The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB) is excited to announce that recently released tourism reports for 2024 show yet another record-breaking year for Janesville. Last year, tourism generated a total economic impact of $260.1 million including indirect and induced impacts, with visitors spending $170.2 million in Janesville.
Visitor spending saw a $6 million increase over 2023, marking the third consecutive year of historic growth. These latest findings reflect the continued strength and impact of tourism in Janesville, with a continually growing contribution to the local economy. When visitor spending is spread evenly across the year, this equals out to visitors contributing $466,000 every day to the local economy in Janesville.
Visitor spending increased across all measured sectors including recreation and entertainment, lodging, and transportation, with dining and shopping continuing to be the two largest spending categories. This total economic impact sustained 1,178 jobs and generated $14.5 million in state and local tax revenues in 2024. Each household in Janesville would need to be taxed an additional $518 to replace the visitor taxes received in 2024.
“We’re incredibly proud to see Janesville’s visitor spending reach record levels for the third year in a row,” said Christine Rebout, Executive Director of the JACVB. “Tourism continues to play a vital role in our local economy—not only supporting jobs and small businesses, but also enhancing quality of life for our residents. With exciting developments on the horizon like the Woodman’s Center, we’re confident Janesville will continue to grow as a year-round destination for sports, conferences, and memorable experiences.”
Set to open this fall, the Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center will mark a transformative addition to Janesville’s tourism landscape. Designed as a state-of-the-art, multi-use facility, the center will be a premier destination for regional and national sports tournaments, conventions, trade shows, and community events. With its ability to host large-scale events in every season, the Woodman’s Center is expected to boost year-round visitation to Janesville. This increased traffic will directly support area hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions—generating new economic activity during both peak and shoulder season times.
Looking ahead, the Children’s Museum of Rock County is another highly anticipated addition to Janesville’s offerings. With a construction groundbreaking planned for this summer and an estimated opening in 2026, the museum will be a regional draw for years to come for families, educators, and visitors seeking family-friendly, play-based learning experiences.
The state of Wisconsin also celebrates another record-breaking year, generating a historic $25.8 billion in economic impact in 2024. New reports from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism show that Rock County contributed to Wisconsin tourism’s third consecutive record-breaking yearwith a total economic impact of $482 million, an increase of 5.7% from $456 million in 2023, and total direct visitor spending of $295 million, an increase of 6.4% from $277 million in 2023. That growth ranked Rock County third out of all 72 counties for the highest percentage increases in both total economic impact and direct visitor spending. This upward trend translated into over $131 million in total labor income in Rock County, another 3% jump over 2023.
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau commissioned Tourism Economics to produce Janesville-specific reports for 2024. The Department of Tourism worked with national research firms Tourism Economics and Longwoods International to produce their reports.
