As a gateway to the Smoky Mountains, Blount County ranked eighth among Tennessee’s 95 counties in 2025 visitor expenditures at $644.2 million, a 5.5 percent increase from $610.9 million in 2025, outpacing the statewide growth of 2.7 percent, according to the Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties report issued by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Gov. Bill Lee.
On an average day, Blount County visitor spending generated $1.8 million in daily expenditures on lodging, retail, transportation, recreation, and dining. It produced $639,330 in daily labor income and $69,966 in daily local tax collections. In total, visitor spending in Blount County generated $25.5 million in local tax revenue meaning that each household in the county saw a $1,092 annual tax savings.
Davidson County, which includes the city of Nashville, topped all county indices with $11.6 billion in tourism economic impact. Shelby County was second at $4.2 billion, Sevier third at $4.1 billion, Knox was fourth at $2.2 billion and Hamilton fifth at $1.9 billion. Williamson County entered in sixth with $1.4 billion and Rutherford County was seventh at $804.5 million. Montgomery and Sullivan counties at $441.6 and $393.3 million, respectively, round out the top 10.
“We’re excited to see continued growth in Tennessee’s tourism industry, especially here in Blount County, where visitor spending has hit record highs,” said Kim Mitchell, Director of the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority. “As one of the state’s leading economic drivers and employers, the leisure and hospitality industry depends on ongoing efforts to showcase everything our region has to offer, from outdoor adventures to outstanding dining and lodging experiences.”
Tourism employment in the county was at an all-time high of 5,078 which also led to an all-time high payroll of $233.4 million.
State tax receipts for the county totaled $35.1 million, marking the 10th consecutive year of reaching at least $20 million.
Blount County is part of Tennessee’s Middle East tourism region which encompasses 16 counties, where visitor spending reached $7.9 billion in 2025, up 3.6% over 2024 and up 46.9% since 2018.
Statewide, Tennessee’s tourism industry generated a record $32.5 billion in direct visitor spending in 2025 and $3.3 billion in state and local tax revenue. The state’s tourism economy has grown 40 percent since 2018, nearly double the national growth rate of 22 percent.
Visitor spending in Blount County grew 37.1 percent during that time, also ahead of the national average, led by increases in lodging.
“Tennessee is a sales tax state. The quality of our assets – whether that’s live music or entertainment or outdoors – are attractive to visitors,” said Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “Every tax dollar captured from an out-of-state visitor is a dollar retained in Tennessee and used for Tennesseans. It’s incredible to see communities understanding the power of visitor spending, and leveraging that spending for the good of their residents.”
