World War II Memorial Visitation Statistics 2026

Fact checked · 57 sources

Updated

At a glance

  • About 4 million people (3,993,717) visited the World War II Memorial in 2025, down 22.6% from 5,160,769 in 20241.
  • From January to September 2026, 2,832,470 people visited, about 9% fewer than in the same months of 20252.
  • May is the busiest month, with 585,536 visitors in 20252.
  • Visitors spent an estimated $118.08 million in nearby communities in 20243.
  • The memorial is free to visit4 and open 24 hours a day5.

How many people visit the World War II Memorial each year?

About 4 million people visited the World War II Memorial in 2025, down from just over 5 million a year in 2023 and 20241. 2025 also brought a 43-day partial government shutdown, the longest ever, though the park service worked to keep parks open where it could6.

  • In 2025, 3,993,717 people visited, 22.6% fewer than in 20241.
  • In 2024, 5,160,769 people visited, about 0.8% more than the year before1.
  • In 2023, 5,119,541 people visited, up 6.3% from 4,815,309 in 20221.
  • In 2021, visits bounced back to 3,727,167, up 93.7% from the 2020 low of 1,924,1281.
  • In 2020, the pandemic cut visits to 1,924,128, down from 4,831,327 in 20191.
Annual Recreational Visits to World War II MemorialRecreation visits by year, 2018–20252M4M6M4.65M4.83M1.92M3.73M4.82M5.12M5.16M3.99M20182019202020212022202320242025YearTotal visits
World War II Memorial annual visitation by year.

How many people visited the World War II Memorial in 2026?

From January to September 2026, 2,832,470 people visited the World War II Memorial2. That is about 9% fewer than the 3,112,960 visitors in the same nine months of 2025.

  • Every month from January to June ran behind 2025, with the biggest gap in March (348,832 vs 453,216), while July and August came in slightly ahead2. The memorial also closed on January 9, 2026, for fountain and lighting work scheduled to finish by May 157.
World War II Memorial recreational visits by month, January–September 20262.
MonthRecreation visits
Jan113,867
Feb120,011
Mar348,832
Apr469,803
May503,669
Jun409,259
Jul295,861
Aug283,147
Sep288,021

Source · This data is preliminary and subject to change.

How many people visit the World War II Memorial per day?

The World War II Memorial averaged nearly 11,000 visitors a day in 20251.

  • In May, the busiest month of 2025, that rose to about 18,900 a day (585,536 visitors over 31 days)2.
  • In January, the quietest month, it fell to about 4,200 a day (129,984 visitors)2.

How much do visitors spend each year at the World War II Memorial?

Visitors to the World War II Memorial spent about $118 million in nearby communities in 20243.

  • The 2024 estimate of $118.08 million3 was 6.7% higher than 2023's $110.67 million8.
  • In 2022, spending climbed to $102.61 million9, up 31.1% from $78.29 million in 202110.
  • In 2020, with pandemic travel restrictions in place, spending fell to $37.37 million11.
  • In 2019, before the pandemic, visitors spent $93.11 million, about 21.1% less than in 202412.
Visitor Spending at World War II MemorialVisitor spending in local gateway communities, 2018–2024 ($ millions)2040608010012089.0193.1137.3778.29102.61110.67118.082018201920202021202220232024YearVisitor spending ($ millions)
World War II Memorial visitor spending by year.

With about 4 million visitors in 20251, the World War II Memorial is one of the most visited memorials on the National Mall13.

Visiting the World War II Memorial

The World War II Memorial sits next to the Washington Monument, in the heart of the National Mall17, at 1750 Independence Ave. SW18.

  • Hours: the memorial is open 24 hours a day, and rangers are on duty to answer questions from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily5.
  • Getting there: public transit is the easiest option, with Metro, Capital Bikeshare and the National Mall Circulator bus all nearby. General parking is on West Basin Drive, Ohio Drive SW and the Tidal Basin lot on Maine Ave. SW, with accessible parking and a bus loading zone on Home Front Drive SW18.
  • Honor Flights: the Honor Flight Network flies veterans to Washington, D.C., at no cost so they can see their memorial19. The first flight, in May 2005, took 12 World War II veterans to the World War II Memorial.

Is the World War II Memorial free to visit?

Yes, the World War II Memorial is free to visit4. It is part of the National Mall and is managed by the National Park Service.

How long does it take to visit the World War II Memorial?

Plan on 10 to 60 minutes, the length of the park service's self-guided tour of the memorial's 10 stops20.

When is the best time to visit the World War II Memorial?

Early morning or evening is the best time to visit the World War II Memorial. It is open around the clock, and the park service calls those hours "beautiful and tranquil" times to visit17.

Spring is the peak season, so for smaller crowds go between July and February, when visits in 2025 stayed under 400,000 a month2.

  • Crowds build quickly in March, which drew 453,216 visitors in 2025, nearly three times February's total2.
  • May was the busiest month in 2025, with 585,536 visitors, followed by April with 508,2352.
  • June stays busy (420,245 visitors in 2025) before numbers dip in July and August, and the memorial still draws steady crowds into the fall, with 394,240 visitors in October2.
  • The fountains are turned off for winter from about December through March17, so visit between April and November to see them running.
Monthly Visitors to World War II Memorial in 2025Recreation visits by month, 2025200K400K600KSpring peak129,984161,835453,216508,235585,536420,245282,933263,872307,104394,240303,488183,029JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMonthTotal visits
World War II Memorial monthly visitors, 2025.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day at the World War II Memorial

The memorial holds ceremonies on both holidays. Over Memorial Day weekend, the park service and the Friends of the National World War II Memorial hold an observance where World War II veterans lay wreaths at the Freedom Wall21. In 2026, it took place on Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m.

On Veterans Day, November 11, the two groups hold a wreath-laying ceremony at 9 a.m. to honor the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II22.

World War II Memorial facts

How many stars are on the World War II Memorial?

There are 4,048 gold stars on the World War II Memorial's Freedom Wall, and each one represents 100 Americans who died in the war13. Together they mark the more than 400,000 Americans who lost their lives, out of the 16 million who served23.

What do the 56 pillars at the World War II Memorial represent?

The 56 granite pillars represent the 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories that fought together during the war13. Elsewhere at the memorial:

  • Two Victory Pavilions, marked Atlantic and Pacific, honoring the war efforts in Europe and the Pacific13.
  • Almost 17,000 granite stones make up the memorial, and two "Kilroy was here" engravings are hidden in it24.

When was the World War II Memorial built?

The World War II Memorial was dedicated on May 29, 2004, at the end of a four-day "grand reunion" of veterans on the National Mall23.

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References

  1. NPS Visitor Use Statistics — Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year), World War II Memorial · irma.nps.gov ↑ b c d e f g h i
  2. NPS Visitor Use Statistics — Recreation Visitors By Month (1979 - Last Calendar Year), World War II Memorial · irma.nps.gov ↑ b c d e f g h i j k
  3. 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation (NPS Visitor Spending Effects report series) · nps.gov ↑ b c
  4. Fees & Passes - World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b
  5. Operating Hours & Seasons - World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b
  6. National Park Service Records More Than 323 Million Recreation Visits in 2025 (NPS news release, 13 March 2026) · nps.gov ↑
  7. National Park Service Announces Closure, Construction at the World War II Memorial (NPS news release) · nps.gov ↑
  8. 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation (NPS Science Report NPS/SR—2024/174) · nps.gov ↑
  9. 2022 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation · nps.gov ↑
  10. 2021 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation · nps.gov ↑
  11. 2020 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation · nps.gov ↑
  12. 2019 National Park Visitor Spending Effects: Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States, and the Nation · nps.gov ↑
  13. World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b c d
  14. NPS Visitor Use Statistics — Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year), Lincoln Memorial · irma.nps.gov ↑
  15. NPS Visitor Use Statistics — Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year), Vietnam Veterans Memorial · irma.nps.gov ↑
  16. NPS Visitor Use Statistics — Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year), Korean War Veterans Memorial · irma.nps.gov ↑
  17. Plan Your Visit - World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b c
  18. Directions - World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b
  19. About Honor Flight Network · honorflight.org ↑
  20. World War II Memorial Tour (NPS App self-guided tour) · nps.gov ↑
  21. Memorial Day 2026 - National Mall and Memorial Parks (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑
  22. Veterans Day Observance at the World War II Memorial (NPS event) · nps.gov ↑
  23. History & Culture — World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑ b
  24. Frequently Asked Questions - World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov ↑
  25. National Park Visitation Statistics · irma.nps.gov
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