Washington State | 2021
Washington’s state parks provide ample benefits to local communities throughout Washington. This report estimates how park visitor spending supports jobs, wages, and taxes throughout Washington, and places a dollar value on the ecosystem services provided by state park lands.
In 2019, visitors to Washington state parks supported $1.6 billion in direct and indirect spending—multiplying the initial spending 1.74 times, supported over 10,000 full-time and seasonal jobs, and contributed over $786 million to the state’s GDP. State park visitors contributed over $116 million in state and local tax revenues, producing nearly six times what the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission receives in general tax support ($40 million biannually), a substantial return on investment by almost any measure.
While visitor spending is of interest for economic development, the economies could not function without the benefits provided by natural systems. Nonmarket benefits—a diverse set of ecosystem goods and services not traded in markets, but which still support the wellbeing of residents—are estimated to provide up to $5.1 billion in benefits, year after year. These include annual recreation benefits—consumer surplus—of $2.9 billion, aesthetic benefits up to $1.7 billion, water quality improvements as much as $225 million, air quality improvements near $77 million, and water supply valued at up to $60.6 million.
The benefits presented in this report are impressive on their own merit, but given the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been made clear that recreation spaces are a valued component of Washingtonian’s lives. State parks were heavily used in the second half of 2020, resulting in a 13 percent increase in visitation between July and December when compared to 2019. The findings of this report are based on 2019 data and provide a strong baseline to measure against as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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