Arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, increased 13.7 percent in 2021 after decreasing 4.8 percent in 2020, according to statistics released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. By comparison, the broader economy, as measured by real gross domestic product, increased 5.9 percent in 2021 after decreasing 2.8 percent in 2020.
Arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.4 percent of U.S. GDP, or $1.02 trillion, in 2021, the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account shows.
Real (inflation adjusted) value added for core arts and cultural production industries, which include performing arts, museums, design services, fine arts education, and education services, increased 22.4 percent in 2021. Supporting arts and cultural production industries, which include art support services and information services, increased 11.6 percent in 2021.
- Performing arts increased 33.9 percent in 2021 after decreasing 34.3 percent in 2020. The leading contributor to the increase was promoters of performing arts and similar events, which increased 122.4 percent in 2021 after decreasing 54.5 percent in 2020.
- Museums increased 15.6 percent in 2021 after decreasing 5.0 percent in 2020.
- Design services increased 18.1 percent in 2021 after decreasing 0.8 percent in 2020.
- Fine arts education increased 27.4 percent in 2021 after decreasing 30.9 percent in 2020.
- Education services decreased 1.7 percent in 2021 after decreasing 4.9 percent in 2020.
Nominal value added
Nominal value added (not adjusted for inflation) increased 14.4 percent nationally in 2021. The leading contributor to the increase was supporting arts and cultural production industries. Supporting arts and cultural production industries increased 12.8 percent, to a level of $778.4 billion; the leading contributor to the increase was information services. Core arts and cultural industries increased 20.8 percent in 2021, to a level of $214.3 billion; the leading contributors to the increase were performing arts and design services.
In 2021, nominal value added in arts and cultural industries increased in every state and the District of Columbia. The percent change in value added in arts and cultural industries across all states ranged from 23.2 percent in Tennessee to 3.2 percent in Arkansas.
In Tennessee, the state with the largest increase in value added, sound recording, publishing, and independent artists, writers, and performers industries were the leading contributors to the increase in value added. In Arkansas, the state with the smallest increase in value added, a decrease in construction mitigated the increase.
For states and the District of Columbia, the arts and cultural share of their total GDP ranged from 10.8 percent in Washington to 1.2 percent in Delaware. The share for most states ranged between 2 and 5 percent. Washington, the District of Columbia, California, and New York were the only areas where the arts and cultural share of total GDP exceeded 5 percent.
BEA’s Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account is sponsored by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It is one of several satellite accounts that complement BEA’s core statistics, such as GDP, by pulling together additional detail on specific industries.
Visit BEA’s arts and cultural production webpage for the full report and an interactive map of the arts and culture economy in each state