PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.—(Feb. 25, 2026)—In a final accounting for 2025, the city of Pigeon Forge posted annual gross receipts exceeding $2 billion, according to Pigeon Forge City Manager David Wear.
Revenue collected from city businesses for 2025 totaled $2,288,406,200, reflecting a one percent increase over the previous year.
The city tracks revenue in three business categories: amusements, lodging and restaurants. Amusements totaled $403,075,183 for 2025, a 4% increase over 2024; lodging notched $477,966,459, which measured flat against 2024 totals; and restaurants tallied $483,809,603, a 4% increase over the previous year.
“Pigeon Forge’s financial success is a remarkable achievement for any city but certainly one of our size,” Pigeon Forge Mayor Kevin McClure said. “This milestone is so much more than a number. It is a measure of the teamwork and partnership between our Pigeon Forge businesses, residents and visitors.”
Pigeon Forge, located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is home to approximately 6,600 full-time residents. One of the Southeast’s most popular vacation destinations, the city hosts more than nine million visitors annually. City revenue enables Pigeon Forge’s infrastructure to accommodate daily visitation that can exceed more than 100,000 visitors daily during peak seasons.
The city noted several significant infrastructure improvement projects in 2025, including the opening of a state-of-the-art fire hall. Construction is underway for a new police headquarters, scheduled to open in 2026, before work begins on a new city hall administration building. Citywide progress includes continued water system upgrades and technology investments.
Pigeon Forge is home to more than 100 attractions including Dolly Parton’s award-winning Dollywood theme park, the state’s most visited ticketed attraction. Located just six miles from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country’s most visited national park, Pigeon Forge’s annual revenue is driven by tourism, the destination’s only industry.
—PigeonForge2026—
About Pigeon Forge: Pigeon Forge is in East Tennessee, approximately 35 miles from Knoxville and McGhee-Tyson Airport. Two-thirds of the nation’s population east of the Mississippi River live within a day’s drive, making it an easily accessible family vacation destination. The city’s neighbor is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the U.S. It also is home to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, Tennessee’s most-visited ticketed attraction. More information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge is available at MyPigeonForge.com or toll-free at 1-800-251-9100.