Visitors, Money and Jobs

Date: February 28, 2012
Contact: Ann Honious, 314-655-1600

St. Louis, MO - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that more than 2,436,000 visitors in 2010 spent almost $98.5 million visiting Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. That spending supported more than 1,300 jobs in the St. Louis area.

"National parks have always been assets to their communities, both for the unique heritage they preserve and their economic benefit" said park superintendent Tom Bradley. "Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a national icon, plays an important role in the St. Louis economy." Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of two sites in downtown St. Louis: the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse.

The figures are based on $12 billion of direct spending by 281 million visitors in 394 national parks and nearby communities and are included in an annual, peer-reviewed, visitor spending analysis conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

Across the U.S, local visitor spending added a total of $31 billion to the national economy and supported more than 258,000 jobs, an increase of $689 million and 11,500 jobs over 2009.

Most of the spending/jobs are related to lodging, food, and beverage service (52 percent) followed by other retail (29 percent), entertainment/amusements (10 percent), gas and local transportation (7 percent) and groceries (2 percent).

To download the report visit https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click on Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll,
2010.

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state. For more on how the NPS is working within Missouri, go to www.nps.gov/missouri.