What economic impact do Penn State football, other sports events have on Centre County?
Penn State football and other sports have long had an immeasurable economic impact on Centre County — but now those exact economic figures are coming into better focus.
A new study, commissioned by the year-old Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, showed Tuesday that local sports events are responsible for an estimated annual economic impact of $417 million within Centre County. That includes both visitor spending at restaurants, hotels, shops and the like, along with most of the operations involving Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics.
Although the study didn’t limit itself to Penn State sporting events and took into account others, such as games for the MLB Draft League’s State College Spikes and tournaments at venues like C3 Sports, most of the impact — unsurprisingly — came from the Nittany Lions. Visitor spending had a total economic impact of about $149 million on the county, with Penn State football responsible for $87 million, other Penn State sports estimated at $45 million and non-PSU sports at $17 million.
The goal of the study, done by Philadelphia-based Econsult Solutions Inc., was to create an economic baseline, or measuring stick, to compare to future growth. That was important for the Alliance, a partnership between Penn State Athletics and local nonprofit Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, to further grow the area into a premiere destination for marquee events and tournaments.
“It’s fantastic that we now have clear data to quantify the impact of sports events in Happy Valley,” Alliance chair Joe Battista said in a written statement. “We know there are tremendous opportunities to grow that impact. We have first-class facilities. We have a desirable, recognizable destination.”
Among the 34-page study’s other findings:
- The $417 million economic impact on Centre County supports 4,315 jobs with $133 million in employee compensation.
- When it comes to surrounding counties, and the rest of the commonwealth, sporting events in Centre County have an estimated $50 million impact, supporting 230 jobs.
- Centre County sees about 1.7 million annual sports attendees — with 890,500 at Penn State football home games; 665,500 at non-football PSU events; and nearly 150,000 at non-PSU events.
- Some 11.3% of Centre County visitors say the main reason for their visit was a sporting event.
- Hotel room rates averaged about $127 in 2021, while hotel rates on fall football weekends averaged more than $360.
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi also weighed in on the impact in a news release about the study.
“The university has a substantial economic impact on Happy Valley and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and sports and entertainment plays a significant role in our economy,” she said. “We look forward to working with the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance and our community partners to further enhance opportunities to bring visitors to our community on a year-round basis.”
In July, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau — the county’s official destination marketing organization — collaborated with the university to secure a four-year commitment to host the PIAA Spring Sport Championships from 2023-2026. That includes boys volleyball, boys and girls lacrosse, baseball and softball. Penn State’s Blue and White courses will also host the state golf championships next month.
Fritz Smith, CEO of the HVAB, has consistently said they’re seeking to further grow the county’s sports and entertainment sector.
