Visitor economy
Middlesex County
County · Chesapeake Bay. Visitors spent $30M here in 2025, down 0.9% on 2024 and up 15.1% on 2019.
$30M
Visitor spending, 2025
88 of 133 localities
129
Jobs supported
112 of 133
$1.0M
Local taxes from visitors
99 of 133
$4.5M
Wages paid
$0.4M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Lodging is the largest single category here at $17M, 55.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $17M55.7%
- Food and drink
- $3.4M11.2%
- Retail
- $4.4M14.4%
- Recreation
- $3.0M10.0%
- Transport
- $2.7M8.7%
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 | $30M | -0.9% | $17M | $3.4M | $4.4M | $3.0M | $2.7M | 129 | $1.0M |
| 2024 | $31M | +2.4% | $17M | $3.3M | $4.5M | $3.2M | $2.9M | 132 | $1.0M |
| 2023 | $30M | +0.2% | $17M | $3.1M | $4.3M | $3.2M | $2.8M | 128 | $0.9M |
| 2022 | $30M | +2.5% | $16M | $3.1M | $4.5M | $3.3M | $3.0M | 135 | $0.9M |
| 2021 | $29M | +18.0% | $16M | $2.9M | $4.4M | $2.9M | $2.9M | 133 | $0.8M |
| 2020 | $25M | -6.5% | $15M | $2.2M | $3.4M | $2.3M | $2.0M | 131 | $0.7M |
| 2019 | $26M | +2.2% | $15M | $2.6M | $4.3M | $2.5M | $2.4M | 143 | $0.8M |
| 2018 | $26M | +5.1% | $14M | $2.6M | $4.4M | $2.4M | $2.4M | 142 | $0.8M |
| 2017 | $25M | +4.6% | $13M | $2.4M | $4.2M | $2.4M | $2.4M | 139 | $0.8M |
| 2016 | $24M | — | $13M | $2.3M | $4.1M | $2.3M | $2.3M | 138 | $0.8M |
How that compares
- 0.08% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 8.2% of the Chesapeake Bay region, which took $371M.
- Ranks 88 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 99 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Middlesex County is -0.9%.