Menominee County tourism adds $6 million to regional record impact

A $6 million tourism share is still a visible piece of Menominee County’s economy, especially in Keshena and along the Wolf River corridor where visitors spend on museum admissions, golf, rafting and casino stays. That county slice helped push Shawano Country’s 2025 tourism impact to a record $125 million, while the region supported 841 jobs and generated $7.6 million in state and local taxes.

The broader backdrop was a record year for Wisconsin tourism. State officials said the industry produced $27 billion in economic impact in 2025, up from the prior record of $25.8 billion in 2024, with 117.9 million visits and more than $1.7 billion in state and local revenue. Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary Anne Sayers said the industry supported more than 183,000 part-time and full-time jobs statewide.

For Menominee County, the headline number is more than a regional bragging point. It tracks how much outside spending reaches local businesses and public coffers in a county where the tourism base is built around specific places, not vague branding. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin lists the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Museum, Menominee Casino & Resort, Pine Hill Golf Course and Shotgun Eddy whitewater rafting as tourism businesses, each tied to the kind of day-trip and overnight traffic that can spill into restaurants, gas stations and shops.

Travel Wisconsin describes the Menominee Logging Camp Museum in Keshena as the largest and most complete logging museum in the United States, with seven log buildings and more than 20,000 artifacts. That kind of destination gives the county a concrete draw that can turn a summer visit into a longer stay, especially when paired with river recreation and tribal cultural programming.

The county’s 2025 total also sits near last year’s performance. In 2024, Menominee County’s total tourism impact was just over $6 million, while direct visitor spending was about $3.4 million. The new figure suggests the county held steady, even as Wisconsin and the Shawano Country region set new records.

That steadiness matters because tourism here is part of the local employment base, not just a weekend headline. When visitors book rooms, buy meals, pay admissions and spend time on the water, the money reaches workers and helps fund public services through taxes. In Menominee County, the $6 million figure is a snapshot of how much that seasonal flow still matters.