Area National Parks contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy in 2022, a federal study showed.

Visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2022 resulted in a record high $50.3 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 378,400 jobs, according to a Department of Interior announcement this week.

“At the Interior Department, we understand that nature is essential to the health, well-being and prosperity of every family and every community in America. But outdoor recreation is not just good for the soul, it’s a significant driver of our national and local economies and job sustainability,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.

The National Park Service report, dubbed the 2022 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that nearly 312 million visitors spent $23.9 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park. Of the 378,400 jobs supported by visitor spending, 314,600 jobs were in park gateway communities.

Annual appropriations for the NPS totaled $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2022, effectively turning a $1 investment in national parks into a more than $10 boost to the nation’s economy, according to the Interior Department.

In South Dakota as a whole, the Park Service reported a visitor spending total of $535 million and 7,430 jobs supported, the bulk of that spending and those jobs surrounded Mount Rushmore. Numbers in 2022 were also up from 2021 when the local economic impact of National Parks in the state was reportedly $339 million.

In all, Mount Rushmore tourism contributed over $385 million to the local economy, according to the National Park Service.

With some 2,440,449 visitors to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 2022 the total spent was $385.6 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 5,694 jobs in the local area with a cumulative effect of $551 million in economic output, NPS reported.

Of the visitors to Mount Rushmore, 71% stayed in area lodges, only 5% were locals and over 55% said Mount Rushmore was the primary reason for their visit to the area.

A total of 607,418 visitors travelled to Wind Cave National Park in 2022 and spent $52.7 million in local communities, the Park Service reported. That spending reportedly supported 741 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $75 million.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the NPS. The report shows $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park, according to the Park Service.

As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector had the second greatest effects with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.

“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year. The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy,” says National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

Results from the Visitor Spending Effects report series are available online via an interactive tool. Users can view year-by-year trend data and explore current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value-added, and economic output effects by sector for national, state and local economies. The interactive tool is available on the Visitor Spending Effects webpage.