Visitor economy
Stafford County
County · Northern Virginia. Visitors spent $237M here in 2025, up 0.3% on 2024 and up 29.6% on 2019.
$237M
Visitor spending, 2025
27 of 133 localities
2,211
Jobs supported
24 of 133
$11M
Local taxes from visitors
26 of 133
$66M
Wages paid
$7.0M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $86M, 36.3% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $47M19.8%
- Food and drink
- $86M36.3%
- Retail
- $18M7.8%
- Recreation
- $34M14.3%
- Transport
- $52M21.8%
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 | $237M | +0.3% | $47M | $86M | $18M | $34M | $52M | 2,211 | $11M |
| 2024 | $237M | +5.4% | $48M | $85M | $18M | $33M | $53M | 2,194 | $11M |
| 2023 | $225M | +2.0% | $45M | $78M | $18M | $33M | $50M | 2,142 | $11M |
| 2022 | $220M | +10.1% | $45M | $76M | $17M | $32M | $51M | 2,098 | $11M |
| 2021 | $200M | +38.5% | $42M | $67M | $16M | $27M | $48M | 1,881 | $9.4M |
| 2020 | $144M | -21.2% | $28M | $50M | $13M | $18M | $35M | 1,740 | $7.7M |
| 2019 | $183M | +5.4% | $40M | $64M | $15M | $22M | $42M | 2,104 | $9.6M |
| 2018 | $174M | +4.7% | $39M | $62M | $15M | $20M | $37M | 2,049 | $9.1M |
| 2017 | $166M | +2.9% | $36M | $60M | $14M | $20M | $36M | 2,053 | $9.0M |
| 2016 | $161M | — | $34M | $58M | $15M | $20M | $35M | 2,057 | $8.9M |
How that compares
- 0.66% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 1.4% of the Northern Virginia region, which took $16.91B.
- Ranks 27 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 26 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Stafford County is +0.3%.