A year after the local sesquicentennial commemoration of the Siege of Vicksburg wrapped up, the economic impact of Vicksburg National Military Park has remained at a steady $30 million.

A new National Park Service report shows 550,875 visitors to Vicksburg National Military Park in 2014 spent $30,894,800 in communities near the park, acting Superintendent Bill Justice said in an email.

“That spending supported 517 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $40,397,600,” Justice said.

The impact is a slight decrease from 2013 when the park commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg with several months of special events. During that time frame, 573,838 Vicksburg National Military Park visitors spent $31.6 million locally.

“Vicksburg National Military Park welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” Justice said. “We are delighted to share the story of the campaign and siege of Vicksburg and the stories of all the people who were involved or affected by it. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to Mississippi and Louisiana and all that this area offers.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz.  The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally; 235,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion.

The report also shows that 6,557,119 visitors to national parks in Mississippi spent $198.6 million in the state in 2014. That spending resulted in 2,877 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $210 million.

“National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well,” Justice said. “We appreciate the partnership and support of our partners and neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging  — 30.6 percent — followed by food and beverages — 20.3 percent.