News Release

Sandburg Home Creates $5.3 Million in Economic Benefits

Date: May 24, 2019
Contact: Superintendent

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that in 2018, 72,048 visitors to Carl Sandburg Home NHS in 2018 spent $4.3 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 62 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $5,346,000.

“North Carolina has 10 national park units. Our state ranks second in the nation in terms of local community jobs supported by national park visitor spending. North Carolina ranks fourth nationally in terms of park visitor spending in communities near these 10 parks,” said Superintendent Polly Angelakis. “Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is proud to share Sandburg’s legacy and help contribute to our local and state economies. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy as well, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service.”

The peer-reviewed visitor 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 $20.2 billion of direct spending by more than 318 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion.

Lodging expenses account for the largest share of visitor spending, about $6.8 billion in 2018. Food expenses are the second largest spending area and visitors spent $4 billion in restaurants and bars and another $1.4 billion at grocery and convenience stores.

Visitor spending on lodging supported more than 58,000 jobs and more than 61,000 jobs in restaurants. Visitor spending in the recreation industries supported more than 28,000 jobs and spending in retail supported more than 20,000 jobs.

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: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm

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

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service. The park is located three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road, and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Weekdays are less busy than weekends. For parking options, please visit www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/parking.htm. For further information please telephone [phone], or visit our website at:

www.nps.gov/carl

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 418 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov.