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Amusement park employment: it's a roller coaster

July 16, 2025

Thrills! Fun! Excitement! Amusement parks, with their rides, food, games, and shows, are a popular summer travel destination. Because amusement parks are mostly outdoors—and winter gets cold in some areas—it's not surprising there are seasonal variations in amusement park employment. Like a roller coaster, amusement parks and arcades employment has peaks and dips, usually reaching its maximum each summer and its minimum in the winter. During 2024, amusement parks and arcades employment ranged from 199,700 to 271,500.

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Chart Data

Amusement parks and arcades employment, not seasonally adjusted, January 2014–December 2024
Month	Employment
Jan 2014	149,200
Feb 2014	152,300
Mar 2014	163,400
Apr 2014	180,400
May 2014	202,600
Jun 2014	228,100
Jul 2014	234,600
Aug 2014	221,300
Sep 2014	191,600
Oct 2014	183,100
Nov 2014	163,300
Dec 2014	163,300
Jan 2015	151,300
Feb 2015	159,000
Mar 2015	172,200
Apr 2015	193,400
May 2015	220,000
Jun 2015	251,200
Jul 2015	259,500
Aug 2015	244,700
Sep 2015	209,500
Oct 2015	197,300
Nov 2015	174,500
Dec 2015	169,200
Jan 2016	156,900
Feb 2016	164,200
Mar 2016	178,800
Apr 2016	198,800
May 2016	223,800
Jun 2016	254,500
Jul 2016	260,400
Aug 2016	246,100
Sep 2016	212,900
Oct 2016	199,900
Nov 2016	176,200
Dec 2016	171,800
Jan 2017	159,400
Feb 2017	167,200
Mar 2017	181,000
Apr 2017	200,600
May 2017	224,600
Jun 2017	254,200
Jul 2017	261,800
Aug 2017	248,800
Sep 2017	218,900
Oct 2017	201,600
Nov 2017	181,900
Dec 2017	185,100
Jan 2018	175,600
Feb 2018	176,700
Mar 2018	190,000
Apr 2018	202,600
May 2018	221,200
Jun 2018	254,900
Jul 2018	259,400
Aug 2018	249,000
Sep 2018	223,500
Oct 2018	211,000
Nov 2018	190,100
Dec 2018	189,600
Jan 2019	183,300
Feb 2019	185,400
Mar 2019	197,000
Apr 2019	214,000
May 2019	236,200
Jun 2019	265,500
Jul 2019	274,300
Aug 2019	264,800
Sep 2019	239,100
Oct 2019	226,300
Nov 2019	202,100
Dec 2019	200,200
Jan 2020	188,000
Feb 2020	187,900
Mar 2020	191,800
Apr 2020	149,300
May 2020	109,300
Jun 2020	144,100
Jul 2020	159,100
Aug 2020	153,100
Sep 2020	142,400
Oct 2020	139,000
Nov 2020	143,400
Dec 2020	135,600
Jan 2021	98,000
Feb 2021	101,800
Mar 2021	114,900
Apr 2021	141,400
May 2021	168,000
Jun 2021	199,400
Jul 2021	215,800
Aug 2021	218,000
Sep 2021	205,800
Oct 2021	195,100
Nov 2021	183,900
Dec 2021	174,500
Jan 2022	167,100
Feb 2022	171,500
Mar 2022	182,500
Apr 2022	193,100
May 2022	201,600
Jun 2022	221,400
Jul 2022	230,600
Aug 2022	230,500
Sep 2022	221,600
Oct 2022	222,800
Nov 2022	219,100
Dec 2022	217,600
Jan 2023	187,200
Feb 2023	191,600
Mar 2023	204,000
Apr 2023	218,000
May 2023	234,600
Jun 2023	254,200
Jul 2023	258,200
Aug 2023	249,700
Sep 2023	232,600
Oct 2023	228,500
Nov 2023	205,900
Dec 2023	207,100
Jan 2024	199,700
Feb 2024	202,500
Mar 2024	219,100
Apr 2024	229,700
May 2024	245,200
Jun 2024	269,300
Jul 2024	271,500
Aug 2024	261,900
Sep 2024	241,400
Oct 2024	231,300
Nov 2024	211,500
Dec 2024	209,600

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The average weekly hours of employees in amusement parks and arcades also peaks during the summer months.

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Chart Data

Average weekly hours of all employees in amusement parks and arcades, not seasonally adjusted, January 2014–December 2024
Month	Hours
Jan 2014	22.9
Feb 2014	21.9
Mar 2014	23.8
Apr 2014	20.2
May 2014	19.5
Jun 2014	25.1
Jul 2014	29.1
Aug 2014	28.6
Sep 2014	21.7
Oct 2014	22.4
Nov 2014	23.6
Dec 2014	22.7
Jan 2015	23.8
Feb 2015	23.4
Mar 2015	24.4
Apr 2015	21.9
May 2015	20.0
Jun 2015	24.9
Jul 2015	28.1
Aug 2015	27.5
Sep 2015	21.1
Oct 2015	22.3
Nov 2015	23.0
Dec 2015	22.8
Jan 2016	23.6
Feb 2016	22.6
Mar 2016	22.9
Apr 2016	20.0
May 2016	19.8
Jun 2016	26.2
Jul 2016	28.9
Aug 2016	27.6
Sep 2016	20.7
Oct 2016	22.1
Nov 2016	23.0
Dec 2016	22.5
Jan 2017	22.9
Feb 2017	22.1
Mar 2017	22.1
Apr 2017	20.3
May 2017	18.5
Jun 2017	23.9
Jul 2017	26.9
Aug 2017	25.7
Sep 2017	18.8
Oct 2017	22.0
Nov 2017	22.5
Dec 2017	22.0
Jan 2018	22.7
Feb 2018	22.7
Mar 2018	21.6
Apr 2018	20.4
May 2018	19.2
Jun 2018	22.8
Jul 2018	25.7
Aug 2018	24.2
Sep 2018	15.3
Oct 2018	21.6
Nov 2018	22.7
Dec 2018	22.2
Jan 2019	23.1
Feb 2019	22.4
Mar 2019	23.5
Apr 2019	20.4
May 2019	18.0
Jun 2019	23.4
Jul 2019	26.3
Aug 2019	24.7
Sep 2019	21.4
Oct 2019	22.8
Nov 2019	23.1
Dec 2019	22.8
Jan 2020	24.1
Feb 2020	22.6
Mar 2020	22.0
Apr 2020	28.5
May 2020	28.0
Jun 2020	23.4
Jul 2020	25.9
Aug 2020	25.1
Sep 2020	23.0
Oct 2020	24.6
Nov 2020	23.8
Dec 2020	23.4
Jan 2021	23.6
Feb 2021	23.9
Mar 2021	24.5
Apr 2021	21.7
May 2021	21.0
Jun 2021	24.6
Jul 2021	27.6
Aug 2021	26.1
Sep 2021	22.9
Oct 2021	24.6
Nov 2021	24.6
Dec 2021	25.1
Jan 2022	25.0
Feb 2022	24.7
Mar 2022	24.3
Apr 2022	23.8
May 2022	22.8
Jun 2022	25.1
Jul 2022	25.8
Aug 2022	23.4
Sep 2022	18.6
Oct 2022	18.1
Nov 2022	16.7
Dec 2022	16.9
Jan 2023	21.5
Feb 2023	21.5
Mar 2023	19.0
Apr 2023	20.3
May 2023	20.9
Jun 2023	25.0
Jul 2023	25.9
Aug 2023	23.2
Sep 2023	20.7
Oct 2023	22.3
Nov 2023	22.4
Dec 2023	22.5
Jan 2024	24.7
Feb 2024	22.2
Mar 2024	21.8
Apr 2024	20.1
May 2024	20.0
Jun 2024	25.0
Jul 2024	26.6
Aug 2024	24.7
Sep 2024	21.0
Oct 2024	22.3
Nov 2024	22.2
Dec 2024	22.0

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and are not seasonally adjusted. Headline CES figures use seasonally adjusted data, which smooths out increases or decreases that occur around the same time each year, making it easier to see the underlying trends and other nonseasonal movements. Interested in more? See "A look at a thrilling industry: amusement and theme parks."

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Amusement park employment: it's a roller coaster at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/amusement-park-employment-its-a-roller-coaster.htm (visited July 18, 2025).

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