Disney’s Effect on Fueling Florida Economy, Jobs and Tourism
Walt Disney World Resort is among the largest employers in Florida and an economic catalyst across the state. Its economic impact is massive as an international destination, driving benefits across the state economy through direct operations, supply chains, tax payments, and the spending of visitors across the hospitality, transportation, and retail sectors.
This comprehensive economic analysis quantifies the significant contribution of Disney’s operations in Florida during FY22. Oxford Economics’ findings support Disney’s role as an economic engine in the state of Florida, and the report’s key findings revealed that:
- In FY22 alone, Disney generated $40.3 billion in statewide economic activity, either directly, or indirectly through its supply chain and the spending of employees.
- Disney is also vital to the funding of public services, as it generated taxes of $6.6 billion in 2022, including state and local taxes of $3.1 billion generated by Disney, non-local visitors, employees and third-party businesses—equivalent to $379 per Florida household.
- More than 263,000 Florida jobs were sustained by Disney, including Florida residents directly employed through the company as well as jobs supported by guest spending off-property and other indirect impacts.
- Within the Central Florida region, Disney directly supports 12%, or 1-in-8, of all jobs. For every direct job on-site at Disney, an additional 1.7 jobs are supported across Florida.
In addition to Walt Disney World Resort, this study also reflects the economic impact of Disney Signature Experiences in Florida, including Disney Vacation Club and Disney Cruise Line.
Notably, the company also contracted approximately 2,500 Florida-based small businesses to supply products and services to Disney World in FY22.
The experts behind the research
Our consulting team at Tourism Economics are the world’s leading analysts of the global tourism and travel sector. They combine their expert insight with our state-of-the-art economic models and tools to answer the crucial questions facing our clients. Lead consultants on the project were:
Adam Sacks
President of Tourism Economics
Michael Mariano
Director of Economic Development, Tourism Economics
Greg Pepitone
Associate Director, Tourism Economics
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