FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oneida County Tourism Economic Impact tops $408 million in 2025, New Tourism Data Shows
State tourism report shows record economic spending across county
Three Lakes, Wis. (June 9, 2026)— Oneida County boasted a record $408 million in
tourism economic impact in 2025, with visitors spending a record $314 million just last year,
according to newly released data from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
That $314.2 million is a 3.8% increase over 2024, outpacing the 2.7% inflation rate and equates
to an additional $11.4 million in visitor spending year over year. The county recorded the
second-highest visitor spending total among Northwoods destinations, but the highest overall
economic impact ($408 million), up 3.6% from 2025.
“People come to Oneida County for the lakes, trails and outdoor recreation, but what keeps
them coming back is more than that,” said Jacqui Sharpe, Chair of the Oneida County Tourism
Council and Executive Director of the Three Lakes Area Visitors Bureau. “From our locally
owned businesses and welcoming communities to year-round events and attractions, there’s
something here for every type of traveler. We’re thrilled to see continued growth and grateful to
everyone who chooses to spend time in our corner of Wisconsin.”
Fun Oneida County tourism facts
If you’re wondering what all those millions in tourism looks like on a local level, here are a few
fun stats. In 2025:
- Three Lakes Winery served just over 60,000 individual wine tastings.
- Pi Pizza Co. made over 5,000 pizzas, using over 3,000 pounds of cheese from Wisconsin cows,
800 pounds of tomatoes and 50 pounds of basil from Canopy Gardens in northern Wisconsin. - James Lake Farms welcomed 130 people for Saturday tours during their harvest season,
producing over 1.4 million pounds of organic cranberries, 725 pounds of which
were sold to marsh visitors.
More than 2,200 jobs attributed to tourism
Tourism supported 2,231 jobs in Oneida County in 2025, an increase of 11 from the previous
year.
Visitor activity also generated $25.2 million in state and local tax revenue, helping reduce the
tax burden on local residents. Statewide, tourism directly supports one out of every 21 jobs, with
tourism-dependent destinations such as Oneida County seeing an even greater impact.
“Tourism touches nearly every corner of our local economy,” Sharpe said. “When visitors stay in
our lodging properties, dine in our restaurants, shop in our stores and enjoy our attractions,
they’re supporting the people and businesses that make our communities thrive. These
numbers reflect the value tourism brings not just to visitors, but to the people who live and work
here every day.”
Across Wisconsin, tourism generated a record-breaking $26.9 billion in total economic impact in
2025, a 4.4% increase over the previous year and surpassing the record of $25.8 billion set in
2024. The industry supported more than 183,000 jobs statewide and generated $1.7 billion in
state and local tax revenue, reducing the average tax burden on Wisconsin households by
$692.
