From Creativity to Currency: Unraveling the Economic Thread of Tampa/St. Petersburg’s Arts and Culture

Economic Prosperity. It takes on a whole new meaning when we bring arts and culture into the conversation. In a field that often seems centered around scarcity, prosperity can seem elusive and the results of our work amorphous. How do you quantify the pride in a student being recognized for their artwork? What ROI do you assign to an uplifting mural painted next to a hospital? How do you assess the value of a painting purchased by someone here on vacation, now hanging in the living room of a home thousands of miles away?

That’s why the recent findings from Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy organization, carry so much resonance for those of us working in the cultural sector. It is an expansive look at the arts, focused on our strength regionally, highlighting the power of the performers, artists, funders, and arts organizations entertaining and educating the 2.5 million people who live in the Hillsborough/Pinellas area. It quantifies the tangible impact on our region – the jobs supported, the tax revenue created, and arts money rippling through our local economy.

Once we include the 42 million people who visit our area, and the growing number of them who recognize the beauty and vitality of our arts landscape, we begin to see that the arts are a significant economic driver for our region.

Our Greater Tampa/St. Petersburg area’s arts and cultural industry:

• Generates: $682 million in economic and social benefits
• Supports: 11,292 jobs 
• Produces: $445.5 million in personal income 
• Provides: $134.9 million in tax revenue 

These are numbers that reflect the work we are doing, the audiences we are building, and arts driven future we are creating.  We hope you recognize your power in these numbers,  and join us in thinking strategically about ways to strengthen our arts economy even further.
For more information, please visit the regional report here:

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