Date: April 23, 2015
Contact: Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, (202) 619-7177
New report shows visitor spending supports 14,957 jobs in the region
WASHINGTON – A new National Park Service (NPS) report for 2014 shows that the spending of nearly 38 million visitors to national parks in the National Capital Region resulted in 14,957 jobs and contributed more than $1.4 billion to the region’s economy.
“The national parks in the greater Washington area attract visitors from across the country and around the world,” Regional Director Bob Vogel said. “Whether they are out for their daily walk or jog, a school field trip, or a family vacation, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up spending a little money along the way. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy – returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service – and a big factor in this region’s economy as well.”
The study, a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis, was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber, and economist Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported more than 277,000 jobs nationally, with more than 235,600 jobs found in these gateway communities, and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $29.7 billion.
According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (30.6 percent) followed by food and beverage (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs (9.9 percent).
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National Parks in the National Capital Region
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Visitation (2014)
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Economic Benefit ($ thousands)
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Jobs Supported
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Antietam National Battlefield
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337,080
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$25, 738.1
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274
|
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Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
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671,638
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$51,081.3
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537
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Catoctin Mountain Park
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188,170
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$14,592.2
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150
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Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
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5,066,219
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$130,497.5
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1,381
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Clara Barton National Historic Site
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20,028
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$1,528.1
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14
|
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Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
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655,441
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$16,795.9
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172
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Fort Washington Park
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466,078
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$35,176.2
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367
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
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2,938,238
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$75,293.3
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775
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Frederick Douglas National Historic Site
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45,492
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$1,163.8
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11
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George Washington Memorial Parkway
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7,472,150
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$66,695.2
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854
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Greenbelt Park
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132,688
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$10,496.1
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107
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Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
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261,203
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$17,919
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192
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Korean War Veterans Memorial
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3,767,287
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$96,538
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992
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Lincoln Memorial
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7,139,073
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$182,941.1
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1,882
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Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac
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254,168
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$19,330.7
|
203
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Manassas National Battlefield Park
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514,139
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$38,938
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408
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
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3,199,136
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$81,978.9
|
842
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Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
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9,295
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$238.2
|
3
|
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Monocacy National Battlefield
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56,187
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$6,278.9
|
65
|
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National Capital Parks - East
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1,311,995
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$34,049.6
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352
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National Mall & Memorial Parks (National Capital Parks - Central - see some monuments and memorial listed separately)
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1,999,231
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$51,281.3
|
528
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Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
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54,035
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$1,384.7
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13
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Piscataway Park
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109,472
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$8,263.4
|
85
|
|
President's Park (White House)
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1,293,315
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$33,141.6
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340
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Prince William Forest Park
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315,072
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$23,403.6
|
237
|
|
Rock Creek Park
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2,437,948
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$62,654.2
|
645
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Theodore Roosevelt Island
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146,500
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$11,142
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117
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Thomas Jefferson Memorial
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2,708,607
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$69,408.9
|
713
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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4,403,467
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$112,840.3
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1,160
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Washington Monument (re-opened May 2014)
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423,170
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$10,843.9
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110
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Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
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388,283
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$29,647.4
|
314
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Wolf War II Memorial
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4,230,793
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$108,415.4
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1114
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TOTAL
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53,015,598
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$1,403,959
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14,957
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National Parks (including parks beyond the National Capital Region)
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Visitation (2014)
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Economic Benefit ($ Millions)
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Jobs Supported
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District of Columbia
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37,701,217
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$727.3
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6,681
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Maryland
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6,815,197
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$293.4
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3,171
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Virginia
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22,870,532
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$1,255.3
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14,753
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West Virginia
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1,541,807
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$75.1
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1,015
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To download the reportvisit https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.
The report includes information for visitor spending by park and by state.
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so that all may experience our heritage.
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