North Carolina Tourism Spending Reaches Record $37.2 Billion In 2025
This week, North Carolina announced that tourist spending reached a record $37.2 billion in 2026, surpassing the previous record of $36.2 billion set in 2025.
“North Carolina remains a great place to visit from our beautiful shore to our breathtaking mountains,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Even in the face of challenges from Hurricane Helene recovery last year, we saw record visitor spending – proof that people want to be here and experience all our state has to offer. From one end of the state to the other, tourism is helping to support jobs, sustain small businesses, and keep our economy moving forward.”
The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 0.3% to 230,997 jobs in 2025. Tourism payroll increased 3.5% to $9.8 billion. Also as a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw tax revenues of more than $2.7 billion.
North Carolina ranks No. 7 in domestic visitation behind California, Florida, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. In addition to 2025’s spending by domestic travelers, North Carolina also saw spending of more than $1.1 billion from international markets (down 2.8% from 2024).
“Residents of all 100 North Carolina counties benefit from the money that visitors spend,” said NC Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “From our smallest towns to our largest cities, tourism means jobs for nearly 50,000 small businesses and our first-in-talent workforce.”
Secretary Lilley notes that as a result of travelers’ contributions to state and local tax revenue, North Carolina households average $605 in yearly savings.
North Carolina tourism facts:
Total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $37.2 billion in 2025. That sum represents a 1.3% increase over 2024 expenditures.
Domestic travelers spent a record $36.1 billion in 2025. Spending was up 1.5% from $35.6 billion in 2024.
International travelers spent $1.1 billion in 2025, down 2.8% from the previous year.
Visitors to North Carolina generated more than $4.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2025. The total represents a 2.5% increase from 2024.
State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 2.0% to nearly $1.4 billion in 2025.
Local tax receipts grew 2.6% to more than $1.3 billion.
Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 0.3% to 230,997.
Direct tourism payroll increased 3.5% to $9.8 billion.
Visitors spend more than $101 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $7.5 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.8 million in state taxes and $3.7 million in local taxes).
Each North Carolina household saved $605 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $244.
