NFL draft brought over $1.5B in total impact to region
The 2026 NFL Draft in April generated more than $177 million in economic activity and drove over $1.5 billion in overall economic impact to the greater Pittsburgh region, according to two reports released by the state Department of Community and Economic Development this week.
According to the statement from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), approximately 805,000 fans visited the city over the three-day football event, exceeding projected attendance estimates.
Local and tourism experts predicted over 500,000 draft visitors, which was exceeded by 60%.
Gov. Josh Shapiro described the draft and associated fan experiences as a “world-class event” that showcased Pittsburgh to the world.
“This report shows how investing in tourism and major events like the NFL Draft creates real opportunity and drives economic momentum,” Shapiro said in a statement. “We are going to continue to invest in Downtown Pittsburgh and ensure it remains a vibrant, prosperous, welcoming destination for residents, businesses and visitors for years to come.”
VisitPITTSBURGH, the city’s designated tourism promotion agency (TPA), benefitted from $10 million in state support ahead of the event through the Marquis Events program, according to the release.
This helped the agency launch a comprehensive marketing campaign that highlighted attractions for fans to check out both within the city and the greater region, including coordination with other tourism agencies in the impact zone.
Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency President Jeff Kotula said his goal was to promote Washington County as an accessible hotel destination where draft visitors could stay at local hotels, attend the draft in Pittsburgh, and unwind at businesses, restaurants and tourism attractions here either before or after their daily draft festivities.
The chamber also promoted the county as a destination for business travelers who would be in the region during the draft, but wanted to avoid the downtown crowds throughout the event.
“Through these efforts by the tourism agency, Washington County received a direct benefit from the draft, especially in our hotel stays,” Kotula said. “From what we can quantify, we saw a 26% increase in hotel tax revenues in late April 2026 over the previous year. That is a considerable increase in stays, visitor traffic, and, of course, economic impact in our county.”
DCED Secretary Rick Siger said the Shapiro administration leveraged the event to drive tourism, attract new investment and talent, and strengthen local economies.
“The NFL Draft is another example of Pennsylvania delivering big moments and big economic results,” he said in a statement.