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ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6

Study Results

The Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance is proud to publish the findings of Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (2023). The study found well over $42 million in arts and culture event-related spending and arts and culture nonprofit organizations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The study found a significant impact in food and beverage, lodging, and retail associated with attendance at events. The study also revealed that nearly half of spending came from tourism fueled by arts events. Read the full study below:

CITY OF MARQUETTE STUDY

NATIONWIDE STUDY

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The results and methods for Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 in the Upper Peninsula are available as a presentation that can be brought to your organization, group, or event either in person or as a webinar. If you are interested in scheduling an informational presentation on the study, contact Sue Roll at sue@upacalliance.com

Thank you to our partners

Project Overview

AEP6 is the sixth economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in the U.S. This study is conducted approximately every five years to gauge the economic impact (on employment, government revenue, and household income) of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences. 

Previous studies were published in 1994, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. (Due to the unique nature of the realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the AEP6 study was postponed for 16 months.)

In 2017, the previous study, AEP5, documented that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity (spending by organizations plus the event-related spending by their audiences) which supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in government revenue. The AEP series demonstrates that an investment in the arts provides both cultural and economic benefits.

  • Nonprofit arts and culture organizations are businesses. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from within the community, are members of their Chambers of Commerce, and attract tourists to their regions.
  • The arts drive commerce to local businesses. The arts, unlike most industries, leverage significant amounts of event-related spending by their audiences. In 2017, arts attendees spent $31.47 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and lodging—vital income for local businesses.
  • Arts travelers are ideal tourists. They stay longer and spend more to seek out authentic cultural experiences. One-third of attendees travel from outside the county in which the activity takes place and spend an average of $48 per person. (69% say they traveled specifically to attend the activity.)
  • Small investments. Big returns. In 2017, the combined $5 billion in direct arts funding by local, state, and federal governments yielded $27.5 billion in government revenue

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Calculator

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Calculator is a free and simple tool that makes it possible for you to estimate the economic impact of your nonprofit arts and culture organization—or even your entire nonprofit arts community. These estimates are based on research findings from the study regions that were part of Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, Americans for the Arts' national economic impact study of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences.

click to view full sized version of the pages below...

Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance