Historic preservation statistics at a glance
Historic preservation is often discussed in cultural terms, but the numbers show a second story: grants, tax credits, surveys, nominations, and measured economic activity all move together. This dataset makes that pattern clear, from federal funding streams to local outcomes and long-running economic returns.
Fast facts
- $218.9 million went to the Historic Preservation Fund in FY2025 appropriations (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $50 million in new Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund grants was appropriated in FY2025, and those grants were awarded to 33 projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- The National Register now has 100,446 cumulative total listings and 2,032,908 total contributing resources (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- The FY2025 HPF report shows 3,513,492 acres surveyed and 488,800 sites (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- The FY2024 Historic Tax Credit economic-impact report says the program has leveraged $257.8 billion in private investment since 1976 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
Contents
- Funding and grant totals
- Preservation output by program
- National Register and survey scale
- Tribal preservation statistics
- Historic Tax Credit economic impact
- What the numbers suggest
Funding and grant totals in historic preservation statistics
The clearest starting point is funding. Historic preservation is not a single program; it is a network of grants, matching funds, tax credits, and targeted appropriations that each support a different preservation outcome.
Big number: the Historic Preservation Fund received $218.9 million in FY2025 appropriations (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report). That total matters because it sits beside a wide set of program-specific awards, each aimed at a different slice of the preservation landscape.
A few of the largest FY2025 program awards stand out:
- $21.9 million went to the African American Civil Rights grant program, funding 44 projects across 19 states (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $10.6 million went to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant program, funding 16 preservation projects in 6 states (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $9.95 million went to the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization program, supporting 14 recipients in 14 states (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $7 million went to the Semiquincentennial grant program, funding 14 preservation projects in 9 states (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $5 million went to the History of Equal Rights grant program, funding 8 projects spread across 7 states (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $1.25 million went to the Underrepresented Communities grant program, funding 20 projects in 17 states plus the District of Columbia (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- $607,564 went to the Tribal Heritage grant program, funding 9 projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
The structure of that spending is just as important as the amount. Some programs concentrate on public history and civil rights sites, while others reach into rural rehabilitation, tribal preservation, or underrepresented communities.
Matching funds and leverage
Preservation dollars often go further because many programs rely on non-federal match requirements.
A useful example is Save America’s Treasures, which has awarded $400 million from the HPF since 1998 and uses a dollar-for-dollar match, effectively doubling the investment (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report). That means the program is designed not only to spend money, but to pull in additional capital alongside federal support.
The Barnum Museum Foundation’s award shows how that looks in practice:
- The project received a $500,000 award (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- It repaired 79 historic windows and stained glass units (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- The foundation provided $1,102,107 in non-federal match (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
That ratio is a strong signal of how preservation work can be financed. One federal grant can unlock a much larger total project budget.
Preservation output by program
Grant totals matter, but output is what shows whether the money turns into activity.
Projects, applicants, and competition
Across the FY2025 report, demand for preservation dollars appears consistently high.
- The History of Equal Rights program received 58 eligible applications requesting over $35 million for 8 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- African American Civil Rights grants drew 138 applications requesting over $60 million for 44 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities grants drew 27 applications requesting over $18 million for 16 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- Underrepresented Communities grants drew 38 applications requesting over $2.29 million for 20 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grants drew 73 applications requesting over $48 million for 14 funded recipients (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- Tribal Heritage grants drew 31 applications requesting over $2 million for 9 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- Semiquincentennial grants drew 68 applications requesting over $62 million for 14 funded projects (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
These application counts show that preservation funding is highly oversubscribed. In every one of these programs, requested dollars exceed awarded dollars by a wide margin.
Key takeaways
- Preservation grant programs are not narrowly used by a small group of applicants.
- Demand often exceeds supply by multiples, not percentages.
- Smaller programs can still support a significant number of projects when awards are distributed broadly.
- Large awards often come with local or non-federal matching dollars that expand total project value.
National Register and survey scale
A lot of preservation work starts before a project is funded. It starts with surveys, eligibility opinions, listings, nominations, and inventories.
The FY2025 HPF report gives a useful by-the-numbers view of that baseline activity:
- 3,513,492 acres surveyed (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- 488,800 sites (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- 101,200 federal undertakings reviewed (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- 73,800 National Register eligibility opinions provided (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- 7,272 sites added to Tribal Inventories (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
- 160 properties nominated to Tribal Registers (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
National Register scale in context
The National Register figures show how large the preservation baseline has become:
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative total listings | 100,446 | NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report |
| Total contributing resources | 2,032,908 | NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report |
| Listings in 2017 alone | 1,111 | NPS National Register / National Historic Landmarks page |
| Properties listed in the National Register | more than 90,000 | NPS National Register / National Historic Landmarks page |
| National Historic Landmarks | just over 2,600 | NPS National Register / National Historic Landmarks page |
| Records with individual resource information | more than 1.4 million | NPS National Register database and research page |
The comparison above shows two things at once. First, the National Register is large enough to represent a national preservation infrastructure. Second, the register is not just a list of buildings; it is a resource system with millions of contributing elements and detailed records.
Why surveys matter
Survey data often looks less dramatic than grant awards, but it is the front end of preservation decision-making. The FY2025 report’s 3,513,492 acres surveyed and 488,800 sites are a reminder that preservation starts with identification before it moves to nomination, review, or funding (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report).
That sequence matters because a site that is not surveyed or documented is harder to protect, harder to fund, and harder to include in future planning.
Tribal preservation statistics
Tribal preservation data is one of the clearest places to see sustained growth over time. The THPO statistics page shows long-run expansion in both participation and output (NPS THPO Statistics).
THPO growth and activity by year
| Year | THPOs / activity figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 169 THPOs | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2018 | 346,760 additional acres surveyed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2018 | 4,405 additional properties or sites added to tribal inventories | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2018 | 91 properties nominated to the National Register | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2018 | 1,674 properties nominated to tribal registers | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2018 | 4,145 educational activities and programs | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2019 | 464,746 additional acres surveyed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2019 | 18,996 additional properties or sites added to tribal inventories | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2019 | 41 properties nominated to the National Register | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2019 | 6,925 properties nominated to tribal registers | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2019 | 3,344 educational activities and programs | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2020 | 160,711 additional acres surveyed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2020 | 58 properties nominated to the National Register | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2020 | 428 properties nominated to tribal registers | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2020 | 1,769 educational activities and programs | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 356,941 additional acres surveyed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 3,781 additional properties or sites added to tribal inventories | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 7 properties nominated to the National Register | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 1,640 properties nominated to tribal registers | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 2,019 educational activities and programs | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 9,854 federal undertakings on tribal lands reviewed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 125,521 federal undertakings on ancestral lands reviewed | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2021 | 19,746 total non-Federal consultations | NPS THPO Statistics |
| 2022 | 208 THPOs | NPS THPO Statistics |
A few patterns stand out.
First, the number of THPOs increased from 169 in 2016 to 208 in 2022 (NPS THPO Statistics). That is a notable expansion in the institutional footprint of tribal preservation.
Second, the activity totals are not limited to nominations. THPOs also conducted surveys, added properties to inventories, ran educational programs, and reviewed federal undertakings (NPS THPO Statistics).
Third, the workload is broad:
- 9,854 federal undertakings on tribal lands reviewed in 2021 (NPS THPO Statistics).
- 125,521 federal undertakings on ancestral lands reviewed in 2021 (NPS THPO Statistics).
- 19,746 total non-Federal consultations handled in 2021 (NPS THPO Statistics).
What the tribal numbers suggest
These figures show that preservation is not just about properties listed in a register. It is also about land review, consultation, inventory building, education, and community-level stewardship.
The White Mountain Apache oral-history project adds another dimension: it will record up to 40 hours of new oral histories (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report). That kind of work captures heritage that is not always visible in building-based metrics.
Historic Tax Credit economic impact statistics
If grants show direct public funding, the Historic Tax Credit shows how preservation policy can influence private capital at scale. The FY2024 economic-impact report is the strongest economic dataset in the bundle.
Long-run economic impact
The report says the HTC has leveraged $257.8 billion in private investment since 1976 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report). It also states that cumulative HTC investment produced:
- 3,442,000 jobs (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
- $273.9 billion in GDP (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
- $201.5 billion in income (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
- $547.8 billion in output (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
- $77.5 billion in taxes (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
- $54.3 billion in federal tax receipts (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report)
Those figures make the credit one of the most consequential economic instruments in the preservation dataset.
FY2024 snapshot
The FY2024 report gives a current-year view of activity:
- 853 completed historic rehabilitation projects certified (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 1,099 proposed projects approved (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $6.8 billion in estimated rehabilitation costs qualified for the 20% credit (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $6.6 billion in GDP was generated in FY2024 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $4.8 billion in income was generated in FY2024 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $1.8 billion in taxes was generated in FY2024 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $1.1 billion in federal taxes was generated in FY2024 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- Approximately 116,000 jobs were generated in FY2024 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- Of those, 40,000 were construction jobs and 26,000 were manufacturing jobs (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
The report also breaks down where the projects land:
- 41% of certified projects were in low- and moderate-income census tracts (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 74% were in economically distressed areas (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 43% were under $1 million (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 10% were under $250,000 (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 34% were in communities under 50,000 people (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 22% were in communities under 25,000 people (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
Selected FY2024 project geography
Kansas provides a compact example of state-level impact:
- About $131 million in HTC-related rehabilitation activity (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- 2,380 jobs (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $242.9 million in output (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $91.6 million in income (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
- $126.9 million in GDP (NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report).
The geographic mix matters because it shows the credit is not only a large national-policy tool. It also reaches smaller communities, distressed areas, and a range of project sizes.
How the numbers fit together
The dataset points to a preservation system with four connected layers.
- Federal funding creates the grant and match structure.
- Grant programs move money to specific preservation priorities.
- Surveys, inventories, listings, and nominations supply the documentation layer.
- Tax credits and rehabilitation programs turn preservation into measurable economic activity.
That pattern appears repeatedly across the source labels:
- NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report for grant totals, listings, surveys, and project counts.
- NPS THPO Statistics for long-run tribal preservation activity.
- NPS FY2024 HTC Economic Impact Report for the economic-credit data.
- NPS National Register / National Historic Landmarks page and NPS National Register database and research page for broader register scale.
A few takeaways stand out from the full picture:
- Preservation is funded through many smaller channels, not a single pot of money.
- The preservation pipeline is large: survey, review, nomination, and inventory totals are all substantial.
- Tribal preservation shows especially strong breadth across land review, inventory work, and education.
- The Historic Tax Credit anchors the economic side of the field with large cumulative investment and job totals.
- Matching requirements and local investment make some preservation dollars much more leveraged than the raw grant number suggests.
What these historic preservation statistics mean for readers
If you are trying to understand historic preservation as a policy field, the numbers push you away from a narrow museum-only view. The dataset shows preservation as a mix of public spending, documentation work, tribal stewardship, community rehabilitation, and private investment stimulus.
It also shows that preservation is still competitive. Across several grant programs, applications requested far more than the amounts awarded (NPS FY2025 HPF Annual Report). That mismatch between demand and funding is one of the most important realities in the data, because it explains why preservation organizations continuously seek grant support, matches, and additional capital.