ARTS & ECONOMIC PROSPERITY 6
The arts make an impact!
The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 provides detailed findings on 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico—ranging in population from 4,000 to 4 million—and representing rural, suburban, and large urban communities.
In 2022, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated $151.7 billion in economic activity—$73.3 billion in spending by the organizations, which leveraged an additional $78.4 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. The impact of this economic activity is far reaching, supporting 2.6 million jobs, generating $29.1 billion in tax revenue, and providing $101 billion in personal income to residents.
AEP6 sends a strong signal that when we support the arts, we are investing in both economic and community well-being.
LEARN MORE | aep6.americansforthearts.org
AEP6 York County | By the Numbers
TOTAL JOBS
in York County
665
TOTAL INDUSTRY EXPENDITURES
in York County
$40,337,437
TOTAL IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
in York County
612,371
OVERALL AVERAGE EXPENDITURES
per person in York County
$37.86
ARTS VENUES AS PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY
82.6%
believe that arts venues are important pillars of the community.
SENSE OF LOSS
87.4%
would feel a great sense of loss if the arts activities and venues were no longer available in York County.
AEP6 Final Report | York County
The AEP6 report underscores what businesses across the nation have witnessed-that investments in the arts and culture not only enhance the quality of life, but also stimulate economic development. By supporting the arts, companies attract and retain talent and create an environment where creativity, businesses, and communities thrive.
- Paul Washington
Executive Director
Environmental, Social, and Governance Center
The Conference Board
Every day, more than 100,000 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the U.S. are making their communities better places to live and work by beautifying cities, fueling creativity, celebrating diversity, and bringing joy to residents. Like all nonprofits, these organizations have a public purpose: to make their cultural product broadly accessible so everyone can share in these benefits. And, like all nonprofits, they count on financial support from government and the private sector to deliver on that promise. We are in a time, however, when many leaders feel challenged to fund the arts. Shrinking budgets, mandates to prioritize jobs and economic growth, and pressing community development issues make for difficult decision making. To those leaders, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 brings a welcome message: when you invest in the arts and culture, you are investing in an industry that strengthens your economy and builds more livable communities.
AEP6 One-Page Summary | York County
The AEP 6 report findings confirm again the economic value of the arts and culture. Arts and culture continue to put millions of people to work in big cities and small towns across the United States, including many members of DPE's affiliate unions. The AEP6 report also finds that arts and cultural productions are economic drivers for local economies by spurring consumer spending at restaurants, hotels, and other local businesses. Simply put, investment in the arts and culture continues other than deliver a positive economic return for American communities.
- Jennifer Dorning
President, Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry. In York County, the sector generated $40.3 million in economic activity during 2022—$17.2 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and an additional $23.2 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences. That economic activity supported 665 jobs, provided $28.9 million in personal income to residents, and generated $8.5 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.
AEP6 National Findings Report | 2022
Mayors understand the connection between the arts industry and city revenues. Arts activity creates thousands of direct and indirect jobs and generates billions in government and business revenues. The arts also make our cities destinations for tourists, help attract and retain businesses, and play an important role in the economic revitalization of cities and the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.
- Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve
President, The United States Conference of Mayors
From coast to coast, and from our smallest rural towns to our largest urban cities, America’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations are providing inspiration and joy to residents, beautifying public spaces, and strengthening community pride and identity. Arts and culture organizations are also businesses. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents. Event-related spending by their audiences generates valuable revenue for local merchants— dining in a nearby restaurant, paying to park or for a rideshare, shopping at local retail stores, and enjoying dessert after a show—a value-add few industries can compete with. These actions, in turn, support jobs, generate household income, and generate tax revenues to the government that more than offset the public’s arts and culture sector investment. The economic activity by arts and culture organizations and their audiences is (1) measurable and (2) a story that must be told.
