The National Park Service has released a new report showing the impact of parks on local economies.
Here a few of the top level findings of the report:
- In 2012, the nation’s 401 parks attracted more than 280 million visitors.
- National parks generated more than $26 billion in economic activity in 2012; visitors spend on hotels, convenience stores, outfitters and other businesses
- Secondary effects, like employees spending money at local businesses, brought in an additional $15.4 billion
- Every $1 from Congress results in $10 of economic activity
- Estimates now reach $11 billion for the nation’s parks maintenance backlog
- Of the 50 states, California’s parks brought in the most visitor spending – $1.5 billion
