Visitation and spending directly related to nearby public lands such as national parks annually contribute billions to regional economies while creating hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs. Headwaters Economics has created an interactive that lists the visits, spending, jobs, and labor income created in gateway communities for each of the National Park Service units during the past several years. At the same time, the economic benefits of national parks extend beyond tourism. In today’s economy, the greatest value of natural amenities and recreation opportunities often lies in the ability of protected lands to attract and retain people, entrepreneurs, their businesses, and the growing number of retirees who locate for quality of life reasons. National Park Service units positively impact gateway communities in a variety of ways such as visitor spending, quality of life, and attracting workers and businesses. Headwaters Economics has developed a number of tools, many of them described below, to help users better understand their local economy and the role of protected public lands.