Tourism Generates $1.3 Billion in Billings Area
A Visit Billings-commissioned study credits visitors with supporting 10,043 local jobs over the past year.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Economic Indicators
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A study commissioned by Visit Billings estimates tourism generated $1.3 billion in economic impact for the Billings area between August 2025 and July 2026. The research, conducted by Future Partners, counted 2.8 million visitors across 6.7 million visitor days.
Why it matters
The figures put a dollar and jobs value on visitor spending in Billings, including $25.5 million in taxes collected for city and county governments. The results give local officials and businesses a measured baseline for judging the economic role of travel in the region.
The study, conducted by Future Partners, reports $703 million in direct visitor spending and $352.9 million in visitor industry payroll from 2.8 million visitors. It does not include year-over-year comparisons, and the source does not detail the modeling behind the estimates.
The players
Visit Billings
Visit Billings is the destination marketing organization for Billings that promotes the city to travelers and commissioned this economic impact study.
Future Partners
Future Partners is a research firm that conducted the visitor study for Visit Billings.
The details
Visit Billings commissioned the study, which surveyed visitors who traveled to Billings from August 2025 through July 2026. Vacation and leisure accounted for 30.3% of trips, and 94.4% of surveyed visitors said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience.
Timeline
August 2025: The study period begins.
July 2026: The study period ends.
Economic Indicators
The $1.3 billion estimate gives Billings a measured tourism baseline for the 2025-2026 period, offering a reference point for tracking future changes in visitor spending and employment. Because the source provides no earlier estimates, the figure's trajectory cannot yet be established.
For Billings residents, the study's $25.5 million in tax revenue for local governments and 10,043 supported jobs show how visitor spending feeds into public budgets and local employment. Residents who work in hospitality or related sectors are most directly tied to the reported payroll figures.
The takeaway
Tourism's measurable footprint in Billings now runs into the hundreds of millions in spending and wages, making visitor activity a meaningful component of the local economy. Tracking these figures in future studies will show whether that contribution is growing.
Further reading
For more on the broader measures behind this estimate, see Economic Indicators coverage for Billings.
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Do you think tourism is making your Billings area better off?
