Check the National Park Service’s webpages about Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
to see how the agency works with communities in these states to help
preserve local history, conserve the environment and provide outdoor
recreation.
Editor’s note: In 2020, the park closed on March 24 due to COVID-19. The two Wyoming entrances reopened on May 18 followed by the three Montana entrances on June 1.