Visitor economy
Hampton
Independent city · Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads. Visitors spent $317M here in 2025, down 1.2% on 2024 and up 45.1% on 2019.
$317M
Visitor spending, 2025
19 of 133 localities
2,933
Jobs supported
20 of 133
$17M
Local taxes from visitors
19 of 133
$87M
Wages paid
$9.9M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $125M, 39.5% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $76M23.8%
- Food and drink
- $125M39.5%
- Retail
- $34M10.8%
- Recreation
- $38M12.0%
- Transport
- $44M13.9%
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 | $317M | -1.2% | $76M | $125M | $34M | $38M | $44M | 2,933 | $17M |
| 2024 | $321M | +5.8% | $79M | $123M | $35M | $40M | $45M | 2,965 | $17M |
| 2023 | $304M | +1.0% | $74M | $115M | $34M | $39M | $43M | 2,895 | $16M |
| 2022 | $301M | +12.1% | $73M | $112M | $34M | $38M | $44M | 2,857 | $16M |
| 2021 | $268M | +46.8% | $64M | $100M | $32M | $32M | $40M | 2,426 | $14M |
| 2020 | $183M | -16.5% | $37M | $70M | $26M | $21M | $29M | 2,168 | $11M |
| 2019 | $219M | +5.1% | $48M | $82M | $29M | $26M | $34M | 2,511 | $13M |
| 2018 | $208M | +2.3% | $45M | $77M | $29M | $24M | $33M | 2,469 | $12M |
| 2017 | $203M | +5.6% | $41M | $77M | $28M | $26M | $32M | 2,624 | $12M |
| 2016 | $193M | — | $38M | $72M | $26M | $26M | $31M | 2,542 | $12M |
How that compares
- 0.88% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 4.4% of the Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads region, which took $7.17B.
- Ranks 19 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 19 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Hampton is -1.2%.