How the Arts Stimulates the OC Economy

The Orange County Business Committee for the Arts' last report on the economic impact of the arts in our community was issued in 2006 (for activity in 2005). Although the data is now four years old, and this year the economy has been taking its toll on the nonprofit culture industry in Orange County, I think it's safe to state that these figures provide a fairly accurate "big picture" view of how important the arts are to the local economy.

Some highlights:

Overall economic impact: $474,000,000

Number of employees: 4,790 (all paid positions, but does not include the many freelance artists who work as independent contractors)

The arts community is the 12th largest non-government employer in Orange County

For more details, visit the OCBCA report online. The report is conducted periodically by the Chapman University A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research on behalf of OCBCA.