Latest news with #2025StateFair
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How much do Iowans spend at the Iowa State Fair? See how the fair drives Iowa's GDP.
The 2025 Iowa State Fair has come and gone, and the figures on how much the more than 1.1 million attendees spent at the fair are rolling in. The Common Sense Institute, an economic research organization, produced a report highlighting the financial impact of the 2025 State Fair, finding that this year's fair had the third-largest economic impact in the event's 171-year history. How much money did the 2025 Iowa State Fair generate? Over its 11-day run, the 2025 fair contributed an estimated $177 million to Iowa's gross domestic product — marking the third-largest real economic impact in the fair's history, when adjusted to 2025 dollars. It fell $2 million short of the record set in 2024 and $1 million behind 2023's impact. "Spending tens of millions of dollars, families come to Des Moines to enjoy live entertainment, eat unique and delicious foods, enter fun contests, participate in arts and crafts, and more," the Common Sense Institute report stated. "This spending brings with it a surge in economic activity, which translates to jobs, personal income, and economic growth for the region." How much money did fairgoers spend at the 2025 Iowa State Fair? The Iowa State Fair drew 1,160,121 attendees this year, marking the third-largest attendance in its history, behind 2019's attendance of 1,170,375 people and 2024's record-breaking number of 1,182,682 people. This year's 1,160,121 attendees spent an estimated $85 million at the fair, representing a 1.1% increase from the $84.1 million spent in 2024, according to Common Sense Institute. This equates to the average family of three spending roughly $220 per day at the Iowa State Fair this year, which was 3% higher than in 2024. The fair's total operating revenue increased by roughly 1% from $45.1 million in 2024 to $45.7 million in 2025. The fair's revenue has steadily grown over the past decade, rising about 8% per year since 2015, even though attendance has fluctuated "within a range of about 150,000 attendees over this timeframe." Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@ or follow him on X @CooperAWorth. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Did Iowa State Fair attendees spend more this year than in 2024? Sign in to access your portfolio
Eater
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The 2025 Minnesota State Fair's Best New Items
When the State Fair returns next month from Thursday, August 21, through Labor Day, September 1, attendees will be treated to 33 new items and eight new vendors. There are upwards of 300 official vendors serving more than 1,600 items this year. The 2025 State Fair also features the unexpected, two entries from the lauded team at Patisserie 46: a pull-apart doughnut packed with local Honeycrisp apples; and a banana s'more made of brown-butter crumb cake topped with graham cracker streusel and baked with bananas, marshmallows, and chocolate chunks. Check out some of the more intriguing options below. Eater Twin Cities All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Apple Glaze from Patisserie 46. Sweet lumpia — also known as turon — is available, made with ube butter banana French toast. This hoagie comes with bison and bacon meatballs from Minnesota-based Eichten's Bison. Tandoori Chicken Quesaratha from Holy Land. Hot Honey Jalapeño Popper Doughnut from Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts. New vendor Irie Jamaican serves oxtail (jerk or barbecue) with festival (a sweet, fried bread). Soul Bowl's Chicken-Fried Bacon Fries. Chocolate Strawberry Cup is a new vendor for 2025. Kora & Mila's Cookie Dough presents Birthday Cake Cookie Dough On-A-Stick. Cheese curds fried in funnel cake batter from the Blue Barn. Mancini's al Fresco's Cannoli Gelato Nachos.
