Disney Parks' Economic Magic: $67 Billion Impact Revealed

The total nears combined consumer spending across Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween.

Disney has released the results of a new study measuring the Disney Parks’ impact on the United States economy.

What’s Happening:

  • The Walt Disney Company has commissioned a new study report from Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company).
  • This report measured the economic impacts of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.
  • In total, the domestic Disney Parks were found to have generated $67 billion in annual economic impact.
  • For context, Disney notes that this figure nearly matches the amount that U.S. consumers spent on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween in 2024 combined (that total was $70.9 billion last year).
  • Additionally, the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort supported (directly and indirectly) 403,000 not only in California and Florida but across the country.
  • While Disney has previously shared their local and regional economic impacts, this is the first time they’ve highlighted their combined, national impact.
  • The company has also launched a new website highlighting these figures and impacts.

By the Numbers:

  • Starting at Disneyland, the report found that the Resort generated $16.1 billion in annual economic impact across Southern California while directly and indirectly supporting more than 102,000 jobs in the region.
  • In fact, nearly 1 out of every 20 jobs in Orange County, California can be attributed to Disney per the report.
  • Meanwhile, Walt Disney World’s economic impact on the state of Florida is estimated to be $40.3 billion.
  • The resort’s operations reportedly support (directly and indirectly) 263,000 jobs in the state.
  • Moreover, according to the report’s findings, nearly 1 out of every 8 jobs in Central Florida can be attributed to Disney — which also amounts to 1 out of every 32 jobs in the entire state.
  • The other $10.2 billion is the impact that the two resorts are measured to have on the rest of the country outside of their physical regions.

Resort Expansions and Updates:

  • The arrival of this report comes as the Disney Parks are expecting to invest $60 billion over the coming years.
  • Several projects associated with the early phase of this investment were announced at last year’s D23 event.
  • Soon, guests will begin seeing those expansions underway at both domestic resorts.
  • In fact, just this week, Walt Disney World announced closure dates for Rivers of America attractions as construction gets underway for the Piston Peak section of Frontierland.
  • At Disneyland, work is being done to expand Avengers Campus with two new attractions.
  • With a planned Avatar experience and other additions on the way to the resort, construction updates on that coast are also expected soon.
  • To keep up with the latest announcements and developments, you can follow our Project Trackers.

What They’re Saying:

  • Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics: “Disney is an iconic economic engine powering entire ecosystems of jobs, small businesses and public revenue. What began as a single destination has evolved into one of the most impressive examples of local and national economic growth — generating more than $16 billion in economic impact across Southern California alone in 2023."
  • Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences: “Disney defines the themed entertainment business in America, and our presence is felt across the country. Our destinations create economies far beyond the gates of our parks, and when we invest in the groundbreaking experiences that only Disney can deliver, growth follows."
  • Thomas Mazloum, president, Disneyland Resort: “As we celebrate 70 incredible years in Southern California, we are deeply proud of the lasting impact Disneyland Resort has made—creating thousands of jobs, fueling the local economy and welcoming the world to this extraordinary region. And we’re just getting started—the decades ahead hold even greater promise, and we look forward to growing, evolving and contributing more to the community we call home."

Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disney travel planning
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Kyle Burbank
Kyle is a writer living in Springfield, MO. His deep love of Disney and other pop culture finds its way into several aspects of his life and work. In addition to his position at LP, he's also the head writer for Fioney.com as well as his own personal finance site Moneyat30.com.
View all articles by Kyle Burbank