NEA Study - Artists in the Workforce

A new NEA report, Artists in the Workforce, details how Artists represent 1.4 percent of the U.S. labor force and constitute one of the largest classes of workers in the nation.

“The time has come to insist on an obvious but overlooked fact — artists are workers. They make things and perform services, just like other workers, and these goods and services have value — not merely in lofty spiritual terms but also in dollars and cents. Without denying the higher purposes of the artistic vocation, this report shows that artists play an important role in America’s cultural vitality and economic prosperity.”

Dana Gioia
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts