Economic Impact Report
2024 Economic Impact Report
To quantify the economic significance of the tourism sector in Iowa, the Iowa Tourism Office has contracted with Tourism Economics to prepare a comprehensive model detailing the far reaching impacts arising from visitor spending. The results of this study show the scope of the travel sector in terms of direct visitor spending, as well as the total economic impacts, jobs, and fiscal (tax) impacts in the broader economy.
In 2024, visitors spent over $7.5 billion across the Iowa economy. This direct visitor spending impact generated a total economic impact of $11.2 billion in Iowa, sustained 71,918 jobs and generated $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2024.
County-level numbers will be available in Excel format; an interactive dashboard is linked below.
Additional Data Resources
- Iowa Hotel/Motel Tax Distributions by City
- Iowa Retail Sales Tax Data by 12 Business Groups by County
- Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) (search by county name)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (search by county, MSA or geographic area for Leisure and Hospitality category)
- Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Outdoor Recreation Data: Iowa Data | All Data
- Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) GDP by State
2023 Tourism Economic Impact Report
In 2023, visitors spent over $7.3 billion across the Iowa economy. This direct visitor spending impact generated a total economic impact of $10.9 billion in Iowa, sustained 70,954 jobs and generated $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2023.