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Arts and Economic Impact

Woman's hands spinning a handful of wool into yarn on traditional wooden spindle
The logo for the Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 project

Durham’s Nonprofit Arts and Culture Industry Generates $154,170,023 in Economic Activity and Supports 5,722 Jobs Annually According to Americans for the Arts

The nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $154,170,023 in annual economic activity in Durham County, NC; supporting 5,722 full-time equivalent jobs and generating $13,357,000 in local and state government revenues, according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 national economic impact study. Durham outperformed the national medians and similar study region medians in every study category.

The most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States, Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. Durham County is one of 341 study regions across the United States that participated, and one of 30 communities in North Carolina that are represented in the study.

 

Globe painted to show a blue face cradled by blue hands with eyes hidden by tropical leaves
Logo for the Arts and Economic Prosperity 4 Project
An art installation sculpture of the bottom legs of a stool with an undulating tower made of small, uneven rectangles of wood grouted together

Durham’s Nonprofit Arts and Culture Industry Generates $125,534,858 in Economic Activity and Supports 4,550 Jobs Annually

The nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $125,534,858 in annual economic activity in Durham County, North Carolina, according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity IV national economic impact study which was presented by Durham Arts Council at City Hall on June 18th. William V. “Bill” Bell, Mayor of the City of Durham, issued a proclamation celebrating the study and its findings. The total spending of nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences in Durham supports 4,550 full-time equivalent jobs, provides $105.2 million in household income paid to local residents, and generates $11,434,000 in local and state government revenues. Durham outperformed the national medians and similar study region medians in every study category. The most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever produced in the United States, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. Durham County is one of 182 study regions that participated, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A total of 56 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Durham participated in the study that was conducted in 2011.

 

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