Visitor economy
Wise County
County · Southwest Virginia - Heart of Appalachia. Visitors spent $65M here in 2025, up 6.3% on 2024 and up 16.1% on 2019.
$65M
Visitor spending, 2025
65 of 133 localities
437
Jobs supported
73 of 133
$2.3M
Local taxes from visitors
74 of 133
$10M
Wages paid
$1.7M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Retail is the largest single category here at $23M, 34.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $11M17.5%
- Food and drink
- $16M24.6%
- Retail
- $23M34.7%
- Recreation
- $3.5M5.3%
- Transport
- $12M18.0%
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 | $65M | +6.3% | $11M | $16M | $23M | $3.5M | $12M | 437 | $2.3M |
| 2024 | $61M | +2.8% | $11M | $15M | $21M | $3.4M | $11M | 429 | $2.1M |
| 2023 | $60M | +3.1% | $11M | $14M | $21M | $3.2M | $11M | 421 | $2.1M |
| 2022 | $58M | +5.9% | $11M | $13M | $19M | $3.1M | $11M | 405 | $2.0M |
| 2021 | $55M | +26.6% | $12M | $11M | $19M | $2.9M | $9.9M | 392 | $1.8M |
| 2020 | $43M | -23.2% | $10M | $9.3M | $14M | $2.2M | $7.6M | 392 | $1.6M |
| 2019 | $56M | +1.1% | $12M | $12M | $20M | $2.9M | $9.8M | 485 | $2.0M |
| 2018 | $56M | +0.5% | $12M | $11M | $20M | $2.8M | $9.4M | 493 | $1.9M |
| 2017 | $55M | +1.7% | $12M | $11M | $20M | $2.7M | $9.7M | 516 | $2.0M |
| 2016 | $54M | — | $12M | $11M | $20M | $2.7M | $9.8M | 520 | $2.0M |
How that compares
- 0.18% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 28.5% of the Southwest Virginia - Heart of Appalachia region, which took $230M.
- Ranks 65 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 74 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Wise County is +6.3%.