Cultural industries are economic powerhouses and states have the data to prove it, according to a new analysis from the National Endowment for the Arts. Drawing on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and the GDP: Value Added by Selected Cultural Industries is a new NEA research note that examines the value added by three selected cultural industries: (1) performing arts, sports, and museums; (2) motion pictures and sound recording; and (3) publishing (including software). Combined, these three cultural industries contributed a total of $278.4 billion to the U.S. economy in 2009. The NEA research note also looks at dollars and jobs added to individual state economies by these cultural industries.
Key findings:
- In 2009, the performing arts, sports, and museums added $70.9 billion to the U.S. economy. That same year, the motion picture and sound recording industries contributed $59.8 billion, while publishing (including software) added $147.7 billion.
- Cultural industries have contributed increasingly greater amounts to the U.S. economy. Between 1987 and 2009, for example, inflation-adjusted value added by the performing arts, sports, and museums nearly doubled.
- The 2007-2009 recession affected cultural production. Real value added from the performing arts, sports, and museums fell by 1.4 percent in 2008; it dipped 5.5 percent the following year. Contractions also occurred in the motion picture and sound recording industries and in publishing.
Read the full news release from the NEA, here.
