Visitor economy
Lancaster County
County · Chesapeake Bay. Visitors spent $84M here in 2025, up 1.0% on 2024 and up 45.6% on 2019.
$84M
Visitor spending, 2025
55 of 133 localities
650
Jobs supported
54 of 133
$3.1M
Local taxes from visitors
64 of 133
$25M
Wages paid
$2.2M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Lodging is the largest single category here at $31M, 36.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $31M36.7%
- Food and drink
- $23M27.8%
- Retail
- $7.3M8.6%
- Recreation
- $13M15.1%
- Transport
- $9.9M11.8%
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 | $84M | +1.0% | $31M | $23M | $7.3M | $13M | $9.9M | 650 | $3.1M |
| 2024 | $83M | +2.5% | $31M | $22M | $7.9M | $12M | $10.0M | 656 | $3.0M |
| 2023 | $81M | +5.4% | $30M | $21M | $7.7M | $12M | $9.8M | 650 | $2.9M |
| 2022 | $77M | +2.5% | $29M | $20M | $7.4M | $12M | $9.6M | 630 | $2.8M |
| 2021 | $75M | +51.3% | $30M | $18M | $6.8M | $11M | $9.2M | 596 | $2.6M |
| 2020 | $50M | -13.9% | $21M | $11M | $4.8M | $5.9M | $6.5M | 494 | $2.0M |
| 2019 | $58M | +2.9% | $23M | $15M | $5.7M | $6.3M | $6.9M | 582 | $2.4M |
| 2018 | $56M | +0.8% | $23M | $15M | $5.8M | $6.1M | $6.7M | 587 | $2.3M |
| 2017 | $56M | +8.3% | $23M | $14M | $5.6M | $6.1M | $7.0M | 605 | $2.4M |
| 2016 | $51M | — | $21M | $13M | $5.2M | $5.7M | $6.6M | 567 | $2.2M |
How that compares
- 0.23% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 22.7% of the Chesapeake Bay region, which took $371M.
- Ranks 55 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 64 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Lancaster County is +1.0%.