New report shows $1.3 billion in visitor spending supported nearly 23,000 jobs
OMAHA, Neb. – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 20.66 million visitors to national parks in the NPS Midwest Region spent $1.3 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park site in 2015. That spending supported 22,818 mostly local jobs and provided a $2 billion benefit to the region’s economy.
“The national parks of the Midwest Region attract visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Midwest Region Director Cam Sholly. “Whether they are out for an afternoon, a school field trip, or a month-long 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 the Midwest Region state economies as well. That’s a result we can all support.”
The NPS Midwest Region states are Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The national parks in the Midwest Region are: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Arkansas Post National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Buffalo National River, Col. Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Dayton Aviation National Historical Park, Effigy Mounds National Monument, First Ladies National Historic Site Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Fort Smith National Historic Site, Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, George Washington Carver National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Homestead National Monument of America, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Jewell Cave National Monument, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lincoln Boyhood National Monument, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Minute Man Missile National Historic Site, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mount Rushmore National Monument, Nicodemus National Historic Site, Niobrara National Scenic River, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Pea Ridge National Military Park, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pipestone National Monument, President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site, Pullman National Monument, River Raisin National Battlefield, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Voyageurs National Park, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Wind Cave National Park.
