According to the 2017 Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 report conducted by the Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $198.6 million in annual economic activity in Santa Barbara County.
The report, released on June 17, showed that the spending supports 5,857 full-time jobs and delivers $19.1 million in local and state government revenue. It also showed the impact art has on the county’s well-being, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
“These figures clearly demonstrate that our investment in this crucial industry is not only fully returned, but infinitely multiplied in its benefit to our local economy,” Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider said in the release.
The $198.6 million comes from not only nonprofit arts and culture organizations, but from event-related spending by audiences. Nonprofit art organizations generated $126.3 million annually, while $72.3 million came from events. The money generated from events account for audiences that often dine in local restaurants, stay at local hotels, and buy gifts after attending cultural events—all of which help the local economy, the release said.
“These numbers provide concrete evidence that arts and culture is one of the central economic drivers in Santa Barbara County,” county Arts Commission Chair Dennis Smitherman said in the release.
The results were based on the audited 990 forms of the 191 participating local nonprofit organizations and data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The report doesn’t include contributions from for-profit artists.
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 6, 2017.