Visitor economy
Madison County
County · Central Virginia. Visitors spent $26M here in 2025, up 4.0% on 2024 and up 56.0% on 2019.
$26M
Visitor spending, 2025
95 of 133 localities
244
Jobs supported
91 of 133
$1.3M
Local taxes from visitors
91 of 133
$7.7M
Wages paid
$0.7M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Lodging is the largest single category here at $8.6M, 32.9% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $8.6M32.9%
- Food and drink
- $8.1M31.1%
- Retail
- $1.5M5.9%
- Recreation
- $2.5M9.5%
- Transport
- $5.4M20.6%
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 | $26M | +4.0% | $8.6M | $8.1M | $1.5M | $2.5M | $5.4M | 244 | $1.3M |
| 2024 | $25M | +9.3% | $8.4M | $7.5M | $1.5M | $2.5M | $5.2M | 243 | $1.2M |
| 2023 | $23M | +4.8% | $7.8M | $6.7M | $1.4M | $2.2M | $4.8M | 233 | $1.1M |
| 2022 | $22M | +5.4% | $7.4M | $6.3M | $1.3M | $2.1M | $4.7M | 223 | $1.1M |
| 2021 | $21M | +37.8% | $7.3M | $5.7M | $1.2M | $1.9M | $4.5M | 212 | $1.0M |
| 2020 | $15M | -9.9% | $5.3M | $4.1M | $0.9M | $1.2M | $3.4M | 178 | $0.8M |
| 2019 | $17M | +2.2% | $5.7M | $4.6M | $1.2M | $1.5M | $3.7M | 196 | $0.8M |
| 2018 | $16M | -0.5% | $5.7M | $4.4M | $1.2M | $1.4M | $3.6M | 191 | $0.8M |
| 2017 | $16M | -1.2% | $6.1M | $4.2M | $1.2M | $1.4M | $3.5M | 201 | $0.8M |
| 2016 | $17M | — | $6.5M | $4.1M | $1.1M | $1.4M | $3.4M | 206 | $0.9M |
How that compares
- 0.07% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 0.4% of the Central Virginia region, which took $6.33B.
- Ranks 95 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 91 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Madison County is +4.0%.