Visitor economy
Washington County
County · Southwest Virginia - Blue Ridge Highlands. Visitors spent $132M here in 2025, up 2.6% on 2024 and up 28.3% on 2019.
$132M
Visitor spending, 2025
42 of 133 localities
1,338
Jobs supported
35 of 133
$9.6M
Local taxes from visitors
28 of 133
$45M
Wages paid
$4.3M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $44M, 33.5% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $31M23.2%
- Food and drink
- $44M33.5%
- Retail
- $14M10.4%
- Recreation
- $18M13.8%
- Transport
- $25M19.1%
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 | $132M | +2.6% | $31M | $44M | $14M | $18M | $25M | 1,338 | $9.6M |
| 2024 | $129M | +1.2% | $30M | $42M | $13M | $18M | $25M | 1,320 | $8.7M |
| 2023 | $128M | +616.0% | $30M | $41M | $13M | $17M | $25M | 1,307 | $8.6M |
| 2022 | $126M | +9.3% | $30M | $40M | $13M | $17M | $26M | 1,255 | $8.3M |
| 2021 | $115M | +50.8% | $27M | $35M | $12M | $16M | $24M | 1,046 | $6.9M |
| 2020 | $76M | -26.0% | $17M | $23M | $8.3M | $9.8M | $18M | 943 | $5.3M |
| 2019 | $103M | +0.6% | $23M | $30M | $11M | $14M | $25M | 1,204 | $7.2M |
| 2018 | $103M | +4.4% | $24M | $29M | $12M | $14M | $25M | 1,245 | $7.3M |
| 2017 | $98M | +3.8% | $22M | $29M | $11M | $13M | $24M | 1,247 | $7.1M |
| 2016 | $95M | — | $21M | $28M | $11M | $12M | $23M | 1,234 | $7.0M |
How that compares
- 0.37% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 11.3% of the Southwest Virginia - Blue Ridge Highlands region, which took $1.17B.
- Ranks 42 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 28 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Washington County is +2.6%.