Measuring the Arts
United States
A new addition to our "Arts and Cultural Assets" research is a report examining the demographic characteristics of business owners in arts-related industries. For instance, in 2022, female-owned firms were more common in the arts sector than in the U.S. economy overall, though they tended to be smaller than male-owned firms.
Posted byCherry Ng
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Abstract/Description
Arts-related industries play a vital role in the cultural and economic landscape of the United States, contributing significantly to employment and creative expression. Understanding patterns of business
ownership can provide insight into the structure of the creative economy and the factors that shape its
development.
Indicator C.4 uses data from the Annual Business Survey (ABS) to examine demographic characteristics
of business owners in arts-related industries. The analysis aims to provide an overview of who owns
arts-related businesses. It looks at the number and percentage distribution of firms, number of employees,
and total payroll by business owner characteristics. Owners are grouped by sex, minority status, ethnicity,
race, and veteran status. It is important to note that the ABS collects data only on employer firms which
are businesses with at least one paid employee. Nonemployer businesses (those without paid employees)
are not included. For more details on how business ownership is defined, see Business ownership in the
Annual Business Survey. The industry classifications of firms in the 2023 ABS are based on the 2022 North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
ownership can provide insight into the structure of the creative economy and the factors that shape its
development.
Indicator C.4 uses data from the Annual Business Survey (ABS) to examine demographic characteristics
of business owners in arts-related industries. The analysis aims to provide an overview of who owns
arts-related businesses. It looks at the number and percentage distribution of firms, number of employees,
and total payroll by business owner characteristics. Owners are grouped by sex, minority status, ethnicity,
race, and veteran status. It is important to note that the ABS collects data only on employer firms which
are businesses with at least one paid employee. Nonemployer businesses (those without paid employees)
are not included. For more details on how business ownership is defined, see Business ownership in the
Annual Business Survey. The industry classifications of firms in the 2023 ABS are based on the 2022 North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
