Visits to Historic Battlefields Supports $1.5B in Annual Spending, Study Finds

Canon aiming at a battlefield of Gettysburg, USA

America’s historic battlefields support more than 15,000 jobs and $1.5 billion in annual visitor spending, according to a new study that incorporates cellphone tracking and National Park Service visitor data to thoroughly assess the economic power of these preserved battlefield parks and historic sites.

The study, Battlefields Mean Business, shows how 20.3 million annual visits to national battlefield sites spanning conflicts and stretching across 31 states and two territories contributed to $2.2 billion in total economic output. The analysis was conducted by market research firm RRC Associates for the American Battlefield Trust. Report details are available on the trust website.

“Battlefields Mean Business demonstrates what we have long known to be true: America’s battlefield sites are more than places of historical memory. They are economic drivers and recreational destinations that collectively support their local communities,” said David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust.

A key innovation was the incorporation of mobile location data for 15 case study sites. Traditional methods face accuracy limitations at dispersed or open-access sites, where visitors enter at multiple points or where formal counting infrastructure is limited. Sampling mobile location data provides a complementary source that enables observation of aggregate visitation patterns, including origins, dwell times and travel patterns.

Among the key findings in Battlefields Mean Business:

• Battlefield visitation generates economic value across a spectrum of site types, from high-volume urban destinations to low-volume rural sites.
• Smaller and more rural sites pack a bigger per-visitor punch and provide valuable economic drivers their communities might not have otherwise.
• Battlefields function as part of broader tourism systems, often extending visitor trips and increasing regional spending and cumulative impact in the heritage sector.
• Preservation fuels economic contributions, as access and interpretation lengthen dwell time.
• Beyond attracting visitors from afar, battlefields are important community for local residents.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 62,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states. Learn more at battlefields.org.