Resources
Economic Development
The Economic Impact of Montana Artists
Table of Contents
Discussion
The results of the study provide numerical data that sheds light on the question of the importance of artists to the Montana economy. Artists have a significant impact on the economy of Montana. They do this through their contributions, whether that is through income and wages or spending within the state. Data from the 795 respondents show at least $ 28 million dollars of goods and services sold being produced by the artist community. These sales bring in more than $ 21 million from outside the state. Additionally, these sales support at least 729 full-time equivalent jobs within the state. An extrapolation of the survey data to the population of artists in Montana indicates that artists' sales may contribute more than $ 233 million in goods and services sold to the state's economy and more than 4,200 jobs. Because a large portion of Montana artist sales are made to buyers living out-of-state, artists may be bringing in as much as $ 179 million from outside the state. These dollars represent funds that would not otherwise be circulating in our economy.
While this study does not address the non-monetary contributions that artists make to the state, it is reasonable to infer that artists contribute to our state on many levels. The contributions that are not easily measured, however, are their contributions to our quality of life and community involvement. Unlike quantitative aspects such as sales, income and expenses, it is very difficult to measure such qualitative contributions.
This analysis has not attempted to measure or value the contributions of artists through their participation in education, volunteerism and community organizations, but recognizes that the importance of artists to our state and communities may far exceed the dollars that they bring in. Simply looking at the dollar value of goods and services sold that artists generate, and the amount of new money that they bring into the state through sales, clearly shows the economic engine that artists create in Montana.
