According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, “Tourism is one of the world’s most important economic sectors. It employs one in every ten people on Earth and provides livelihoods to hundreds of millions more.

Key Stats

Source: Quarterly Services Survey (QSS).

481: Air Transportation: U.S. Total – Revenue (2010-2023)

485: Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation: U.S. Total – Revenue (2010-2023)

487: Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation: U.S. Total – Revenue (2010-2023), Bar Chart below (Seasonally Adjusted)

5615: Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services: U.S. Total – Revenue (2003-2023)

Source: Quarterly Services Survey - NAICS 487: Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation

Note: Click on the image above for the webpage with two tables. Click on “Bar Chart” above the top table for the interactive version of the bar chart above. The dip, beginning in Q2-2020, corresponds with the COVID-19 pandemic.

More Stats

Source: 2021 Annual Surveys of State Government Finances

2021 State & Local Government Finance Historical Datasets and Tables

Table 1. State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State: 2021 [<1.0 MB]

Note: In Table 1 above, the “General revenue from own sources” column features these tourism-related rows:

28, Highways
29, Air transportation (airports)
30, Parking facilities
31, Sea and inland port facilities
33, Parks and recreation

Source: 2021 County Business Patterns (CBP)

Table CB2100CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2021, featuring these nine NAICS codes:

NAICS 481, Air Transportation
NAICS 483, Water Transportation
NAICS 487, Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation
NAICS 71, Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
NAICS 711, Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries
NAICS 712, Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions
NAICS 713, Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
NAICS 721, Accommodations
NAICS 722, Food Services and Drinking Places

Source: 2021 Service Annual Survey (SAS)

Table 1: Estimated Revenue for Employer and Nonemployer Firms: 2013 Through 2021. Tourism related services include the nine NAICS codes above [<1.0 MB]

Source: 2020 Annual Business Survey (ABS) Program

Table AB2000CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2020, featuring the nine NAICS codes above

Source: 1978-2020 Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS)

Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2020, featuring the nine NAICS codes above

Source: 2019 Nonemployer Statistics (NES)

Table NS2000NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics by Legal Form of Organization and Receipts Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020, featuring the nine NAICS codes above

Source: 2017 Economic Census.

Table EC1771BASIC, Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017, showing all 4-digit NAICS codes (12 rows)

Table EC1771BASIC, Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017, showing all 6-digit NAICS codes (94 rows)

From the Library:

Infographic: Tourism and Recreation Annual Payroll Percentage of the Ocean Economy: 2021 (July 26, 2023)

Infographic: Revenue From the Road (March 28, 2023)

From the Newsroom / Random Samplings (blog):

Measuring the Impact of Tourism to Local Areas (May 2017)

“…tourism plays a significant role in the success of certain types of businesses across various areas of the country… Additional graphics included as part of the travel series are: Revenue in the Travel Accommodation Industry, Revenue From Marinas, and Government Revenue From Airports (updated version below).