A new study from Americans for the Arts, a national nonprofit organization that works to increase public and private sector support for the arts, reveals that arts-centric businesses are present in every congressional district in the country and represent 4.4 percent of all businesses and 2.2 percent of all jobs in the U.S.

Combining Dun & Bradstreet data and geo-economic analysis, the study, Creative Industries 2005: The Congressional Record, tracked and mapped arts-related entities in six creative industries — museums and collections; performing arts; visual arts and photography; film, radio, and TV; design and publishing; and arts schools and services. Among its findings, the study reveals that more than 578,000 arts-related businesses in the country employ almost three million people, that forty-nine congressional districts have more than 10,000 employees in arts-related businesses, and that more than half of all congressional districts have at least 5,200 people employed in arts-related businesses.

"The arts have become an economic and employment powerhouse throughout the nation," said Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch. "This study shows, in addition to the intrinsic value of the arts, that arts-centric businesses contribute significantly to local economies in all U.S. Congressional districts."

To read or download the complete report (20 pages, PDF), visit: http://ww3.artsusa.org/pdf/information_resources/
creative_industries/the_congressional_report.pdf.