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A Look at a Thrilling Industry: Amusement and Theme Parks

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Photo of an amusement park at dusk
February 2025
A look at a thrilling industry: amusement and theme parks

Timothy Ewing

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, amusements, gambling, and recreation industries generated $236.8 billion in output in 2023. This was an increase of $100.7 billion, or 74 percent, from 2020 when the industry was hit particularly hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This Spotlight on Statistics reviews establishment, employment, and wage trends for the amusement and theme parks industry. Additionally, it examines productivity, expenditures for entertainment fees and admissions, and prices for select amusement and theme parks products. 

The number of amusement and theme parks in the United States increased steadily from 2013 to 2023

In 2023, there were 1,273 amusement and theme parks nationwide. The industry grew 43 percent from 2013 to 2023, adding 383 establishments. The largest single year increase occurred in 2023 with the addition of 66 establishments. The 2023 growth was also the largest over-the-year percentage gain, at 5.5 percent, followed by a 5.1-percent increase in 2019.

Florida, Texas, and California have the most amusement and theme parks

In 2013, three states accounted for over one-third of the country’s amusement and theme parks: Florida (134), Texas (87), and California (82). By 2023, these states each had over 100 amusement and theme parks, together making up 33 percent of all amusement and theme parks in the United States. Florida (175) had the most amusement and theme parks in 2023, followed by Texas (135), and California (110). 

There were over 200,000 jobs in the amusement and theme parks industry in 2023

Employment in the amusement and theme parks industry was 203,361 in 2023. From 2013 to 2023, the industry added 38,162 jobs, an increase of 23 percent. The largest over-the-year net increases in employment for the industry were 38,032 in 2022 and 35,694 in 2021. These increases followed the industry’s largest decline in employment, which occurred in 2020 (-83,026) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida led the nation in amusement and theme parks jobs from 2013 to 2023

In 2013, Florida had the most jobs in the amusement and theme parks industry (63,555), followed by California (39,883). Collectively, the two states accounted for 60 percent or more of all jobs in the amusement and theme parks industry in each year from 2013 to 2023. Florida had 81,752 jobs in the industry in 2023, and California had 47,918 jobs.

Orange County, Florida had the highest concentration of amusement and theme parks employment

In 2023, 10 counties had at least twice the average concentration of employment in the amusement and theme parks industry. Orange County, Florida, had the highest concentration of jobs for amusement and theme parks. Orange County’s employment was 59.2 times more concentrated than the U.S. average for the industry. Sevier County, Tennessee, had the next highest concentration at 50.9 times the U.S. average.

We compare employment concentrations across areas using location quotients. Location quotients are calculated by dividing the percentage of total employment for an industry at the local level by the percentage of total employment in the industry at the national level. If a location quotient is equal to 1, then the industry has the same share or concentration of local employment as the nation. A location quotient greater than 1 indicates an industry with a greater share of employment in the local area than nationwide.

Average annual pay in the amusement and theme parks industry from 2013 to 2023 was $30,477

Average annual pay in the amusement and theme parks industry was $36,015 in 2023. Wages in 2023 were down from the industry peak of $36,112 in 2020. The largest over-the-year increase in wages was in 2020 (+$6,586), followed in 2021 by the largest decline in wages (-$1,891). The largest percentage increase was 22.3 percent from 2019 to 2020.

Labor productivity for the amusement parks and arcades industry down from post pandemic peaks

Labor productivity for amusement parks and arcades declined 7.2 percent in 2023, after large post-pandemic increases in 2021 (+95.3 percent) and 2022 (+19.3 percent). Output for the industry rose 0.4 percent in 2023 but was more than offset by an 8.2-percent increase in hours worked. In comparison, output increased 115.1 percent in 2021 and 31.5 percent in 2022, while hours worked rose 10.1 percent and 10.3 percent over the same periods.

Consumer expenditures for entertainment fees and admissions bounced back from 2020 decline

Consumer expenditures for entertainment fees and admissions were $951 in 2023, up 124 percent from 2020 when expenditures declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the four census regions, consumers in the West spent the most on entertainment fees and admissions in 2023 ($1,165), while those in the South spent the least ($790). The South was the only region to have expenditures lower than the pre-pandemic high seen in 2019.

Producer prices for amusement and theme parks increased 51.2 percent from 2013 to 2023

From 2013 to 2023, prices increased for each of the three components of the amusement and theme parks producer price index. Prices for food and beverages had the largest percentage increase over the decade at 62.0 percent, followed by prices for admissions at 48.4 percent. Prices for merchandise sales, games, and other services rose 17.2 percent from 2013 to 2023.

   

For more information

This Spotlight on Statistics was prepared by Timothy Ewing, a supervisory statistician in the Southeast Economic Analysis and Information Division of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For questions about this Spotlight, please email BLSInfoAtlanta@bls.gov.


The data presented in this Spotlight are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), the Office of Productivity and Technology (OPT), the Consumer Expenditure Surveys program (CE), and the Producer Price Index program (PPI). QCEW data are published quarterly, and measure employment and wages reported by employers covering more than 95 percent of all U.S. jobs. QCEW data are available by industry for counties, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, states, and the nation. The OPT measures how efficiently the U.S. converts inputs into the outputs of goods and services. The CE program provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States. The PPI measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output.