How Much It Costs To Run A National Park

A solid fleet of riding mowers and a couple cans of bear spray should do the trick, right? The National Park Service (NPS) manages more than 85 million acres of public land in the US, including the 50+ million acres of actual national parks and the 87 national monuments frequented by classes of eighth graders. But how much money the federal government grants the agency to run the parks, and how much it actually costs to operate them, are very different.

Federal money. In January, Congress passed an annual budget bill that approved $2.88 billion to operate the NPS through October of this year. That’s a steep decline from the 2023 budget of $3.48 billion, but relatively flat from 2025.

This year’s budget was almost slashed. Last May, the Trump administration proposed a more than $1 billion cut to the NPS, but public pushback forced lawmakers to cut the cuts. National park advocates celebrated, though a decade of reduced staffing (exacerbated by steep 25% cuts last year) and booming visitor numbers since the pandemic have already left park staff stretched thin:

• In popular parks like Yosemite, too few park rangers mean visitors are running wild and flying drones, climbing without permits, and throwing trash wherever they want.
• Last summer, some parks that required entrance fees but didn’t have enough staff to collect them resorted to implementing QR codes and asking visitors to abide by the honor system.
• The NPS reported about $23 billion in deferred maintenance projects (e.g., fixing restrooms, maintaining hiking trails, etc.) at the end of 2024.

Other income. Park fees, private philanthropy, and volunteers help sustain the parks. The National Park Foundation, which is a nongovernmental organization and a nonprofit, said it donated over $83.8 million last year to parks and their partners. Parks also take a percentage of private concessions and lodging if they are operated on their property.

The economic output is massive. In 2024, national parks helped generate $56.3 billion for the US economy and provided 340,100 jobs, according to the NPS. A huge chunk of that spend went to small towns near parks or gateway regions.—MM

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