Comparative Regions Show a 50 Percent Increase in Economic Activity Since Last Study Five Years Ago

CHICAGO, IL — June 6, 2007 — At a press conference at the Chicago Cultural Center, Americans for the Arts announced today the local and comparative results from its Arts & Economic Prosperity III, the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States. Data from 156 communities and regions, representing all 50 states, reveals that the nonprofit arts industry generates over one billion dollars of organization and audience expenditures in Chicago, the Greater Philadelphia area, San Francisco, and the Greater Washington, DC area. (The two largest U.S. cities, New York and Los Angeles, each with more than $1 billion in organizational expenditures, were excluded from this study to avoid inflating the national estimates.)

Twenty-five regions participated in this study and the previous study five years ago. Comparative data from these communities show an average increase of: 58 percent in organization expenditures, 50 percent increase in audience expenditures, and 50 percent in overall economic activity. Four regions: Mesa, AZ, Miami-Dade, FL, Boise, ID, and Newark, NJ, had increases of over 100 percent in economic activity since the last study.  The regions that participated in both studies are as follows:

Anchorage, AK
Homer, AK
Dover, DE
Chandler, AZ
Mesa, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Glendale, CA
Walnut Creek, CA
Boulder, CO
Fort Collins, CO
Broward, FL
Miami-Dade County, FL
Boise, ID
Indianapolis, IN
Minneapolis, MN
St. Cloud, MN
St. Louis, MO
Forsyth, NC
Portsmouth, NH/ME
Newark, NJ
Westchester County, NY
Columbus/Franklin County, OH
Erie County, PA

“What the local and comparative data shows is that not only are the arts a formidable business industry, it is a growth industry as well,” stated Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “These cities continued investment in the arts, brought world-class museum exhibitions and extraordinary live performances to their audiences, and revitalized communities. Throughout the country, the arts are a leader in economic development.”

Nationwide, the Arts & Economic Prosperity III reveals that the nonprofit arts industry produces $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, resulting in $29.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues.  In addition, it generates the following: 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs and $104.2 billion in resident household income.

Information on the economic impact of the arts for each of the 156 participating communities is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

The Arts & Economic Prosperity III study shows that nonprofits arts support more jobs than there are accountants and auditors, public safety officers, even lawyers, and just slightly fewer than elementary school teachers. Spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations provide rewarding employment for more than just artists, curators, and musicians but they also directly support builders, plumbers, accountants, printers, and an array of other occupations.

This study documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in 156 communities and regions, (116 cities and counties, 35 multicounty regions, and 5 states) representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The diverse communities range in population (4,000–3,000,000) and type (rural to urban). Researchers collected detailed expenditure and attendance data from 6,080 nonprofit arts and culture organizations and 94,478 of their attendees to measure total industry spending. The project economists from the Georgia Institute of Technology customized input-output analysis models for each study region to provide specific and reliable economic impact data.

The Arts & Economic Prosperity III study was conducted by Americans for the Arts and supported by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts local and statewide project partners contributed both time and financial support to the study. The full text of the report is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 45 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.