State Parks are a close-to-home outdoor recreation resource.
In 2001 there were 735 million visitors to state parks.
Most Americans use state parks as a day-time resource.
91.2% of all state park visitors were day-time users.

Overnight users still constituted a significant part of the state park attendance at 67.5 million.

State parks represent less than 2% of the total outdoor recreation estate, but over 29% of all visitors at state and federal outdoor recreation areas.

Statistics for 2004

• 5,842 state park areas comprising over 13 million acres
• 5,875 trails over 43,000 miles total length
• 208,849 campsites ranging from multiple hookups to primitive
• 6,492 cabins and cottages
• 124 lodges in 25 states with 6,865 rooms
• 129 golf courses
• 48 ski slopes
• 309 marinas
• 293 swimming pools
• 99 stable operations
• 408.6 million visitors to fee areas - 417.9 million to non-fee areas
• 67.5 million campers
• 2.4 million lodge guests
• 3.8 million cabin guests
• 18 million campsites rented
• $345.7 million spent on capital improvements and land acquisition
• Operating expenditures totaling $1.8 billion - less than 50% from the general fund of states
• $690.9 million expended for capital expenditures
• Average share of the state budget .24% (1/4 of 1%)
• 20,603 full-time state park personnel and 53,898 total personnel (including part-times and seasonal)
  • 1 full-time person per 622 acres
  • 1 full-time person per 35,840 visitors
• Average starting salary - $21,461
• Average starting ranger salary - $24,611