The peer-reviewed spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows that nationwide more than 318 million park visitors spent $20.2 billion in communities located within 60 miles of a national park. That spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion.
The report authors also produced 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 at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm
To learn more about national parks in North Dakota and how the National Park Service works with communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/NORTHDAKOTA
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
