Arts Spending Fueled National Economy, Report Finds

While many industries in 2010 were struggling to recover from the recession, the nonprofit arts and culture industry continued to serve as an economic engine for the country, pumping billions of dollars into the national economy, a new report from the Americans for the Arts finds.

Based on data from 9,721 arts and culture organizations representing all fifty states, the report, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV (378 pages, PDF), found that in 2010, the year the study was conducted, the arts and culture sector generated $135.2 billion in economic activity, including $61.1 billion in spending by nonprofit organizations — 3 percent less than in the pre-recession year of 2005 — and $74.1 billion in spending by arts audiences. In addition, the sector helped support 4.1 million full-time jobs and generated $22.3 billion in revenues for local, state, and federal governments, or five times as much as their collective appropriations.

Although spending by the typical arts patron fell 11 percent between 2005 and 2010, the report found that arts audiences spent $24.60 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission in 2010 and that arts patrons who traveled beyond their county to attend an event or performance spent more than twice the amount of their local counterparts — $39.96 vs. $17.42 — which suggests that communities drawing cultural tourists experience an additional boost of economic activity.

"Arts & Economic Prosperity IV reveals the vital role played by the nonprofit arts and culture industry in strengthening the nation's economy," said Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch. "This study proves that the arts are a key component of our nation's economic recovery and future prosperity and an industry that supports jobs, generates significant government revenue, and sustains local businesses."

“America's Nonprofit Arts Industry Generates $135.2 Billion in Economic Activity and Supports 4.1 Million Jobs According to Americans for the Arts' Arts & Economic Prosperity IV Study.” Americans for the Arts Press Release 6/08/12.

Primary Subject: Arts and Culture
Location(s): National

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