National Parks Pumps $31 Billion into Local Economies, Supporting 258,000 Jobs

The National Park Service released a report today that shows an increase over last year of $689 million and 11,500 jobs that National Parks adds to the economy.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said, "By investing in our parks and promoting them to visitors, especially internationally, we can have the dual benefit of an improved National Park System and a stronger economy that produces more jobs."

The majority of the spending and jobs come from lodging, food, and beverage service (52 percent) followed by other retail (29 percent), entertainment/amusements (10 percent), gas and local transportation (7 percent) and groceries (2 percent).

You can read the entire report on the web at:  http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM click on  Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll, 2010.