News Release

National Park tourism in Wyoming contributes $1.13 billion to state economy

Date: August 21, 2023
Contact: [e-mail]

DENVER, Colo. – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 6,148,010 visitors to national parks in Wyoming spent $870,000,000 in the state in 2022. That spending resulted in 11,538 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $1,127,700,000.

“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.

“Visitors in 2022 to national parks in Wyoming spent $870,000,000 and supported 11,538 jobs in local communities,” said Regional Director Kate Hammond. “Every park in the state offers unique experiences, from learning about history up-close to diverse outdoor recreational opportunities. There’s something for everyone to see and enjoy.”
 

The national parks in Wyoming are: 

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area 

California National Historic Trail 

Devils Tower National Monument 

Fort Laramie National Historic Site 

Fossil Butte National Monument 

Grand Teton National Park 

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail 

Oregon National Historic Trail 

Pony Express National Historic Trail 

Yellowstone National 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 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: 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 Wyoming and how the National Park Service works with Wyoming communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to Wyoming (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
 

nps.gov

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 425 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.