You don’t have to be a mathematician to see the impact of the arts. And thank goodness, because we prefer palettes to decimal points.

 

Below are a few of our favorite numbers. 

 

Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion of economic activity during 2015—$63.8 billion in spending by arts and cultural organizations and an additional $102.5 billion in event-related expenditures by their audiences. This activity supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in revenue to local, state, and federal governments (a yield well beyond their collective $5 billion in arts allocations). By every measure, the results are impressive.  

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Arts are good for local businesses. Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend $24.60 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and babysitters—valuable revenue for local commerce and the community.

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More than half of respondents overall (53 percent) reported that arts support contributes to stimulating creative thinking and problem solving.

 

Clearly, supporting the arts as a way to encourage creativity and innovation at companies is a growth area for arts and business partnerships.