iii | The Economic Impact of Local Parks EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The following summarizes the research findings of the Center for Regional Analysis on the economic impact of local and regional public park systems’ spending in the United States. This research, commissioned by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), adds to the growing body of evidence that the benefits of parks extend well beyond their role as a public amenity and an enhancement to quality of life in their communities. The analyses reported here cover three areas: a national-level study, state-level assessments, and economic impacts of selected case study parks. Key characteristics of the research include the following: • The study is focused exclusively on the direct, indirect (business transactions of park agency vendors) and induced (employees spending their earnings) effects local and regional park agencies’ spending have on economic activity. The research does not measure the effects of visitor spending or the benefits local and regional park agencies generate for the environment, health and wellness, and property values. • Data for this analysis come from the U.S. Census Bureau survey of local government employment and spending data from 1,169 local and regional park agencies accessed from NRPA’s PRORAGIS database and/or park system budget data posted online. Data for the case study park analysis were supplied by the relevant park agencies. • Data analysis tasks employed economic input-output multipliers developed by IMPLAN, Inc. and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The analyses provide estimates of economic activity (output or the value of transactions), value added (equivalent to gross domestic product), labor income (salaries, wages and benefits) and employment (headcount jobs). America’s local and regional public park agencies generated nearly $140 BILLION IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY and supported almost 1 MILLION JOBS from their operations and capital spending alone in 2013.
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