Audience Spending Expenditures

Allegheny County is one of 182 study regions that participated in the Americans for the Arts’ Arts and Economic Prosperity IV project. The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council took regional findings and compared them with those in nine other benchmark areas (including several used by Pittsburgh Today). So, how do we stack up? Pittsburgh/Allegheny County ranks at or near the top when it comes to arts and culture expenditures by organizations and their audiences, and the impacts of those expenditures on job creation, household income, and tax revenues, even among regions with much larger populations.

More news of note: 4 out of 5 jobs generated by arts and culture are in other industries. For additional findings, the full GPAC report, and a tool to calculate your own organization’s own economic impact, visit: Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

The nonprofit arts and culture industry, more so than most industries, leverages a significant amount of event-related spending. Individuals who attend events at theaters, museums, historical sites, and performance venues in Allegheny County (“audiences”) spend an average of $21.44 per person above and beyond the cost of a ticket. Audience spending includes the following: meals before/after event, local transportation, refreshments/snacks during event, overnight lodging, clothing and accessories, souvenirs and gifts, event-related childcare, and other.

The following measure shows audience spending expenditures by arts and culture organizations and their audiences in comparable regions.