A film-production cluster and a strong craft or museum presence can both be part of a state’s creative economy, yet they may look very different in economic tables. The reason is that “arts and culture” covers many activities and supporting industries, whose employment, compensation and economic weight vary by place. State comparisons are most useful when they examine that mix rather than treating a single label as a complete description. The latest BEA account covers 2023, and the agency said in February 2026 that it would no longer regularly produce these statistics. Bureau of Economic Analysis
A broad label covers many industries
The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account gathers detailed information that is difficult to see together in its core accounts. Its coverage includes activities such as music groups, museums and photography, as well as supporting industries including broadcasting and manufacturing. That breadth helps explain why two states with visible cultural activity may have different economic profiles: their industries and the work that supports them need not be the same. Bureau of Economic Analysis
A film-centered state might have activity tied to production and related services, while a state with a strong craft or museum presence could have a different combination of makers, institutions and supporting work. These are illustrative possibilities, not claims about named states or their measured rankings. The account’s definition makes clear that the statistical boundary extends beyond artists and performers alone, so readers should consider which industries contribute to a state’s reported total. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Read employment and compensation together
The state tables report the number of arts and cultural employees and their compensation, with breakdowns by industry. Employment describes jobs counted within the account’s framework; compensation adds information about the pay associated with that activity. Looking at both can distinguish a state with many workers across several industries from one whose measured activity is concentrated in a smaller set of sectors. Neither measure by itself captures the full cultural value of the work. Bureau of Economic Analysis
The tables also show relative concentration of arts and cultural activities in each state. Concentration gives a comparison with the broader economy, while raw employment and compensation describe scale and pay. A smaller state could have a notable concentration without having the largest total employment, and a populous state could have a large workforce without the sector being unusually concentrated. These are reading distinctions, not conclusions about any particular state without examining its data. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Why sector mix changes the story
Different industries generate and record economic activity in different ways. A production cluster may link employment with broadcasting or other supporting businesses; a museum-oriented profile may involve institutions and related activity. Because the account includes both cultural activities and supporting industries, a change in the mix can alter the overall employment and compensation picture even if both places are commonly described as creative economies. The table’s categories make that variation visible rather than reducing it to one national shorthand. Bureau of Economic Analysis
The National Endowment for the Arts’ profile series identifies a state-level estimates profile covering 2001–2023, posted in April 2025. That span is a reference period for the published analysis, not a measure of conditions in 2026. Comparing state profiles requires keeping the period in view and checking which industries and measures are included. The latest available account is for 2023; it cannot establish what happened to state creative employment after that year. National Endowment for the Arts Bureau of Economic Analysis
Use the series with its limits in view
The BEA reported that U.S. arts and cultural economic activity was $1.17 trillion, or 4.2 percent of GDP, in 2023, adjusted for inflation in its account. Those national figures provide context for the account’s scope, but they do not establish that every state shared the same growth or composition. State tables are needed to examine local employment, compensation and concentration, and the national total cannot stand in for a state-by-state comparison. Bureau of Economic Analysis
There is also a publication caveat: BEA posted in February 2026 that it would no longer regularly produce these statistics. The 2023 account remains the latest series described here, and the change in production means readers should avoid presenting it as an annually refreshed view through 2026. A careful state comparison names the reference period, distinguishes employment from compensation and concentration, and treats film, craft and museum examples as ways to understand sector mix—not as evidence of a state ranking. Bureau of Economic Analysis National Endowment for the Arts
Sources & further reading
- Arts and cultural production satellite account ↗Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Arts data profile series ↗National Endowment for the Arts
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