Read our full analysis for a more in-depth look at these trends.
On the ball: How football fuels local spending
We find that tailgating football fans grill up big gains for local economies.
February 2026
Key takeaways
- As the Seattle Seahawks line up against the New England Patriots, we highlight the power of sports in boosting local economies. As of November 2025, consumer spending on attending spectator sports was up over 25% on 2019, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
- And when fans come to games, they bring spending and other economic opportunities to local communities. On NFL game days, in the zip codes where stadiums are located, total credit and debit card spending rises by around 77%, according to Bank of America internal data. Unsurprisingly, the biggest increases are in food and drinks, parking and lodging.
- We also find some evidence of an additional boost for the zip codes around the Super Bowl host stadiums. This year’s game will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; the last time it hosted the event, in 2016, San Francisco reported an influx of more than a million visitors.
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