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Report: Yellowstone National Park brought $647 million to economy

The National Park Service says 4.1 million visitors to the park in 2018 spent nearly $513 in neighboring communities.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2016, file photo, a large bison blocks traffic as tourists take photos of the animals in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park in Wyo. A federal report shows visitors to Yellowstone National Park spent nearly $513 million in neighboring communities last year. The report last week from the National Park Service indicates the spending by the park's 4.1 million visitors supported nearly 7,100 jobs in the area in 2018. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A federal report shows Yellowstone National Park brought about $647 million to the area's economy last year.

The report from the National Park Service indicates the 4.1 million visitors to the park in 2018 spent nearly $513 million in neighboring communities, supporting nearly 7,100 jobs in the area.

According to the report, Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming brought more than $38 million to the local economy. It had about 468,000 visitors who spent $30 million last year.

The report shows more than 318 million people visited national parks last year, spending more than $20 billion. The national parks contributed about $40 billion to the U.S. economy.

Of the nationwide visitor spending, nearly $7 billion was on lodging expenses and $4 billion was on restaurants and bars.

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