Visitor economy
Waynesboro
Independent city · Shenandoah Valley. Visitors spent $93M here in 2025, up 8.2% on 2024 and up 53.3% on 2019.
$93M
Visitor spending, 2025
51 of 133 localities
925
Jobs supported
46 of 133
$4.4M
Local taxes from visitors
51 of 133
$26M
Wages paid
$3.0M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $42M, 45.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $22M23.3%
- Food and drink
- $42M45.7%
- Retail
- $10M11.1%
- Recreation
- $8.0M8.6%
- Transport
- $10M11.3%
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 | $93M | +8.2% | $22M | $42M | $10M | $8.0M | $10M | 925 | $4.4M |
| 2024 | $86M | +10.4% | $20M | $38M | $9.2M | $8.0M | $10.0M | 895 | $4.1M |
| 2023 | $78M | +6.6% | $18M | $35M | $8.4M | $7.2M | $9.1M | 868 | $3.8M |
| 2022 | $73M | +9.1% | $17M | $32M | $7.9M | $6.6M | $8.7M | 803 | $3.5M |
| 2021 | $67M | +41.6% | $17M | $29M | $7.5M | $5.7M | $8.0M | 731 | $3.2M |
| 2020 | $47M | -22.1% | $11M | $20M | $5.6M | $4.4M | $6.3M | 709 | $2.6M |
| 2019 | $61M | +1.0% | $15M | $25M | $6.9M | $6.3M | $7.4M | 802 | $3.3M |
| 2018 | $60M | +5.0% | $14M | $25M | $6.9M | $6.5M | $7.1M | 812 | $3.2M |
| 2017 | $57M | +3.8% | $13M | $24M | $6.6M | $6.2M | $6.6M | 809 | $3.1M |
| 2016 | $55M | — | $13M | $23M | $6.4M | $6.1M | $6.2M | 802 | $3.0M |
How that compares
- 0.26% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 5.3% of the Shenandoah Valley region, which took $1.74B.
- Ranks 51 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 51 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Waynesboro is +8.2%.