Cultural Assessment of the Atlanta Region,

This report provides an overview of the arts & culture sector’s economic impact in metro Atlanta and documents the steps local governments have made to support the arts.  The report aims to strengthen creative organizations in metro Atlanta and help cities and counties better integrate arts & culture into their planning efforts. Local governments will be able to use the information to gauge how their support for arts & culture compares to peers across the region and help them set goals for meeting their community’s cultural needs.

Key findings include:

• Metro Atlanta’s creative industries experienced an annual job growth rate of 1.9% between 2016 and 2021, compared to 1.1% for all industries. The region’s booming film and video industry led the way, with the “actors” category increasing by 15% and “producers and directors” by 10%.
• The creative industries employ more than 89,000 people in the Atlanta region, about 3% of the total employment base. Creative industries pay an average wage of $64,500, compared to $54,900 across all industries.
• The creative workforce in metro Atlanta is less diverse than the region as a whole. For example, 67% of creative jobs are held by white employees and 24% by Black workers. The region is about 50% white and 39% Black, and 12% Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census.
• The Atlanta region is home to 1,705 cultural nonprofit groups that collectively bring in more than $632 million a year in revenue.
• In metro Atlanta, 17 local governments have developed arts & cultural plans, a significant increase from ARC’s previous Cultural Assessment report, which was released in 2012.