A new National Park Service report shows that 845,000 visitors to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in 2023 spent $56.6 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 695 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $81.6 million.
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
“People come to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park exploring the history and memory of the American Civil War and end up supporting the U.S. and local economies along the way,” Park Superintendent Lewis Rogers stated.
The 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report finds that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. The restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.
An interactive tool is available on the NPS website to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data.
