Dinosaur National Monument Providing Substantial Boost to Local Economy

The local communities near Dinosaur National Monument have been benefitting greatly from the tourism.

Visitors to the Dinosaur National Monument Fossil Bone Quarry can handle the fossilized remains of dinosaurs that once walked this area on what's now the Colorado-Utah border. Xxx Th Dinosaur National Monument897 / Trevor Hughes / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are a lot of places in Utah and Colorado that tourists can enjoy. One of the most unique, and evidently popular, is Dinosaur National Monument.

Located on the border between the two states, on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains, a large portion of the monument is in Moffat County, Colorado. The Dinosaur Quarry is just north of Jensen, Utah.

The Dinosaur National Monument has provided a trickle-down effect on all of the surrounding communities. According to the National Park Service, $24,100,000 million was spent by 326,529 tourists in the towns nearby.

As a result of the spending, 336 jobs were also supported. All in all, the local economy received a $28,403,000 boom thanks in part to the monument.

“People come to Dinosaur National Monument to see the world-famous dinosaur fossils or raft the Green and Yampa rivers and end up supporting the US and local economies along the way,” said Superintendent Phil Akers, via a National Park Services news release. “We’re proud that Dinosaur National Monument supports 336 jobs and generates over $24 million in revenue to communities near the park.”

The closest city in Colorado is aptly named Dinosaur. In Utah, the closest city to the monument is Vernal.

With over 800 paleontological sites, people can see the bones and fossils of several dinosaur species. That makes it an enjoyable experience whether you are there for work as a scientist or just enjoying what is offered on vacation.

“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”

The information collected is part of a new socioeconomic monitoring that the National Park Services are doing to collect data. Dinosaur National Monument has seen major increases in time and money spent by visitors compared to years past.

The revenue being generated at Dinosaur National Monument small piece of the overall picture. Around the country, national parks are having a positive impact on the communities they are located in and are near.

As shared by NPS, “The National Park Service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. The restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.”