FINDINGS ALSO REVEAL POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM EVENT VISITORS
ST. LOUIS – June 25, 2026 – The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships unquestionably brought thousands of visitors, positive national exposure, and an economic boost to the region during a typically slow tourism period in early January – but just how much benefit did the event bring? The short answer: A total economic impact of $15.8 million, $944,000 in combined sales tax revenue for the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and State of Missouri, and nearly 25,000 hotel room nights.
The figures are among the highlights from a comprehensive study measuring the impact of the Championships, which determined the athletes who represented Team USA at the Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina. The study was conducted by Sportsimpacts and its CEO Dr. Patrick Rishe, who is the founding executive director of the Business of Sports program at Washington University in St. Louis. It was commissioned by the St. Louis Sports Commission, the privately-funded nonprofit organization which locally produced the event.
The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place from Jan. 5-11. The novice and junior competitions were hosted at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights and the nationally televised championship sessions occurred over five days at Enterprise Center in Downtown St. Louis. The combined sessions over seven days drew more than 91,000 fans, creating significant economic activity in the region.
In addition to the $15.8 million in total economic impact, the report found the Championships generated:
- $10.3 million in direct visitor spending
- $416,329 in sales tax revenue for the City of St. Louis
- $79,035 in sales tax revenue for St. Louis County
- $449,000 in sales tax revenue for the State of Missouri
- 24,671 hotel room nights region-wide
- $393,531 in City of St. Louis and St. Louis County hotel tax revenue
According to the study, 67% of the spectators attending the Championships came from outside the St. Louis region, staying an average of 4.5 nights.
The research incorporated data collected from more than 900 fan surveys as well as information from entities connected to the event – including U.S. Figure Skating, NBC, and the Sports Commission – to calculate the spending of non-local fans, event participants, and production staff.
The delivery of visitors and economic impact from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships adds to that of the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in April 2025, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 1st and 2nd Rounds hosted in St. Louis this past March. Over a 12-month stretch, the three events combined to bring $35 million in direct visitor spending, $1.5 million in sales tax revenue to the City of St. Louis, and 63,000 hotel room nights.
HIGH PRAISE FOR ST. LOUIS
In addition to the spending information gathered from fans surveyed at the championships, a series of visitor experience questions were asked to gauge feedback on St. Louis as a host city.
Almost half the respondents had attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships previously, and on an average of nine preceding occasions. From that subset, 81% said St. Louis was an “excellent” or “good” host city for the Championships (45% stated St. Louis was “excellent”). 73% said Enterprise Center was “among the best” or “above average” relative to past host venues.
The survey also found that among fans visiting St. Louis for the first time, their impressions of St. Louis were considerably more positive after they experienced the city. Case in point, the survey asked first time visitors to provide words describing their pre-visit perceptions of St. Louis and then post-visit observations. The most common words cited by visitors to describe their pre-visit impressions of St. Louis were, “Arch”, “cold”, and “Midwest.” By contrast, the three most common words visitors used to describe St. Louis after spending time in the city were, “friendly”, “fun”, and “historic.” The natural inference drawn is as visiting fans become more familiar with St. Louis during their stay, they are more apt to use positive comments to describe their experience than their pre-visit expectations.
NATIONAL MEDIA EXPOSURE
The Championships brought 18 hours of nationally televised coverage, including 8 hours on NBC, with a combined 6.5 million viewers. As a bonus, NBC’s TODAY Show came to town for live broadcasts. The TV coverage, combined with 150 credentialed media from across the nation, resulted in more than 23,000 mentions in news articles and 48 million total views on digital platforms. Social media garnered 46 million views and 1.6 million interactions. Altogether, media measurement company Meltwater estimated the Championships provided $859 million in total advertising equivalency for the St. Louis region.
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
The economic impact numbers and visiting fan sentiment survey results only tell part of the story of St. Louis’ success in hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. More difficult to quantify are intangible benefits the St. Louis region received – the civic pride, the opportunity to showcase St. Louis to a national audience, and the reputational gains from stories that emerged from the athletes, including soon-to-be household names like Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin, who publicly shared their affinity for St. Louis. Liu debuted a new hairstyle under the care of a St. Louis hairdresser, which became a viral sensation. Malinin described St. Louis as his favorite national championship so far because of the enthusiasm and support he and the other skaters felt from the crowds. Local cafes were spotlighted nationally because of patronage from Olympians, past and present.
The positive visibility for St. Louis on a national stage adds to the momentum the Sports Commission will use to attract other major events to the region, including a bid to bring the U.S. Figure Skating Championships back to the region.
MEDIA INFORMATION: Media with questions or interview inquiries should contact Tim Ryan at tryan@stlsports.org or (314) 406-5791.
ABOUT SPORTSIMPACTS
Sportsimpacts, founded in 2000, has conducted over 100 economic impact studies, including 3 Super Bowls, 3 Final Fours, a Ryder Cup, a President’s Cup, numerous collegiate and youth sporting events, the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts, and numerous prior studies over the last 20 years for the St. Louis Sports Commission including NCAA Wrestling, U.S. Figure Skating, and other amateur and collegiate sporting events.
