Arts, culture industries play notable role in Ohio economy
The arts are big business in Ohio, a comprehensive economic impact study of arts and culture industries in the state has found.
Those industries generate more than $25 billion in economic activity in Ohio per year, according to the study by Dr. Michael Carroll, economics and director of the University's Center for Regional Development (CRD). They also help produce nearly $2.84 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue, and support more than 231,000 jobs.
The results of the study, titled "Ohio's Arts: A Foundation of Innovation, Creativity and Economic Strength," were announced April 1 by the nonprofit Ohio Citizens for the Arts and included by Governor Strickland in his speech to arts supporters, legislators and honorees at the annual Governor's Arts Awards Luncheon on the same day.
The findings are relevant, Carroll said, "because there is a growing body of research that shows a thriving arts community is crucial for the health and vitality of regions. The quality of life within a region, of which the arts are an essential component, is inextricably linked to a firm's decision about location. If Ohio hopes to secure a vibrant economic future, a quantifiable measure of arts activities is needed to retain and recruit companies within the state."
Annually in Ohio, his report indicated, arts and creative industries:
- Generate $1.78 billion in federal tax revenue.
- Generate $1.06 billion in state and local tax revenues.
- Support 231,200 jobs.
The study is an extension of "Arts and Economic Prosperity: Economic Impact of Creative Industries in Northwest Ohio," a report compiled by the CRD at the request of the Northwest Ohio Arts Exchange, exploring the impact of the arts and creative industries on northwest Ohio. That report was released in October 2007 at an event featuring Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland and attended by hundreds of arts educators, administrators and advocates.
For more information see: Northwest Ohio Arts Exchange