Americans for the Arts, the national arts advocacy organization, tells us in it's recently launched Arts and Economic Prosperity III Report that "America's nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year.” That’s some $63 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103 billion in event-related spending by audiences. The national impact of this activity also supports 5.7 million jobs and generates $2.8 billion in local government revenue and $3.5 billion in state government revenue.
This report documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in 156 communities and regions representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The diverse communities range in population (four thousand to three million) and type (rural to urban). It includes data from 11 communities and regions* in California:
City, County or Region
Total Organization Expenditures Audience Spending Total Spending
Total Organization Expenditures Audience Spending Total Spending(Arts Event Related)Laguna Beach$ 22,955,503$ 31,903,052 $ 54,858,555Walnut Creek $ 18,624,185$ 37,581,797 $ 56,205,982Fullerton $ 60,399,446$ 9,085,134$ 69,484,580Pasadena$138,328,543$ 41,763,835$ 180,092,378Glendale $ 5,405,677 $ 7,084,902 $ 12,490,579Santa Cruz County $ 15,717,132 $ 16,292,040 $ 32,009,172Santa Barbara County $ 36,196,765$ 41,403,715$ 77,600,480Sonoma County $ 28,379,119 $ 31,924,927 $ 60,304,046San Francisco $459,701,497 $572,950,773 $1,032,652,270Santa Clara County$113,310,880$ 53,192,860 $ 166,503,740Riverside County $ 41,073,193 $ 26,800,820 $ 67,874,013*Communities are listed in order of appearance on pages A13 – A19 of the
Arts & Economic Prosperity III by Americans for the Arts
California is in its third year of spending 3 cents per capita from the state’s general fund on the arts. Economically, the arts act as a magnet for tourists and visitors in our great state. They entice creative people of all stripes to settle in our cities and towns, enriching our state's "creative capital" and fueling California's knowledge-based industries. The arts are making a significant investment in California and it is time that California invested more in the arts by increasing the budget of the California Arts Council.
Calculate your organization's economic impact on your community and California by visiting the Americans for the Arts Arts and Economic Prosperity Calculator.
