Disneyland celebrates 70th anniversary with deals, new attractions
Customers can access discounted ticket prices and see new shows over the summer at Disneyland.
Scripps News
- Disneyland and Walt Disney World generate nearly $67 billion in annual economic impact and support more than 403,000 U.S. jobs, according to new report commissioned by Disneyland.
- Disney’s domestic parks contribute almost as much to the U.S. economy as consumers spend on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween combined.
You don’t need to be an economist to know that Disneyland and Walt Disney World bring in a lot of money, but for the first time, Disney is sharing just how much its domestic theme park resorts contribute to the overall U.S. economy.
A new report commissioned by Disneyland and prepared by economists at Tourism Economics found that California and Florida resorts generated nearly $67 billion in annual economic impact and supported more than 403,000 direct and indirect jobs across the U.S. Prior to this report, Disney hadn’t measured its impacts beyond the parks’ local economies.
“To add some color to this number, consider that the two resorts’ total combined impact of nearly $67 billion was nearly as much as U.S. consumers spent on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween combined in 2024,” said Michael Mariano, head economist for Tourism Economics, which is a subsidiary of Oxford Economics, the largest group of private economists worldwide.
The report attributes one in eight Central Florida jobs to Disney and nearly one in 20 jobs in Orange County, California, where Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Disney notes it also fuels thousands of small businesses, which provide everything “from the paint used on Sleeping Beauty Castle to specialty popcorn served in the theme parks.”
“Our destinations create economies far beyond the gates of our parks, and when we invest in the groundbreaking experiences that only Disney can deliver, growth follows,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said in a press release.
In 2023, Disney pledged to invest $60 billion over the next decade to “turbocharge” growth across its Experiences segment, which includes domestic and international parks as well as Disney Cruise Line. Half of that money is earmarked for U.S. parks, including Magic Kingdom’s largest expansion to date, doubling the size of Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, and building new lands and attractions like Disney’s first Monster’s Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and new “Coco” and “Avatar”-inspired attractions at Disneyland Resort.
(This story was updated to correct a typo.)
