Our national parks are economic engines! National parks helped to generate $55.6 billion and support 415,400 jobs across the United States last year, according to a new report.
Here are some of the parks and units operated by the National Park Service that generated the most money:
↟ $2.2 billion: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
↟ $1.5 billion: Golden Gate National Recreation Area
↟ $768 million: Grand Teton National Park
↟ $748 million: Grand Canyon National Park
↟ $644 million: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
For perspective, $55.6 billion is more than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Iceland and Jamaica combined!
