Statistical abstract: 2023

In the pages that follow, a series of tables and figures display visitor use statistics for calendar year 2023. By documenting visits, hours, and overnight stays across the National Park System, the National Park Service (NPS) Statistical Abstract offers a historical record of visitor use in parks and provides NPS staff and partners with a useful tool for effective management and planning. In 2023, 400 of the 428 National Park System units collected and reported visitor use statistics; the remainder are unable to do so for a variety of reasons such as administration by another agency, non-federal land ownership, or new parks that lack staff and facilities for the management of visitor use statistics. The responsibility for compiling and summarizing visitor use statistics resides with the Social Science Program in the NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. The Program relies on the conscientious efforts of NPS field personnel to count, record, and report visitor use. This system of collecting and summarizing monthly visitor use data is combined with continuous review and assessment of park visitor use estimation procedures to promote consistency and accuracy of data. Detailed instructions for the units that collect data, monthly visitation summaries, and reports displaying trends in park visitation are available on the NPS Visitor Use Statistics website (https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/)