Visitor economy
Roanoke County
County · Virginia Mountains. Visitors spent $142M here in 2025, up 7.1% on 2024 and up 32.4% on 2019.
$142M
Visitor spending, 2025
39 of 133 localities
1,365
Jobs supported
34 of 133
$7.7M
Local taxes from visitors
34 of 133
$41M
Wages paid
$4.1M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $56M, 39.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $28M20.0%
- Food and drink
- $56M39.7%
- Retail
- $16M11.1%
- Recreation
- $20M13.9%
- Transport
- $22M15.3%
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 | $142M | +7.1% | $28M | $56M | $16M | $20M | $22M | 1,365 | $7.7M |
| 2024 | $132M | +7.3% | $27M | $52M | $14M | $19M | $20M | 1,326 | $7.3M |
| 2023 | $123M | +7.1% | $25M | $48M | $13M | $18M | $19M | 1,292 | $6.8M |
| 2022 | $115M | +11.2% | $23M | $44M | $12M | $17M | $18M | 1,226 | $6.3M |
| 2021 | $104M | +30.9% | $21M | $40M | $12M | $15M | $16M | 1,149 | $5.5M |
| 2020 | $79M | -26.0% | $16M | $31M | $9.6M | $10M | $13M | 1,108 | $4.6M |
| 2019 | $107M | +3.5% | $22M | $42M | $12M | $15M | $16M | 1,343 | $6.0M |
| 2018 | $103M | +7.9% | $21M | $40M | $13M | $14M | $16M | 1,320 | $5.8M |
| 2017 | $96M | +1.5% | $18M | $38M | $11M | $14M | $15M | 1,260 | $5.4M |
| 2016 | $94M | — | $18M | $37M | $11M | $13M | $15M | 1,280 | $5.5M |
How that compares
- 0.39% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 11.4% of the Virginia Mountains region, which took $1.24B.
- Ranks 39 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 34 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Roanoke County is +7.1%.