WASHINGTON - A new National Park Service (NPS) report for 2014 shows that the spending of nearly 38 million visitors to national parks in the National Capital Region resulted in 14,957 jobs and contributed more than $1.4 billion to the region’s economy.
“The national parks in the greater Washington area attract visitors from across the country and around the world," Regional Director Bob Vogel said. “Whether they are out for their daily walk or jog, a school field trip, or a family vacation, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up spending a little money along the way. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy - returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service - and a big factor in this region’s economy as well."
The study, a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis, was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber, and economist Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported more than 277,000 jobs nationally, with more than 235,600 jobs found in these gateway communities, and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $29.7 billion.
According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (30.6 percent) followed by food and beverage (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs (9.9 percent).
National Parks in the National Capital Region
Visitation (2014)
Economic Benefit ($ thousands)
Jobs Supported
Antietam National Battlefield
337,080
$25, 738.1
274
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
671,638
$51,081.3
537
Catoctin Mountain Park
188,170
$14,592.2
150
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
5,066,219
$130,497.5
1,381
Clara Barton National Historic Site
20,028
$1,528.1
14
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
655,441
$16,795.9
172
Fort Washington Park
466,078
$35,176.2
367
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
2,938,238
$75,293.3
775
Frederick Douglas National Historic Site
45,492
$1,163.8
11
George Washington Memorial Parkway
7,472,150
$66,695.2
854
Greenbelt Park
132,688
$10,496.1
107
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
261,203
$17,919
192
Korean War Veterans Memorial
3,767,287
$96,538
992
Lincoln Memorial
7,139,073
$182,941.1
1,882
Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac
254,168
$19,330.7
203
Manassas National Battlefield Park
514,139
$38,938
408
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
3,199,136
$81,978.9
842
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
9,295
$238.2
3
Monocacy National Battlefield
56,187
$6,278.9
65
National Capital Parks - East
1,311,995
$34,049.6
352
National Mall & Memorial Parks (National Capital Parks - Central - see some monuments and memorial listed separately)
1,999,231
$51,281.3
528
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
54,035
$1,384.7
13
Piscataway Park
109,472
$8,263.4
85
President's Park (White House)
1,293,315
$33,141.6
340
Prince William Forest Park
315,072
$23,403.6
237
Rock Creek Park
2,437,948
$62,654.2
645
Theodore Roosevelt Island
146,500
$11,142
117
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
2,708,607
$69,408.9
713
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
4,403,467
$112,840.3
1,160
Washington Monument (re-opened May 2014)
423,170
$10,843.9
110
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
388,283
$29,647.4
314
Wolf War II Memorial
4,230,793
$108,415.4
1114
TOTAL
53,015,598
$1,403,959
14,957
National Parks (including parks beyond the National Capital Region)
Visitation (2014)
Economic Benefit ($ Millions)
Jobs Supported
District of Columbia
37,701,217
$727.3
6,681
Maryland
6,815,197
$293.4
3,171
Virginia
22,870,532
$1,255.3
14,753
West Virginia
1,541,807
$75.1
1,015
To download the reportvisit https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.
The report includes information for visitor spending by park and by state.
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people
so that all may experience our heritage.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
