Contents
- US performing arts establishments statistics: 2017 business counts, value added, and employment
- US performing arts establishments statistics: annual real value-added changes
- US performing arts establishments statistics: gross output from 2018 to 2023
- US performing arts establishments statistics: state employment concentration and compensation
- US performing arts establishments statistics: 2017 admissions spending
- Sources
US performing arts establishments statistics: 2017 business counts, value added, and employment
A useful starting point for understanding the scale of U.S. performing arts companies is to keep three measures side by side: the number of businesses, value added, and employment. A National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) table for selected arts and cultural industries reports these measures for 2017. It lists 8,836 performing arts companies as businesses, $13,957 million in value added/GDP, and employment of 122 thousand. These are nationwide figures for the report’s selected-industry grouping and the year 2017; they are not current counts.
| Measure | 2017 figure | Unit or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 8,836 | Businesses |
| Value added/GDP | $13,957 | Millions of dollars |
| Employment | 122 | Thousands of workers |
The three columns describe different aspects of industry activity. The business count records companies, while employment is reported in thousands and value added/GDP in millions of dollars. The figures should therefore be read with their original units intact. In particular, 122 means 122 thousand workers, not 122 individual people. Source: NEA, COVID-19 Weekly Outlook: Arts in the U.S. Economy, Table 1, “Selected Arts and Cultural Industries, Nationwide in 2017.”
The label “performing arts companies” is the category used in that table. It is more precise to retain that label than to treat the count as a census of every venue, performance space, independent performer, or organization associated with live performance. The values support a snapshot of the selected industry category in 2017; they do not provide a trend in business counts or a breakdown by type of company.
US performing arts establishments statistics: annual real value-added changes
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account reports annual percent changes in real value added for performing arts companies. The sequence below gives the reported changes from 2020 through 2023. “Real” distinguishes the measure from a nominal dollar total: these entries are percent changes in real value added from the preceding period, not dollar levels.
| Year | Change in real value added |
|---|---|
| 2020 | -31.5% |
| 2021 | -31.5% |
| 2022 | 42.0% |
| 2023 | 31.6% |
The reported series shows decreases in 2020 and 2021, followed by increases in 2022 and 2023. The values are annual changes, so each describes movement relative to the preceding period. They do not, by themselves, give the underlying value-added level or establish that a later increase fully offset earlier declines. The April 2025 BEA release is the reporting context for these figures. Source: BEA, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023, Table 1, “Real Value Added by Arts and Cultural Production Industry: Percent Change from Preceding Period,” Performing arts companies row.
This distinction matters when reading a rebound in a percentage-change series. The 42.0% change in 2022 and 31.6% change in 2023 are growth rates for their respective periods. They are not dollar amounts, and they should not be substituted for the separate gross-output series below. Value added and gross output are different economic measures.
US performing arts establishments statistics: gross output from 2018 to 2023
BEA’s gross-output table reports levels in millions of dollars for performing arts companies over 2018–2023. The six-year sequence includes the 2018 and 2019 figures before the decrease in the reported 2020 level, then the figures for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
| Year | Gross output (millions of dollars) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $28,128 |
| 2019 | $29,472 |
| 2020 | $21,169 |
| 2021 | $21,232 |
| 2022 | $28,064 |
| 2023 | $33,809 |
The annual values show gross output at $28,128 million in 2018 and $29,472 million in 2019, followed by $21,169 million in 2020 and $21,232 million in 2021. The reported series then rises to $28,064 million in 2022 and $33,809 million in 2023. These are gross-output levels, not percent changes or counts of companies. The table’s unit is millions of dollars; preserving that unit makes clear that the figures represent large monetary totals.
The sequence describes the years shown, not a forecast or a complete account of every activity connected with performance. It also should not be merged with the 2017 value-added or employment snapshot as though the indicators were one continuous measure. Each series has its own definition and period. Source: BEA, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023, Table 7, “Gross Output by Arts and Cultural Production Industry,” Performing arts companies row, millions of dollars.
US performing arts establishments statistics: state employment concentration and compensation
NEA’s state profile gives 2014 comparisons for performing arts companies. Its employment concentration statements describe how strongly employment in this industry is represented within a state relative to the national concentration. The profile reports that New York’s performing arts company employment concentration was 2.5 times the national concentration. It gives a location quotient of 2.4 for Nevada and the District of Columbia, 2.2 for Hawaii, and 1.9 for Rhode Island.
| State or jurisdiction | Performing arts company employment measure, 2014 |
|---|---|
| New York | 2.5 times the national concentration |
| Nevada | Location quotient: 2.4 |
| District of Columbia | Location quotient: 2.4 |
| Hawaii | Location quotient: 2.2 |
| Rhode Island | Location quotient: 1.9 |
These comparisons indicate relative concentration, not the total number of workers in each place. A location quotient expresses the industry’s employment representation relative to a reference level; the profile treats the District of Columbia as a state for ACPSA statistical purposes. The values are specific to the performing arts companies section and to 2014 estimates. They should not be presented as current rankings or as counts of companies.
The same NEA profile reports state comparisons for performing arts company compensation, also for 2014. Nevada’s compensation was 4 times the national index, Tennessee’s was 3.5 times the national index, and New York’s was 2.5 times the national index. California’s compensation was 44% above the national index.
| State | Performing arts company compensation comparison, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Nevada | 4 times the national index |
| Tennessee | 3.5 times the national index |
| New York | 2.5 times the national index |
| California | 44% above the national index |
The compensation comparisons use a national index as the reference. They are not dollar salary figures, and they do not establish the reasons for differences among states. Read alongside the employment measures, they show that the profile reports separate dimensions: concentration of jobs and concentration of compensation. Source: NEA, Arts Data Profile: State-Level Estimates of Arts and Cultural Employment, 2001–2014, pages 4–5, “Performing Arts Companies.”
US performing arts establishments statistics: 2017 admissions spending
A separate NEA report measures personal consumption spending on admissions to performing arts events in 2017. The table gives $26,460 million for performing arts admissions overall and reports four component categories: theater, musical theater, and opera; music groups and artists; other performing arts; and dance.
| Admissions category | Personal consumption spending in 2017 (millions of dollars) |
|---|---|
| Performing arts | $26,460 |
| Theater, musical theater, and opera | $17,004 |
| Music groups and artists | $3,669 |
| Other performing arts | $3,030 |
| Dance | $724 |
The report’s category notes define some of these groupings. “Music groups and artists” includes jazz, rock, and country music performances. “Other performing arts” includes examples such as carnivals, circuses, ice-skating performances, and magic shows. The broad performing arts figure and the component rows describe admissions spending in millions of dollars during 2017; they are consumer spending measures, not company revenue, gross output, or value added.
The admissions table offers a demand-side view of the sector through spending on event entry. Its scope is personal consumption spending on admissions, so it should not be read as total household spending on all arts-related goods and services. Nor does the single year show how spending changed over time. Source: NEA, The U.S. Arts Economy (1998–2017): A National Summary Report, table “Personal consumption spending on admissions to performing arts events: 2017 (in millions),” with category notes.
Sources
- Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Arts Data Profile: State-Level Estimates of Arts and Cultural Employment, 2001–2014, National Endowment for the Arts
- COVID-19 Weekly Outlook: Arts in the U.S. Economy, National Endowment for the Arts
- The U.S. Arts Economy (1998–2017): A National Summary Report, National Endowment for the Arts