Visitor economy
Harrisonburg
Independent city · Shenandoah Valley. Visitors spent $262M here in 2025, up 7.9% on 2024 and up 26.4% on 2019.
$262M
Visitor spending, 2025
23 of 133 localities
2,732
Jobs supported
21 of 133
$14M
Local taxes from visitors
22 of 133
$85M
Wages paid
$8.9M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $119M, 45.5% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $60M23.0%
- Food and drink
- $119M45.5%
- Retail
- $28M10.8%
- Recreation
- $30M11.4%
- Transport
- $24M9.3%
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 | $262M | +7.9% | $60M | $119M | $28M | $30M | $24M | 2,732 | $14M |
| 2024 | $243M | +0.4% | $56M | $109M | $27M | $28M | $23M | 2,677 | $13M |
| 2023 | $242M | +1.4% | $57M | $107M | $27M | $27M | $24M | 2,678 | $13M |
| 2022 | $239M | +11.3% | $56M | $105M | $27M | $27M | $25M | 2,629 | $12M |
| 2021 | $215M | +52.6% | $52M | $92M | $25M | $23M | $23M | 2,295 | $11M |
| 2020 | $141M | -32.2% | $31M | $60M | $18M | $15M | $16M | 1,967 | $8.1M |
| 2019 | $208M | +7.7% | $52M | $87M | $25M | $24M | $20M | 2,711 | $11M |
| 2018 | $193M | +7.2% | $45M | $80M | $25M | $23M | $20M | 2,615 | $11M |
| 2017 | $180M | +5.7% | $40M | $77M | $23M | $21M | $18M | 2,574 | $10M |
| 2016 | $170M | — | $37M | $72M | $23M | $20M | $17M | 2,510 | $10M |
How that compares
- 0.72% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 15.1% of the Shenandoah Valley region, which took $1.74B.
- Ranks 23 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 22 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Harrisonburg is +7.9%.