RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A new report shows 3.6 million visitors to Black Hills area national parks in South Dakota spent about $231 million in 2021.
That had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $301 million and resulted in about 3,360 jobs.
The analysis was done by economists at the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Area national parks include Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Wind Cave National Park.
Overall, the report shows $20.5 billion of direct spending by more than 297 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park.
