Visitor economy
Hanover County
County · Central Virginia. Visitors spent $252M here in 2025, up 4.8% on 2024 and up 27.0% on 2019.
$252M
Visitor spending, 2025
26 of 133 localities
2,425
Jobs supported
22 of 133
$12M
Local taxes from visitors
25 of 133
$83M
Wages paid
$7.7M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Recreation is the largest single category here at $73M, 28.9% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $35M14.1%
- Food and drink
- $67M26.6%
- Retail
- $16M6.5%
- Recreation
- $73M28.9%
- Transport
- $60M24.0%
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 | $252M | +4.8% | $35M | $67M | $16M | $73M | $60M | 2,425 | $12M |
| 2024 | $240M | +4.9% | $34M | $62M | $16M | $70M | $58M | 2,407 | $11M |
| 2023 | $229M | +2.8% | $32M | $59M | $15M | $68M | $55M | 2,354 | $11M |
| 2022 | $223M | +9.2% | $32M | $55M | $15M | $66M | $56M | 2,269 | $10M |
| 2021 | $204M | +54.6% | $31M | $49M | $14M | $57M | $53M | 1,926 | $9.2M |
| 2020 | $132M | -33.4% | $17M | $35M | $9.6M | $34M | $37M | 1,689 | $7.3M |
| 2019 | $198M | +2.9% | $25M | $55M | $13M | $57M | $49M | 2,447 | $9.9M |
| 2018 | $193M | +6.2% | $25M | $53M | $13M | $55M | $47M | 2,341 | $9.5M |
| 2017 | $182M | +4.3% | $24M | $50M | $12M | $53M | $43M | 2,278 | $9.4M |
| 2016 | $174M | — | $23M | $48M | $12M | $51M | $40M | 2,248 | $9.3M |
How that compares
- 0.70% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 4.0% of the Central Virginia region, which took $6.33B.
- Ranks 26 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 25 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Hanover County is +4.8%.