Yellowstone, the oldest national park in the U.S., attracts millions of visitors each year with its stunning natural beauty and geothermal features, such as Old Faithful. However, finding affordable housing is a significant challenge for the roughly 3,000 National Park Service employees and concessionaires working there during peak season.
About 25% of Yellowstone employees earn less than $51,000 annually, and half earn less than $64,000, according to the National Park Service. Meanwhile, housing costs in the gateway communities surrounding the park, primarily in northwestern Wyoming, have soared. In West Yellowstone, MT, the median list price has nearly doubled since 2017, reaching over $840,000 last year. Nearby Gardiner, MT, has seen prices increase by more than 250% in the same period, surpassing $1 million. These prices are comparable to those in high-cost metropolitan areas like New York City or San Francisco, rather than rural Montana.
Park officials report that these high housing costs are making it difficult to recruit and retain employees, with some critical positions going unfilled due to the lack of affordable housing. “I can count at least five critical positions where we’ve tried to recruit, but we got turned down by the applicant because of a lack of housing,” Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told NPR.
In response to this issue, Yellowstone recently received a $40 million anonymous donation to fund the construction of 70 new modular housing units. This donation is expected to address some of the park’s urgent housing needs and encourage further philanthropic support. Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, emphasized that this contribution will significantly improve housing for park employees, who play a crucial role in protecting and enhancing visitors’ experiences.
This donation complements a previous multimillion-dollar program aimed at upgrading and expanding Yellowstone’s employee housing. This program includes replacing outdated trailer homes from the 1960s with modern modular units, renovating deteriorating non-trailer housing, and rehabilitating historic homes dating back to the 1880s.
The park is also exploring leasing options in gateway communities like Gardiner and West Yellowstone. However, with home prices in these areas climbing, the feasibility of this approach remains uncertain.
Other national parks face similar housing challenges, especially those located in remote areas with limited housing options. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, fueling a surge in rural real estate demand and increasing the presence of short-term rental properties on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
A National Park Foundation assessment identified over $115 million in funding needs for employee housing at three national parks—Acadia, Yosemite, and Grand Teton—to create more than 200 new units. NPS Director Chuck Sams acknowledged that each park’s housing issues are unique and require tailored solutions.
The National Park Service (NPS) manages about 20,000 employees across 429 national parks, battlefields, historic sites, and recreation areas. NPS oversees more than 5,600 housing facilities in over 200 parks nationwide, accommodating more than 15,600 people, including permanent and seasonal employees, volunteers, and concessionaire staff.
The current housing shortage stems from rising property values around parks and the growing demand for vacation rentals. NPS invests tens of millions of dollars annually in housing operations, maintenance, repair, and construction to address these issues and provide leased housing when in-park options are not available.
