News Release

Tourism to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace contributes over $25 Million to local economy. Report shows visitor spending supports 266 jobs in nearby communities.

Date: August 21, 2023
Contact: Stacy Humphreys, [phone]

HODGENVILLE, KY – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 265,707 visitors to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in 2022 spent $17,545,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 266 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $25,544,000.

“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year. The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

“People come to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park to see the only spot in the world where our 16th President was born,” said Acting Superintendent Scott Powell. “We recognize that this tourism is a critical driver to the local economy, bringing 266 jobs and over $25 Million in revenue to communities within 60 miles of the park.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service. The report shows $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 378,400 jobs nationally; 314,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $50.3 billion.

As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.

Report authors also produce 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: Visitor Spending Effects - Economic Contributions of National Park Visitor Spending - Social Science (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

To learn more about national parks in Kentucky and how the National Park Service works with Kentucky communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/KENTUCKY.

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.