Does the Rocky statue really get twice as many visitors as the Liberty Bell? Yes, but ...
The Rocky statue does get more than 4 million visitors each year, twice as many as the Liberty Bell. But they’re counted differently.
Rocky has the Liberty Bell on the ropes when it comes to visitors. At least that’s what reader Kenneth Goldberg has heard for the last three years.
The 58-year-old reached out to Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region, wondering: Is it really true that the Rocky statue gets more than 4 million visitors each year, twice as many as the Liberty Bell?
“I’m proud of Rocky in the movie and I think it’s a great iconic symbol of Philadelphia,” Goldberg said. “But the Liberty Bell is pretty nationally iconic [and] Rocky is a fictional character.”
The numbers are correct, but it’s quite not a fair comparison.
The Liberty Bell had 1,683,479 visitors during the 2024 fiscal year — over 400,000 fewer than in pre-pandemic times, according to the National Park Service, which oversees the bell.
Meanwhile, the Rocky statue and Philadelphia Museum of Art steps are visited by about 4 million people yearly, per the Philadelphia Visitor Center. And more are expected with the upcoming Rocky Fest, taking place from Dec. 3 to 8.
» READ MORE: Yo Philly, we did it! The Visitor Center announces the city’s first Rocky festival
But, the way visitors are counted is vastly different.
At the Rocky statue, the estimate is based on geographic information system technology that uses cell phone data to count foot traffic. Even if you aren’t there for the statue itself, if you walk or stand near it long enough, you count as foot traffic.
The Liberty Bell, on the other hand, counts visitors electronically through a light beam system as they enter and exit the building.
Goldberg, who was hoping the claim was false, sees the number of visitors to both attractions as “potentially complementary” because they speak to how attractive Philadelphia’s history and culture are.
“I would hope more people go to see the Liberty Bell,” Goldberg said. “But, I would [also] hope that the numbers could get better for both.”