Study: Oregon's state parks injected $1B into economy

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A study by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has found that visitors to the state's parks contributed more than $1 billion to the economy and supported 16,000 jobs in 2016.

The report released this week measures how communities near state parks benefit from that presence.

Employees earned a combined salary of $550 million and helped welcome more than 54 million visitors. The analysis also found that each dollar invested in the parks system generates $30.50 in related economic activity.

State parks officials commissioned economist Eric White, a research social scientist with the U.S.