2025 Economic Impact of Visitors to Minnesota

Minnesota’s tourism industry had another strong year in 2025, according to a new report from Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics. The findings underscore just how central visitor spending is to the state’s economy — supporting jobs, wages, and tax revenue in communities across Minnesota.

The Numbers at a Glance

• 82.5 million visitors traveled to Minnesota in 2025 — up 1.2% from the year before
• Visitors spent $15.2 billion, a 3.0% increase over 2024, averaging $41.6 million in spending every day
• That spending rippled through the economy to generate a total economic impact of $25.2 billion
• The visitor economy supported 180,514 jobs — 4.6% of all jobs in Minnesota, or 1 in every 22
• Visitors generated $8.4 billion in personal income, equivalent to $3,653 per Minnesota household
• $2.4 billion in state and local taxes came from visitor spending — enough to cover the salaries of 32,445 public school teachers, and worth $1,038 in tax relief per household

Where Visitors Spent Their Money

Recreation spending grew the fastest of any category, up 5.1% year-over-year, followed by food & beverage and retail, each up 3.5%.

A Few Trends Worth Watching

• Day visitors are growing fastest. Day-trip volume and spending both outpaced overnight visitors in 2025, though overnight stays still account for the majority — 67.2% — of total visitor spending.
• International visits declined, domestic travel picked up the slack. International visitation fell 15.8%, driven largely by fewer visitors from Canada, but growth in domestic travel more than made up the difference, keeping total visitor volume in positive territory.
• Jobs held nearly steady even as spending rose. Direct visitor-supported employment dipped slightly (-0.5%, about 646 jobs), suggesting wage and productivity gains outpaced job growth in the sector.
• Tourism jobs are concentrated in a few key industries. Visitor spending supports 100% of lodging jobs, 29% of recreation and entertainment jobs, and 22% of food & beverage jobs statewide.

Why It Matters

Minnesota’s visitor economy isn’t just about hotels and restaurants — it’s a economic pillar that touches nearly every sector, from retail and transportation to finance and construction, through direct spending as well as the indirect and induced effects that ripple through supply chains and local paychecks. In 2025, that pillar generated $10.0 billion in indirect and induced economic activity on top of the initial $15.2 billion in direct visitor spending.