Visitor economy
Northampton County
County · Coastal Virginia - Eastern Shore. Visitors spent $71M here in 2025, up 1.6% on 2024 and up 45.6% on 2019.
$71M
Visitor spending, 2025
63 of 133 localities
394
Jobs supported
77 of 133
$3.1M
Local taxes from visitors
63 of 133
$12M
Wages paid
$1.8M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Lodging is the largest single category here at $26M, 36.4% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $26M36.4%
- Food and drink
- $22M31.8%
- Retail
- $5.1M7.2%
- Recreation
- $9.0M12.7%
- Transport
- $8.4M11.9%
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 | $71M | +1.6% | $26M | $22M | $5.1M | $9.0M | $8.4M | 394 | $3.1M |
| 2024 | $69M | +1.7% | $25M | $21M | $4.9M | $9.3M | $8.7M | 402 | $3.1M |
| 2023 | $68M | +3.5% | $25M | $20M | $4.8M | $9.2M | $8.7M | 397 | $3.0M |
| 2022 | $66M | -3.3% | $24M | $19M | $4.7M | $8.9M | $9.0M | 387 | $2.8M |
| 2021 | $68M | +65.9% | $28M | $18M | $4.7M | $8.6M | $8.7M | 376 | $2.6M |
| 2020 | $41M | -15.1% | $14M | $11M | $3.5M | $5.4M | $6.7M | 312 | $1.7M |
| 2019 | $48M | +8.7% | $16M | $14M | $3.9M | $7.1M | $7.4M | 355 | $2.0M |
| 2018 | $45M | +5.1% | $14M | $13M | $3.9M | $6.5M | $6.7M | 341 | $1.9M |
| 2017 | $42M | -1.9% | $14M | $13M | $3.8M | $6.3M | $6.2M | 340 | $1.8M |
| 2016 | $43M | — | $14M | $13M | $3.8M | $6.6M | $6.1M | 350 | $1.9M |
How that compares
- 0.19% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 26.4% of the Coastal Virginia - Eastern Shore region, which took $267M.
- Ranks 63 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 63 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Northampton County is +1.6%.