A new economic study commissioned by Disney says Disneyland and Disney World had an economic impact of nearly $67 billion nationwide that supported more than 400,000 jobs across the United States.
The Oxford Economics report analyzed the economic impacts of the Disneyland resort in Anaheim in 2023 and the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida, in 2022, to come up with the overall Disney Parks impact on the American economy.
ALSO SEE: How millions flocking to Epic Universe help and hurt Disney World
Disney has conducted studies over the past two decades on how Disneyland and Disney World have impacted the local economies in Orange County and Central Florida, respectively.
The Disney Parks Impact on the American Economy study marks the first time Disney has combined the total economic impact and job creation at the California and Florida theme park resorts for a nationwide look at the U.S. economy..
The Disneyland resort had an annual economic impact of $16.1 billion in Southern California that directly and indirectly supported more than 102,000 jobs in the region in 2023, according to the report.
Nearly 75% of the Disneyland-related jobs were in Orange County. Just over a third of those jobs were at the Disneyland resort, the largest employer in Orange County with 36,000 workers. Nearly 1 out of every 20 jobs in Orange County can be attributed to Disneyland, the report found. Those could be jobs at area hotels and restaurants, among a number of other related businesses.
The vast majority of jobs at the Disneyland resort are unionized. One of the largest union groups representing 14,000 Disneyland employees negotiated a stepped wage increase in 2024 that will rise to $26 an hour in 2026.
Disneyland generated $2.6 billion in total tax revenues in 2023, according to the report. On the local level, Disneyland generated $279 million in tax revenues for the city of Anaheim in the same year.
The Disney World resort had an annual economic impact of $40.3 billion in Florida that supported 263,000 jobs in the state in 2022, according to the report.
Disney World generated $6.6 billion in total tax revenues in 2022.
Nearly 1 out of every 8 jobs in Central Florida and 1 out of every 32 jobs throughout the state can be attributed to Disney World, the report says.
ALSO SEE: Hurricanes cost Disney World $677 million since 1999
Disneyland and Disney World generated an additional $10.2 billion in economic activity that supported 38,000 jobs across the rest of the United States, according to the report.
Combined, Disneyland and Disney World had an economic impact of $66.6 billion nationwide that supported 403,000 jobs across the United States.
The Oxford Economics report calculated direct, indirect and induced spending associated with Disneyland and Disney World.
Direct economic activity included spending associated with theme park visitors on things such as admission tickets, air travel, rental cars, hotels and restaurants.
Indirect supply-side activity included business purchases by the parks from vendors and service companies. Induced activity involved Disney and other tourism-related employees spending their salaries and wages in the regional economy.