News Release

Tourism to Yellowstone National Park contributes $828 million to local economy

Taking photos at the North Entrance

NPS / Neal Herbert

News Release Date: August 28, 2024

Contact: Morgan Warthin, [phone]

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – A new National Park Service report shows that 4.5 million visitors to Yellowstone National Park in 2023 spent $623 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 8,560 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $828 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.”  

The National Park Service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, 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 billion 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 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. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS website.
 
Learn more about national parks in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and how the National Park Service works with communities in these states to help preserve local history, conserve the environment and provide outdoor recreation.