Buckeye Hills Regional Council worked with 45 arts and culture organizations to gather data and audience surveys and economic data for the sixth edition of the Arts & Economic Prosperity Study conducted by Americans for the Arts. This study showed that Southeast Ohio’s investments in its cultural sector are providing a substantial annual return for its communities and contributing to the rich cultural fabric of the state’s Appalachian region.
Southeast Ohio’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $24,677,808 in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts and Buckeye Hills Regional Council, with support from the Ohio Arts Council and U.S. Economic Development Administration. That economic activity–$12,209,889 in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $12,467,919 in event-related spending by their audiences supported 452 jobs and generated $3,417,338 in local, state, and federal government revenue. This spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce for local merchants.
Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. The study demonstrates, locally as well as nationally, the value of arts and culture as economic drivers of vibrant communities.
Southeast Ohio communities have made considerable investments in recent years to renovate historic theatres and sustain their local museums and cultural institutions. The Arts & Economic Prosperity Study shows that these investments are providing a substantial annual return for these communities and contributing to the rich cultural fabric of the state’s Appalachian region.
Nationally, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study reveals that America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry—one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council worked with 45 arts and culture organizations that serve audiences across Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, and Washington counties to gather data and audience surveys and economic data for the study.
The full regional and national studies are available at the links below.
AEP6 demonstrates the significant economic and social benefits that arts and culture bring to their communities, states, and the nation. To amplify the study results and raise awareness of these widespread benefits with public and private-sector leaders, seventeen national organizations partnered with Americans for the Arts on AEP6:
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