Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in downtown St. Paul, one of the primary venues bringing $477 annual economic impact to the city, according to a new study. Photo by Tom Wallace.
Minnesota has long justifiably claimed bragging rights for its robust arts and culture offerings. Now the most comprehensive group of studies conducted to date on the subject has quantified the arts' economic impact further, attaching dollar amounts to what the arts brings to 17 cities throughout the state.
"Creative Minnesota: The Impact and Health of the Nonprofit Arts and Culture Sector" found that:
-- 1,269 nonprofit organizations support the equivalent of 33,000 full-time jobs
-- 19 million people attend arts and cultural events each year
-- 2.6 million K-12 school students are served by these organizations each year.
As the most populous city, Minneapolis led the pack at $540.6 million, but St. Paul claimed more impact per capita with $477 million. Minneapolis has more than 14 times the arts economy of other cities with comparable populations, and St. Paul has more than 10 times others of its size, the studies found.
According to data provided by Americans for the Arts, Minnesota has twice the arts economy of Wisconsin though its populations are close to the same, and 12 1/2 times that of South Dakota.
