From the Research Team

Updated Research Tool: State Creative Economy Studies

NASAA has completed its annual survey of economic studies for the Interactive Database of State Creative Economy Studies. This database, produced in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts, is a curated collection of the creative economy studies that state arts agencies use to measure the economic strength of arts and culture in their states. After our most recent update, the database now contains 149 studies spanning 48 states and jurisdictions, representing more than two decades of research.

Studies from this database show the wide range of ways in which states define and study the value of arts and culture in their economy, such as:

prioritization of different arts and culture industries
use of different research methods and sources, like case studies, surveys and secondary data sources
differentiation between nonprofit and for-profit economic activity
focus on different economic outcomes, from total value added to employment
selection between short-term economic reports and recurring annual studies

To get started, just select a state. The results shown can be further refined by year and include information on purpose and methodology as well as a link to the full study.

It is important to note that this database is part of NASAA’s larger collection of creative economy resources and does not account for economic impact studies that measure solely the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. NASAA also tracks statewide research beyond economic impact studies, including arts education, creative aging, folklife and state-specific program evaluation. For questions, to suggest a study to add to the database or to request information on other related studies, please contact NASAA Research Associate Declan Wicks.