Number of visitors to Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. 2008-2023
Yellowstone National Park in the United States – the country’s oldest national park - attracted a total of approximately 4.5 million visitors in 2023. The park received over three million visitors annually since 2008 and reached its visitation peak in 2021.
U.S. National Park Service
Established in 1872 and located predominantly in Wyoming, Yellowstone remains one of the most popular national parks in the United States, ranking third in terms of visitor numbers in 2021. However, with over 14 million recreational park visits in 2021, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, was by far the most visited national park in the country. All national parks in the U.S. are managed, protected and presented by the National Park Service, an agency of the U.S. federal government. There were approximately 92 million visitors to national parks in the U.S. in 2021.
National parks and the hospitality industry
Visitors to national parks are a valuable source of income to the United States economy. In 2021, national park visitors spent roughly seven billion U.S. dollars on lodging and four billion on restaurants and bars.