Home » Research on effects of the pandemic on Wisconsin’s creative sector

Research on effects of the pandemic on Wisconsin’s creative sector

  • Economic impact of the creative sector, before March 2020:  According to the latest data issued on March 17, 2020 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis  of the US Department of Commerce and the National Endowment for the Arts, the creative sector is a vital component of the U.S. economy. As the United States navigates a time of economic uncertainty due to the spread of COVID-19, it is important to recognize and champion the economic contributions of the arts to all 50 states, the U.S. territories, and the nation as a whole.    Nationally, arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or $877.8 billion, in 2017.  To sum up the most recent numbers for Wisconsin (as of 2017):
    • $10.1 billion in value-added to the state’s economy through the arts (up from $9.7 billion in 2016)
    • 96,651  jobs in the arts – more than the state’s beer, papermaking and biotech industries (up from 94,167 in 2016)
    • $5.8 billion arts worker compensation (up from $5.6 billion in 2016)
    • 3.1% arts’ value-added as a share of state’s economy (same as 2016)

Read more here.

  • Americans for the Arts’ COVID-19 Resources and Research Center:   The creative sector has now been particularly hard-hit because of shutdowns and cancellations of almost all live events in the state, and, the likelihood that these live events won’t really come back until there is widespread treatment or a vaccine.  Click here for the weekly review of survey results (as of 7-13-20), and learn more about the surveys and results here: