Many have speculated Caitlin Clark’s impact, but on Thursday, the star guard’s economic impact, dubbed “Clarkonomics,” was quantified. A report revealed that Clark added up to $52.3 million to the state’s economy. 

This value is from a study by the Common Sense Institute (CSI) Iowa, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes Iowa’s economy. CSI Board member Amber Mason Lusson called Clark “exponentially enhanced women’s sports and done more to market the university and state than anyone in recent memory.” 

Most of Clark’s career monetary impact results from increased attendance at Iowa women’s basketball home games, which CSI projected to have added between $14.4 million and $52.3 million to the state economy. 

The study found that Iowa women’s basketball attendance at home conference games in 2023-24 was about 2.8 times greater than the year before she arrived in Iowa City. This season, nearly 15 percent of fans traveled from out of state, an increase of about five percentage points from the pre-Clark era. 

All 14 of Iowa women’s basketball home games were sellouts this season. On Oct. 15, 2023, the team played outdoors at Kinnick Stadium in an exhibition matchup against DePaul. The attendance – 55,646 –set the record for an NCAA women’s basketball game.

According to the release, this dollar amount is enough to purchase up to over 5,000 acres of Iowa farmland or to pay the tuition of up to over 4,500 University of Iowa students. The study did not specify if the “tuition” is in-state or out-of-state. 

Tuition for Iowa residents cost $10,964 in 2023-24 while out-of-state residents paid $32,927. The average cost of an acre of Iowa farmland in 2023 was $11,835, according to Iowa State University’s Annual Land Value Survey. 

In terms of consumer spending in the state, Clark generated an increase of about $82.5 million — almost double the state revenue from the 2021 Iowa State Fair.