Study Says U-M Football Brings $227M in Visitor Spending to Ann Arbor; Programs Elsewhere Generate More For Their Host Cities

by P.D. Lesko

On May 5, 2025, Destination Ann Arbor (the City of Ann Arbor Visitor’s Bureau) released the results of a study the group obtained to gauge the economic impact of Michigan football on the City of Ann Arbor. While the $227 million in outside visitor spending has a positive impact on area, and the generation of tax revenue ($12.9 million annually), the amount is drop in the bucket compared to the revenue generated by college football teams for other cities.

In 2022, the University of Wisconsin-Madison engaged Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) to conduct a study on the impact of that college’s athletic program on Madison, WI.

The 2022 University of Wisconsin release about the economic impact study stated:

“Thanks to the nearly 2 million people that come to Madison each year for Badger sporting events, camps or other activities in UW Athletics facilities, Wisconsin Athletics has a $757 million total annual economic impact on the state, according to a study completed earlier this year by Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI).

“In Madison alone, ESI reports that UW Athletics’ total economic impact is $462 million along with the creation of 3,360 jobs and $4 million in tax revenue. The recently completed south endzone project at Camp Randall Stadium and the ongoing renovation at the Kohl Center account for $38 million in annualized capital spending.”

The Destination Ann Arbor study found that:

• Spending by out-of-county visitors supported 2,198 local jobs;
• Each Michigan home football game contributed approximately $28 million in direct visitor spending;
• Spending by out-of-county visitors supported $97.7 million in wages for local hospitality and tourism workers;
• Visitors generated $12.9 million in tax revenue and accounted for 100,496 hotel room nights;
• Spectators who traveled from outside Washtenaw County spent an average of $256.34, resulting in an estimated total economic impact of $320.48 per person.

In Feb. 2025, Kansas State University released the results of its own impact study. That study concluded K-State Athletics generates more than $486 million in annual economic activity for the Manhattan, KS community and the state of Kansas. The economic impact study was performed by Tripp Umbach and the college’s athletics department.

Tripp Umbach utilized data from 2022-23 to conduct the study, which also revealed that more than 3,850 jobs resulted from the department’s impact. From a tax perspective, K-State Athletics generated $26.2 million in direct and indirect/induced tax payments for state and local governments in Kansas, with $21.0 million amount specifically benefiting Manhattan.

While the Destination Ann Arbor 2024 study revealed that each University of Michigan home game resulted in $28 million in direct visitor spending, a 2015 study conducted by the University of Texas-Austin revealed that nearly a decade ago that each University of Texas home football game generated $63 million for the City of Austin, TX.

Ames, IA is home to 65,686 people, Iowa State University and its football team. In 2020, the Ames, IA Chamber of Commerce published the results of its home football game economic impact study: “Iowa State has seven home football games this season, starting Sept. 5 against South Dakota at Jack Trice Stadium. A weekend football game was estimated be worth $8.9 million to the Ames-area economy. That’s almost $63 million that will be spent this season at Ames restaurants, hotels and other places football visitors frequent during game weekends.”

The Destination Ann Arbor study was independently commissioned, funded by Destination Ann Arbor, and conducted by Future Partners.