Facts & Stats
Download the latest fact sheets and grant funding statistics:
Read about the work of the North Carolina Arts Council:
North Carolina Research Studies
Creative Economy: The Arts Industry in North Carolina
Creative workers, creative enterprises, and creative communities bring the entrepreneurial strengths of the private sector to arts-driven economic development. The Creative Industry in North Carolina accounts for more than 300,000 jobs, six percent of the state's workforce, and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues.
Click here for creative economy research reports.
The Arts & Economic Prosperity
The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV is complete! Click here to get the 2010 study results showing that nonprofit arts and culture in North Carolina is a $1.24 billion industry.
Americans for the Arts conducts a national study of nonprofit arts organizations to estimate economic impact from organization and audience expenditures every five years. Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and Wake counties participated in the 2005 AEP III study. From the five metropolitan areas surveyed in North Carolina, direct economic activity of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in 2005 generated more than $463 million, including audience expenditures of more than $271 million. Average spending in the arts per person totaled $19.89 for residents and $39.67 for non-residents.
[Download Printable AEP III 2005 Summary with links to local data]
Traditional Music Venues in the Blue Ridge Region
In 2011 the North Carolina Arts Council and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area sponsored a study of traditional music venues. The events included in this study play an important role within western North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountain region. A total of $20.7 million in economic impact is associated with the 26 events, documenting that traditional music is a significant sector of the Creative Industry. This research confirms that traditional music contributes to community identity and returns economic value.
[Download Printable Summary]
[Download Printable Data Report ]
HomegrownHandmade Visitor Analysis
In 2003 the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, with funding from the Golden Leaf Foundation, began a partnership between the arts and agriculture showcasing the tourist resources in rural North Carolina. A Web site featuring farms, art galleries, retail stores, restaurants and lodging venues is at http://www.homegrownhandmade.com. East Carolina University studied visitors to the venues and the Web site in 2006 in order to make projections about visitor behavior at similar locations.
[Download Printable Version ]
NEA Funding in North Carolina FY05 and FY06
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the federal agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts and to bringing the arts to all Americans. During the fiscal years FY2005 and FY2006, North Carolina received 74 NEA competitive grants totaling more than $1.4 million. Cooperative, partnership, touring and outreach activities brought nearly $1.6 million more to the state.
[Click here for the full FY2005 and FY2006 report. ]
Just the Ticket!
The Arts Make Money in North Carolina The economic impact of the non-profit creative sector in our state is $723 million. An Arts Council-supported study in 2003 showed that there were 6,669 direct full time jobs in the non-profit arena. Major non-profit arts groups employ an average of 13 full time people and can double that number with part time and seasonal staff, according to Just The Ticket!
[Download Printable Version]
The Artful Traveler:
Cultural Tourism in North Carolina
A study released by the North Carolina Arts Council in 2005 shows that cultural travelers to the state spend nearly a third more than the national average and almost twice the per-day spending of general travelers to the state. Cultural travelers in North Carolina spend an average of $102 per person per day-the national average is $70. The per-day spending of North Carolina's general traveler is $59, compared to cultural travelers who spend $102, according to The Artful Traveler: Cultural Tourism in the State of North Carolina.
[Download Printable Version]
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Research ResourcesClick here for links to on-line arts studies and reference sources.
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