State park systems combine public recreation, overnight facilities, conservation land, and local economic activity. The figures below cover different states and periods, and distinguish observed counts from estimates, modeled impacts, visitor-days, and visits.
Key State Park Statistics
The most broadly useful state park statistics include:
- In FY 2021/22, California state beaches recorded 41,449,426 visits across paid day-use, free day-use, and camping attendance.
- In calendar year 2023, North Carolina state parks welcomed more than 20.1 million visitors.
- In 2023, Michigan reported 103 state parks and recreation areas across about 360,000 acres.
- Minnesota state parks receive more than 11 million visitors each year according to the state’s standing estimate.
- In 2024, Gooseberry Falls was Minnesota’s most visited state park with 758,417 visitors.
- About 90% of Minnesota state-park days are day-use visits in the 2022 annualized visitor-study estimate.
- Minnesota overnight campers account for about 1.1 million visitors annually in the state’s standing estimate.
- Florida state parks generated $3.974 billion in direct economic impact in FY 2021/22.
- Florida state parks supported 55,632 jobs in FY 2021/22 under the assessment’s model.
- Florida state-park activity generated an estimated $267.7 million in increased state sales-tax revenue in FY 2021/22.
- Arizona state parks contributed an estimated $449 million in statewide sales in FY 2020.
- Arizona state parks contributed an estimated $272 million to Gross State Product in FY 2020.
- California’s FY 2006-08 study estimated about $6.8 billion in annual average economic contribution from the state park system.
- California’s 2021/22 state parks recorded 29,860,783 visits.
- North Carolina ended 2023 with 262,074 acres in its state parks system.
- New York State Parks reported 8,555 campsites in 2023.
Contents
- Key State Park Statistics
- State Park System Scale, Acreage, and Facilities
- State Park Visitation Statistics and Trends
- Camping, Overnight Use, and Visitor Behavior Data
- State Park Economic Impact, Spending, and Jobs
- Revenue, Operating Costs, and Public Finance
- Conservation Growth and Regional Comparisons
State Park System Scale, Acreage, and Facilities
State park inventories vary because states classify beaches, historic parks, recreation areas, reserves, waysides, and other properties differently. Counts therefore describe each state’s administrative system rather than a uniform national classification.
California’s FY 2021/22 system table listed 62 state beaches, 53 state historic parks, 33 state recreation areas, 16 state natural reserves, 89 state parks, 9 state vehicular recreation areas, 1 state seashore, 1 state marine park, and 15 unclassified properties. California State Park System Statistical Report 2021/22
| State system | Scale or inventory | Period and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 103 parks and recreation areas; about 360,000 acres | 2023 average/current system summary |
| Minnesota | 64 state parks; 9 recreation areas; 9 waysides | Current facts page accessed 2026 |
| North Carolina | 262,074 acres; more than 100 broader-portfolio locations | 2023; broader portfolio includes facilities beyond parks |
Michigan also reported more than 13,750 state-park campsites and 250 cabins, yurts, lodges, and other overnight accommodations in its current system summary. The accommodation figure combines several facility types. Managing our state parks system
Minnesota listed 4,404 campsites, 202 horse campsites, 98 group camps, and 27 canoe or boat-in sites alongside its park and recreation-area inventory. These are standing facts-page counts rather than one dated annual inventory. Minnesota State Parks facts
New York State Parks reported 250 sites and a substantial facility network in 2023, including 5,000 buildings, 28 golf courses, 24 swimming pools and spray-grounds, and 54 state parks with beaches. Its inventory also included 27 marinas, 40 boat launch sites, 26 nature centers, 830 cabins, 128 cottages, and 8,555 campsites. New York State Parks 2023 Annual Report
The same New York report counted more than 2,000 miles of trails, 106 dams, and 604 bridges. Infrastructure definitions are report-specific, so these figures should not be compared directly with another state’s inventory without checking scope.
State Park Visitation Statistics and Trends
Attendance measures may count visits, visitors, or category-specific attendance, and repeated visits can appear in totals. North Carolina reported more than 20.1 million visitors in 2023, a 4% increase from 2022 and an increase of more than 755,000 visits. State Parks System Grew in Visitation, Size in 2023
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area received more than 2.5 million visitors in North Carolina in 2023, about 500,000 more than the prior year. Both figures are rounded in the agency release.
| Location or category | Attendance | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan state parks and recreation areas | 38 million visitors per year | 2023 average; estimate |
| Minnesota state parks | More than 11 million visitors per year | Standing annual estimate |
| California state beaches | 41,449,426 visits | FY 2021/22 |
| California state parks | 29,860,783 visits | FY 2021/22 |
| California state recreation areas | 8,379,569 visits | FY 2021/22 |
Michigan’s 38 million figure is an average based on 2023 data, not a single-year audited total. Minnesota’s more-than-11-million figure is also an annual estimate whose facts page does not identify one measurement year. Managing our state parks system; Minnesota State Parks facts
Minnesota’s five most visited parks in 2024 were Gooseberry Falls with 758,417 visitors, Split Rock Lighthouse with 558,110, Tettegouche with 537,824, Itasca with 529,815, and Fort Snelling with 480,159. The ranking covers those five named parks, not every Minnesota park. Minnesota State Parks facts
California’s FY 2021/22 state-beach total comprised 13,105,161 paid day-use visits, 25,372,468 free day-use visits, and 2,971,797 camping attendance. State parks recorded 5,507,205 paid day-use visits, 21,222,757 free day-use visits, and 3,130,821 camping attendance, while recreation areas recorded 4,879,331 paid day-use visits, 3,214,001 free day-use visits, and 286,237 camping attendance. California State Park System Statistical Report 2021/22
Camping, Overnight Use, and Visitor Behavior Data
Camping capacity and visitor behavior show that state-park use extends beyond simple annual attendance. Minnesota’s 2022 visitor study estimated 11.9 million visitor-days annually, where a visitor-day means one person spending any part of one day in a park rather than one unique person.
About 90% of Minnesota state-park days were estimated to be day-use visits. The study’s day-use definition can include visitors staying overnight outside the park, so it is not identical to a count of short visits.
- Minnesota overnight campers account for about 1.1 million visitors each year in the state’s standing estimate.
- Nearly 19% of Minnesota state-park visitors come from other states and countries in the standing estimate, although the facts page does not provide a survey year.
- About one-third of Minnesota day-use visitor-days occur during overnight trips away from home, equal to about 3.6 million days annually.
- About two-thirds of Minnesota day-use visitor-days are day trips from home, equal to about 7.1 million days annually.
The 2022 study estimated that day-use visitors generated about 90% of visitors’ total direct spending, or roughly $619 million of the study’s $688 million annual estimate. The $619 million figure is a derived interpretation of the reported percentage and total, not a separately reported source total. 2022 Minnesota State Park Visitor Study
State Park Economic Impact, Spending, and Jobs
Economic-impact studies model relationships among visitor spending, park operations, local purchases, and employment. Their results are estimates, not cash receipts or causal experimental effects.
| State or system | Estimated result | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | $3.974 billion direct impact; 55,632 jobs | FY 2021/22 |
| Arizona | $449 million statewide sales; $272 million GSP; 4,200 jobs | FY 2020 |
| Minnesota | $688 million direct visitor spending | 2022 annualized estimate |
| California | $6.8 billion annual average contribution; 56,000 jobs | FY 2006-08 |
Florida estimated about $123,619 in local direct impact per 1,000 state-park visitors in FY 2021/22. The assessment modeled local impact from non-local visitor spending and park operations, and its supported-jobs definition includes seasonal, temporary, part-time, and full-time employment equivalents. Florida State Park System Direct Economic Impact Assessment, Fiscal Year 2021-2022
Florida District 3 generated $1.078 billion in direct impact and supported 15,098 jobs, while District 4 generated $1.061 billion and supported 14,858 jobs. District 1 recorded $511.24 million in direct impact and 7,157 jobs; District 2 recorded $519.48 million and 7,273 jobs; and District 5 recorded $775.53 million and 10,857 jobs.
Florida’s District 1, District 2, and District 5 estimates also included increased sales-tax figures of $33.90 million, $34.96 million, and $52.85 million, respectively. Central-office support was associated with $27.78 million in direct impact and 444 supported jobs, which is an administrative-support line rather than a visitation total.
Arizona’s FY 2020 study estimated that Mohave County had the state’s largest state-park county-level impact, with roughly $83 million in sales and an estimated 945 jobs. The figure includes multiplier effects and non-local visitor spending. Economic Contribution and Impacts of Arizona’s State Parks
Minnesota’s estimated $688 million in direct visitor spending excludes payments made directly to parks or other public agencies, so it is not total visitor-related economic activity. California’s $6.8 billion and 56,000 jobs are older FY 2006-08 annual-average estimates and should not be presented as current spending. 2022 Minnesota State Park Visitor Study; Products of the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)
State Park Revenue, Operating Costs, and Public Finance
Administrative revenue and operating costs provide a different view from modeled economic impact. California’s FY 2021/22 report separates revenue from operating costs by system category.
| California category | Revenue | Operating costs | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| State beaches | $54.03 million | $70.17 million | FY 2021/22 |
| State parks | $46.29 million | $188.10 million | FY 2021/22 |
| State recreation areas | $13.88 million | $47.42 million | FY 2021/22 |
| State natural reserves | $6.65 million | $7.26 million | FY 2021/22 |
These are administrative totals, not profit or net income. Revenue includes user fees, concessions, and miscellaneous revenue where specified by the report, while operating-cost definitions are agency-specific. California State Park System Statistical Report 2021/22
The California natural-reserves category recorded zero camping attendance in the same table, but its revenue was not limited to camping. That distinction matters when interpreting revenue alongside attendance.
Florida’s FY 2021/22 economic assessment estimated $267.7 million in increased state sales-tax revenue statewide. The figure is modeled tax revenue associated with visitor expenditures, not a direct park-fee collection total. Florida State Park System Direct Economic Impact Assessment, Fiscal Year 2021-2022
State Park Conservation Growth and Regional Comparisons
North Carolina ended 2023 with 262,074 acres in its state parks system and added more than 2,890 acres during the year. The system description includes state parks and associated state recreation and natural areas.
The same North Carolina agency described a broader portfolio of more than 100 locations, including 35 state parks and 4 recreation areas. That broader count also includes museums, aquariums, trails, and other facilities, so it should not be treated as a state-park-only total. State Parks System Grew in Visitation, Size in 2023
Arizona state parks are located in 13 of the state’s 15 counties; Greenlee and Maricopa counties were excluded from the counties containing state parks in the FY 2020 study. Between the 2014 and 2020 economic-impact studies, Arizona non-local visitor expenditures increased by more than 20%, while visits grew by nearly 30% and non-local expenditures per visit fell 6%.
Arizona state-park visits in 2020 were 7.6% below 2019 overall, but excluding temporarily closed historic parks and Kartchner Caverns, visits were 1% above 2019. Visits to Arizona historic state parks and Kartchner Caverns were 50% lower in 2020 than in 2019, associated with temporary safety-related pandemic closures. Economic Contribution and Impacts of Arizona’s State Parks
California’s older FY 2006-08 contribution study estimated about $410 million in state-government revenues and $140 million in local-government revenues annually. It also reported more than $2 returned to the state treasury for each dollar spent operating and maintaining the system, a ratio tied to that study’s economic model, period, and definition of treasury returns. Products of the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)