The Potter Park Zoo and Potter Park Zoological Society partnered with Public Sector Consultants (PSC) to estimate the direct, indirect, and induced effects of Potter Park Zoo’s spending on the Lansing area.
The region of analysis for the study is the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), composed of Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, and Shiawassee Counties.
To conduct this analysis, PSC used Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN), an input-output modeling tool that traces transactions among and between different sectors to quantify how activity in one part of the economy affects others.
Total Output Cycle
The zoo creates a local cycle of economic benefits that begins with a visit. When visitors come to the zoo, they spend money at the zoo and in the local economy. To support the visitor experience, the zoo makes operational expenditures, including on employees, that trigger economic activity for other local industries. This spending creates jobs in supplier industries that support additional economic activity when supplier industry employees spend money on other local goods and services, maybe even visiting the zoo to start the cycle again. This contribution study measured the combined economic effects from this cycle, which are called total economic output.
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Key Takeaways
119 jobs
Annual zoo operational spending and visitor purchases outside of the zoo directly support and sustain 119 jobs each year.
56 jobs
In addition to these direct jobs, the indirect and induced purchases made by households and businesses as part of this spending are expected to support another 56 jobs.
$13.2 million to the value-added
From a broader economic perspective, this analysis estimates that zoo operational and visitor spending contributes over $13.2 million to the value-added each year.
$23.1 million
In total, the zoo contributes more than $23.1 million in total economic output to the area through operational and visitor spending.
Every $1 in total spending = $0.82 in the local economy.
$3 million
This direct spending and secondary transactions contribute over $3 million in taxes each year.
$1.1 million
Over $1.1 million of that revenue being accrued at the local, county and state levels.