Door County’s Nonprofit Arts and Culture Industry Generated $38.6 Million in Economic Activity in 2022

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Economic and Social Impact of $38.6 Million for Nonprofit Arts and Culture Sector in Door County, Wisconsin.

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Study Centers Equity in Economic Research and Highlights Vital Role of Arts and Culture in Building More Livable Communities

Door County, Wis. (October 13, 2023)—The Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance (PAHA) today announced that Door County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $38.6 million 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. That economic activity–$16.8 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $21.8 million in event-related spending by their audiences supported 738 jobs and generated $6.2 million in local, state, and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.

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, arts and culture are a critical economic driver of vibrant communities.

“We value the arts for their intrinsic worth, and this study reminds us now, more than ever, that we must value their economic contributions to our community,” said Brian Kelsey, managing director of Peninsula Players Theatre, PAHA president and chair of the Wisconsin Arts Board.  “The arts and cultural institutions of Door County play a critical role in the economic vitality of our community and are central to our tourism-driven economy.”

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.

“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents,” said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”

Key figures from Door County’s AEP6 study include:

• Door County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $21.8 million in event-related spending by its audiences.
• The typical attendee spends $100.51 per person per event, not including the cost of admission.
• 51.2% of nonlocal attendees reported that the primary purpose of their visit was specifically to attend the performance, event, exhibit, venue, or facility where they were surveyed.
• 41.5% of attendees who live in Door County said they would have “traveled to a different community to attend a similar arts or cultural activity.”
• 70.4% of arts and culture attendees were from outside the county in which the activity took place. They spent an average of $19.7 million. All vital income for local merchants.
• 91.7% of respondents agreed that the activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community.” 
• 90.2% said they would “feel a sense of loss if that activity or venue was no longer available.”

AEP6 demonstrates the significant economic and social benefits that arts and culture brings 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:

• Actors’ Equity Association
• African Diaspora Consortium
• Arts & Planning Division (American Planning Association)
• Black Legislative Leaders Network
• Department for Professional Employees
• AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)
• Destinations International
• International City/County Management Association
• Independent Sector
• National Association of Counties
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations
• National Independent Venue Association
• National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women
• Race Forward
• Recording Industry Association of America
• The Conference Board
• U.S. Conference of Mayors

By measuring arts and culture’s wide-ranging impact, public and private sector leaders can work together to secure funding and arts-friendly policies that shape more vibrant and equitable communities.

The full report, a map of the 373 study regions, and a two-page economic impact summary for each, can be found at AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.

The full report for Door County can be found here. For more information, follow us @Americans4Arts.

The Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance, Inc., is a coalition of nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.  Member organizations are Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Björklunden, The Clearing Folk School, Door Community Auditorium, Door County Historical Society, Door Shakespeare, The Hardy Gallery, Midsummer’s Music, Miller Art Museum, Northern Sky Theater, Peninsula Music Festival, Peninsula Players Theatre, Peninsula School of Art, Third Avenue PlayWorks, Trueblood Performing Arts Center and Write On, Door County. 

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. It was supported by The Ruth Lilly Endowment Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts’ 297 study partners contributed both time and financial support to the study. For a full list of the communities who participated in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, visit AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.