Visitor economy
Gloucester County
County · Chesapeake Bay. Visitors spent $48M here in 2025, down 1.9% on 2024 and up 22.1% on 2019.
$48M
Visitor spending, 2025
77 of 133 localities
417
Jobs supported
74 of 133
$2.1M
Local taxes from visitors
77 of 133
$13M
Wages paid
$1.2M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $17M, 35.3% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $14M29.0%
- Food and drink
- $17M35.3%
- Retail
- $3.7M7.8%
- Recreation
- $3.6M7.6%
- Transport
- $9.7M20.3%
Lodging includes short-term rentals and second-home spending. Transport covers both ground and air.
Year by year
| Year | Total | Change | Lodging | Food | Retail | Recreation | Transport | Jobs | Local tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $48M | -1.9% | $14M | $17M | $3.7M | $3.6M | $9.7M | 417 | $2.1M |
| 2024 | $49M | +3.4% | $14M | $17M | $3.8M | $3.9M | $10M | 427 | $2.1M |
| 2023 | $47M | +9.4% | $14M | $16M | $3.7M | $3.9M | $9.9M | 421 | $2.1M |
| 2022 | $43M | +0.4% | $12M | $15M | $3.4M | $3.5M | $9.5M | 403 | $1.9M |
| 2021 | $43M | +30.1% | $13M | $14M | $3.4M | $3.4M | $9.2M | 399 | $1.8M |
| 2020 | $33M | -15.8% | $11M | $10M | $2.4M | $2.7M | $6.8M | 381 | $1.5M |
| 2019 | $39M | +5.2% | $12M | $13M | $3.2M | $3.2M | $8.0M | 445 | $1.8M |
| 2018 | $37M | +6.4% | $11M | $13M | $3.3M | $3.0M | $7.5M | 457 | $1.7M |
| 2017 | $35M | +5.7% | $10M | $12M | $3.2M | $2.8M | $7.1M | 441 | $1.6M |
| 2016 | $33M | — | $9.7M | $11M | $3.0M | $2.8M | $6.6M | 436 | $1.6M |
How that compares
- 0.13% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 12.9% of the Chesapeake Bay region, which took $371M.
- Ranks 77 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 77 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Gloucester County is -1.9%.