Visitor economy
Isle of Wight County
County · Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads. Visitors spent $51M here in 2025, up 0.8% on 2024 and up 23.0% on 2019.
$51M
Visitor spending, 2025
76 of 133 localities
525
Jobs supported
63 of 133
$2.3M
Local taxes from visitors
72 of 133
$15M
Wages paid
$1.6M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $18M, 34.6% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $9.8M19.2%
- Food and drink
- $18M34.6%
- Retail
- $11M22.6%
- Recreation
- $5.6M11.0%
- Transport
- $6.4M12.6%
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 | $51M | +0.8% | $9.8M | $18M | $11M | $5.6M | $6.4M | 525 | $2.3M |
| 2024 | $50M | -3.3% | $10M | $17M | $11M | $5.3M | $6.5M | 527 | $2.3M |
| 2023 | $52M | +5.1% | $11M | $17M | $12M | $6.0M | $6.8M | 534 | $2.4M |
| 2022 | $50M | +6.1% | $10M | $16M | $11M | $5.7M | $6.7M | 513 | $2.2M |
| 2021 | $47M | +36.5% | $10M | $15M | $11M | $5.0M | $6.2M | 478 | $2.0M |
| 2020 | $34M | -17.2% | $7.0M | $11M | $8.4M | $3.4M | $4.7M | 450 | $1.7M |
| 2019 | $41M | +0.1% | $8.3M | $13M | $11M | $3.9M | $5.3M | 502 | $2.0M |
| 2018 | $41M | +2.1% | $8.1M | $13M | $11M | $3.9M | $5.4M | 508 | $2.0M |
| 2017 | $40M | +6.9% | $8.6M | $12M | $11M | $3.7M | $5.2M | 509 | $2.0M |
| 2016 | $38M | — | $7.7M | $12M | $10M | $3.6M | $4.9M | 490 | $1.9M |
How that compares
- 0.14% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 0.7% of the Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads region, which took $7.17B.
- Ranks 76 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 72 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Isle of Wight County is +0.8%.