American Zoos: Annual Attendance

snowleopard

snowleopard

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
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Below is a list that I've compiled that has the approximate annual attendance numbers for almost 200 American zoos. Enjoy!

American Zoo Attendance

Abilene Zoo - 175,000
Adventure Aquarium - 850,000
African Safari Wildlife Park - 150,000
Alexandria Zoo - 190,000
Aquarium of the Bay - 600,000
Aquarium of the Pacific - 1.5 million
ASDM - 400,000
Audubon Aquarium - 760,000
Audubon Zoo - 860,000
Baraboo Zoo - 30,000
Baton Rouge Zoo - 255,000
Birch Aquarium - 450,000
Birmingham Zoo - 500,000
Blank Park Zoo - 365,000
Bramble Park Zoo - 60,000
Brandywine Zoo - 80,000
Brevard Zoo - 360,000
Bronx Zoo - 2
Brookfield Zoo - 2.3
Brookgreen Gardens & Zoo - 275,000
Buffalo Zoo - 415,000
Busch Gardens - 4.3
Buttonwood Park Zoo - 210,000
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium - 280,000
Caldwell Zoo - 260,000
California Living Museum - 120,000
Cameron Park Zoo - 260,000
Catoctin Zoo - 55,000
Central Florida Zoo - 250,000
Central Park Zoo - 1.1 (only 6 acres!)
Chahinkapa Zoo - 55,000
Charles Paddock Zoo - 70,000
Chattanooga Zoo - 215,000
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - 600,000
Children’s Zoo (Saginaw) - 75,000
Cincinnati Zoo - 1.4
Claws ‘n’ Paws Animal Park - 85,000
Clearwater Marine Aquarium – 750,000
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - 1.3
Colorado Wolf Center - 20,000
Columbus Zoo - 2.4
Como Park Zoo - 2.2
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo - 260,000
Cosley Zoo - 125,000
Dakota Zoo - 130,000
Dallas Children’s Aquarium - 190,000
Dallas World Aquarium - 650,000
Dallas Zoo - 915,000
David Traylor Zoo - 80,000
Denver Zoo - 2
Detroit Zoo - 1.3
Dickerson Park Zoo - 220,000
Disney’s Animal Kingdom - 9.7
Downtown Aquarium Denver - 550,000
Downtown Aquarium Houston – 1.6
Ellen Trout Zoo - 130,000
El Paso Zoo - 350,000
Florida Aquarium - 650,000
Fort Worth Zoo - 1
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo - 460,000
Fossil Rim - 230,000
Franklin Park Zoo - 320,000
Fresno Chaffee Zoo - 530,000
Georgia Aquarium - 2.1
Gibbon Conservation Center - 5,000
Gladys Porter Zoo - 400,000
Grant’s Farm - 600,000
Great Bend Zoo - 55,000
Greater Cleveland Aquarium - 400,000
Great Lakes Aquarium - 130,000
Great Plains Zoo - 250,000
Greenville Zoo - 265,000
Henry Vilas Zoo - 700,000
Honolulu Zoo - 600,000
Houston Zoo - 2
Hutchinson Zoo - 50,000
Indianapolis Zoo - 1.1
International Crane Foundation – 28,000
Jackson Zoo - 150,000
Jacksonville Zoo - 800,000
Jenkinson’s Aquarium - 225,000
John Ball Zoo - 500,000
Kansas City Zoo - 715,000
Lake Superior Zoo - 100,000
Los Angeles Zoo - 1.6
Lee Richardson Zoo - 180,000
Lehigh Valley Zoo - 105,000
Lion Country Safari - 450,000
Lincoln Children’s Zoo - 180,000
Lincoln Park Zoo - 3
Little Rock Zoo - 310,000
Living Desert Zoo (N.M.) - 45,000
Long Island Aquarium - 500,000
Louisville Zoo - 1
Lowry Park Zoo - 1.1
Marineland of Florida - 65,000
Maritime Aquarium - 500,000
Maui Ocean Center - 420,000
Memphis Zoo - 1.1
Mesker Park Zoo - 200,000
Miami Seaquarium - 550,000
Miller Park Zoo - 100,000
Milwaukee County Zoo - 1.3
Minnesota Zoo - 1.3
Monterey Bay Aquarium - 1.8
Moody Gardens - 550,000
Mote Aquarium - 360,000
Mystic Aquarium - 750,000
Naples Zoo - 330,000
Nashville Zoo - 650,000
National Aquarium (Baltimore) – 1.4
National Aviary - 100,000
National Zoo - 3.3
New England Aquarium - 1.3
Newport Aquarium - 700,000
New York Aquarium - 760,000
NEW Zoo - 240,000
North Carolina Aquarium - 420,000 (Fort Fisher)
North Carolina Aquarium - 400,000 (Pine Knoll Shores)
North Carolina Aquarium - 250,000 (Roanoke Island)
North Carolina Zoo - 740,000
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park - 200,000
Oakland Zoo - 650,000
Oglebay Good Zoo - 115,000
Oklahoma Aquarium - 460,000
Oklahoma City Zoo - 1
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo - 1.7
Oregon Coast Aquarium - 460,000
Oregon Zoo - 1.7
Palm Beach Zoo - 310,000
Panaewa Rainforest Zoo - 210,000
Peoria Zoo - 150,000
Philadelphia Zoo - 1.3
Phoenix Zoo - 1.4
Pittsburgh Zoo - 1
Point Defiance zoo - 700,000
Potawatomi Zoo - 180,000
Potter Park Zoo - 225,000
Pueblo Zoo - 90,000
Racine Zoo - 85,000
Reid Park Zoo - 530,000
Rio Grande Zoo - 1.2
Ripley’s Aq. (Myrtle Beach) - 1.1
Ripley’s Aquarium (Smokies) - 1.1
Riverbanks Zoo - 1
Roger Williams Park Zoo - 550,000
Roosevelt Park Zoo - 80,000
Rosamond Gifford Zoo - 350,000
Sacramento Zoo - 500,000
Saint Louis Zoo - 3.2
San Antonio Zoo - 1.2
San Diego Zoo - 3.5
San Diego Zoo Safari Park - 1.3
San Francisco Zoo - 800,000
Santa Barbara Zoo - 500,000
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo- 40,000
Scovill Zoo - 85,000
Sea Life Arizona - 300,000
Sea Life Carlsbad - 300,000
Sea Life Park Hawaii - 250,000
Seattle Aquarium - 800,000
Sedgwick County Zoo - 550,000
Seneca Park Zoo - 350,000
SeaWorld Orlando - 5.9
SeaWorld San Diego - 4.1
SeaWorld San Antonio - 2.5
Shark Reef Aquarium - 950,000
Shedd Aquarium - 2.2
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - 1.6
South Carolina Aquarium - 450,000
Steinhart Aquarium - 1.4
Sunset Zoo - 65,000
Tautphaus Park Zoo - 120,000
Tennessee Aquarium - 950,000
Texas State Aquarium - 550,000
Texas Zoo - 60,000
Toledo Zoo - 1
Topeka Zoo - 155,000
Tracy Aviary - 70,000
Trevor Zoo - 25,000
Tulsa Zoo - 515,000
Turtle Back Zoo - 525,000
Utah’s Hogle Zoo - 1.2
Virginia Aquarium - 640,000
Virginia Zoo - 500,000
Waikiki Aquarium - 350,000
Wildlife Safari - 150,000
Wildlife Prairie Park - 140,000
Wildlife World Zoo - 400,000
Woodland Park Zoo - 1.2
Zollman Zoo (Oxbow Lake) - 50,000
Zooamerica - 550,000
Zoo Atlanta - 800,000
Zoo Boise - 360,000
Zoo Miami - 830,000
Zoo Montana - 85,000
 
Attendance Growth Rates

Hi snowleopard,

I'm a private sector planner that is looking at post-recession growth rates for various tourism related industries, including zoos. Becoming a member of AZA to get attendance records is not an option for me. Therefore, I was very interested in finding your posts on annual attendance at zoos.

In addition to this post, dated 23-05-2014, I found your 19-03-2014 and your 21-08-2009 posts.

In order to project credible growth rates from this data, I need your confirmation regarding the year that the data applies to. For instance, in your 2009 post, you refer to "record years in 2008 & 2009." Does that mean that some of the numbers apply to 2008 and some to 2009? Likewise, is there more than one year that is applicable to the 2014 data?

I don't want you to go to alot of work here. But, if there is a simple answer, I would be glad for it.

Thanks,
wildplan
 
@wildplan: The simple answer would be that when I posted this thread on May 22nd, 2014, the attendance numbers reflected the data at that point in time. There are many medium-sized zoos that have consistent, reliable attendance numbers and then there are zoos like Fresno Chaffee that build fantastic new African exhibits that move the zoo's attendance from 530,000 to possibly one million this year. Wow.

Most zoos announce their attendance numbers from a January-December perspective, but some facilities go from April-April (tax season) or even July-July and so placing exact dates on the data might be tricky. As a generalization I would say that my early 2014 thread would indicate attendance figures from the year 2013; my 2009 thread would reflect mainly 2008 data.
 
Very detailed information from our number one North American contributor. Personally, I would like to see them listed in order of attendance (highest to lowest) rather than alphabetical. But still a great job from my friend up north.
 
Another interesting study would be annual attendance as it relates to population size. The two zoos in my city (Tucson) both have attendance at roughly half a million in a metropolitan area of one million. I wonder if this fifty percent rule holds true elsewhere? Obviously the leader Animal Kingdom is a unique situation due to the national tourist draw of Disney World, but what about other areas?
 
The correlation I have heard from a couple zoo directors is the goal should be annual attendance should equal the metro population. Of course some zoo are larger and more costly to run than others so not sure this can apply across the board.
 
snowleopard said:
Busch Gardens - 4.3
Central Park Zoo - 1.1 (only 6 acres!)
Cincinnati Zoo - 1.4
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - 1.3
Columbus Zoo - 2.4
Como Park Zoo - 2.2
Click to expand...

Apparently some zoos aren't doing well but if you do go you'll have the place to yourself :D
 
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