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Minnesota Citizens for the Arts: arts sector drives $1.6 billion in annual nonprofit activity, supports 138,000 jobs
Summary
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts presented an economic-impact analysis showing $1.6 billion in annual nonprofit arts activity, 138,000 jobs tied to the nonprofit sector and a $13.8 billion arts-and-culture industry statewide; testimony emphasized arts’ role in rural economies, health and community vitality.
Sarah Fossen, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, told the Senate Committee on Environment, Climate, and Legacy that a recent statewide economic impact study found the nonprofit arts and culture sector generates approximately $1.6 billion in economic activity annually and supports roughly 138,000 jobs. When measured as an industry sector, arts and culture in Minnesota was estimated at about $13.8 billion in economic output, ranking it just below retail, construction and transportation in statewide industry comparisons.
Fossen said the study—conducted with partners including Americans for the Arts, McKnight Foundation, the State Arts Board and regional arts councils—showed the arts’ role in economic development across Greater Minnesota as well as the Twin Cities. "When small towns thrive culturally, they also thrive economically," Fossen said, describing interviews in which local hospitals, businesses and civic leaders linked cultural vitality to workforce attraction and downtown vibrancy.
Testimony emphasized additional benefits: reductions in social isolation, improvements in health outcomes for veterans and people with Parkinson’s disease, and arts programs that provide social and workforce supports in rural communities. Fossen urged continued support for legacy funding that reaches every corner of the state, noting more than half of arts and culture organizations are located outside the Twin Cities.
Committee members responded positively to the economic framing, saying the data helped quantify impacts that are often described in intangible terms.
Why it matters: The economic estimates provide a basis for policymakers to weigh legacy investments as tools for workforce attraction, downtown economic activity and health and social services supports in addition to cultural benefits.
