For Paul Gilbert, executive director of NOVA Parks, there are “two big, giant numbers” to take away from the just-released study that details the impact of the nation’s local and regional parks: $140 billion in economic activity and 1 million jobs.
That is what local and regional parks generated in 2013, the latest year in which data was available, according to a first-of-its-kind study by George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis and the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA).
“It’s a groundbreaking report,” Gilbert said. “We have factually, solidly researched data to support that parks are not only a great place to visit, but also impactful from an economic standpoint.”
Using NRPA’s database of 1,200 parks as a starting point, income streams were reviewed along with employment numbers and operational and capital spending. The data was correlated with the help of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Regional Input-Output Modeling System.
The study also examined the economic impact of local and regional parks in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“There have been studies that have been done about the national parks system, but this, to the best of our knowledge, was the first to look at local and regional parks on a national level,” said Terry Clower, deputy director of the Center for Regional Analysis and a professor of public policy at George Mason’s School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs.
“It was an important study for NRPA to better communicate the different types of value that local and regional parks have on national and regional economies,” Clower added. “They are an essential employer and contributor to regional and state economic activity.”