The 2025 NFL Draft, held outside of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, had a total economic impact of $104.8 million on the state’s economy, according to a report released Wednesday by
Experience Green Bay.
The Draft, held from April 24-26, had an economic impact of about $80 million on the Brown County economy, according to the report.
St. Louis-based
Sportsimpacts conducted the study for Experience Green Bay. The estimated unique attendance to the NFL Draft in Green Bay was 362,588, according to Sportsimpacts' research.
"The event put Green Bay on the international stage for three straight days," said
Brad Toll, president and CEO of Discover Green Bay. "So many people and organizations across our great community made this happen, and we thank everyone for coming together to showcase Green Bay on the national stage. Each and every event we bring into Green Bay exposes our region to new audiences, both in-person and through media. This was a larger stage than most, and we're thrilled visitors had a great experience that will bring them back and inspire them to encourage friends and family to visit. The long-term benefits of this success will be felt for years to come."
The Sportsimpacts study also revealed:
- 31% of the NFL Draft attendees were from outside Wisconsin.
- 24% paid for overnight lodging (with 29% staying in Brown County and 21% in Outagamie County).
- More than 83% of out-of-state visitors were first-time Green Bay travelers.
- Over 50% of attendees were either Brown County residents or day-commuters.
- Transportation data showed 85% of attendees drove to Green Bay, while nearly 14% flew, with others arriving via charter bus or train.
Hotels in the Green Bay area benefitted from the NFL Draft. Smith Travel Research (
STR) reported a record average daily hotel room rate for the market of $420 on Thursday, April 24, and an occupancy increase of over 25%, reaching 88% occupancy.
Discover Green Bay also utilized Salt Lake City, Utah-based
Zartico, a data analytics platform, to analyze NFL Draft visitor behavior through cellphone and credit card tracking. Findings showed:
- Change in overall spend was up 145% and up 20% in key tourism categories.
- 20% of NFL Draft visitors were also viewed at restaurants and 13% visited bars or breweries.
- Top non-accommodation points of interest included Kroll's West, Hinterland Brewery, Stadium View Bar, and Anduzzi's.
The NFL Draft also provided a massive amount of earned media attention for Green Bay. According to Miami-based media monitoring platform
Muck Rack, the terms "Discover Green Bay" and "NFL Draft" appeared in 776 news articles nationwide, with an average reach of 6.1 million potential viewers per article. For Discover Green Bay, equivalent paid advertising would have cost nearly $50 million, the organization said.
"The power of NFL media exposure is real, and it's transforming perceptions of our destination," said
Nick Meisner, vice president of marketing for Discover Green Bay. "This type of visibility will have a lasting impact on Brown County's tourism industry."
"With Packers fans all over the world, we knew that hosting the NFL Draft in Green Bay would have a meaningful impact both locally and throughout the state of Wisconsin," said Packers president and CEO
Mark Murphy. "We know how special our community is, and we were proud to share its uniqueness with fans visiting for the Draft. While we're pleased with the economic impact, the broader community impacts from the Draft will also leave a lasting legacy."
More articles about the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay:
