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Economic Development
Highlights from…
The Economic Impact of Montana Artists
Released in March 2005
Research conducted by The Center for Applied Economic Research,
Montana State University – Billings
Commissioned by the State of Montana
Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity
and The Montana Arts Council
This study covers artists' Fiscal Year 2003. Artists are defined in this study to include crafts people, visual artists, photographers, traditional artists, performers in music, theatre and dance, and writers of all forms of literature, from cowboy poetry to fiction and screenplay writing.
From the U.S. Census:
- Montana had a total of 5,840 artists making their living through the arts in 2000. This does not include part-time artists.
- One in every 78 Montanans in the state labor force is a working artist.
- There are more artists making their living in Montana (5,840) than people employed by:
- Montana's mining industry (4,800),
- The state's wood products manufacturing industry (5,700),
- And the state's building materials retail trade market (4,900).
- Since 1970, the number of full-time artists in Montana grew three times faster than the overall Montana labor market.
Source: Montana Department of Labor & Industry – Research and Analysis
| YEAR | TOTAL CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | PERCENT GROWTH IN TOTAL LABOR FORCE | TOTAL ARTISTS IN LABOR FORCE | PERCENT GROWTH IN # OF ARTISTS | PERCENT OF ARTISTS TO TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 273,021 | 1,857 | 0.68% | ||
| 1980 | 371,000 | 36% | 2,966 | 60% | 0.80% |
| 1990 | 400,872 | 8% | 4,424 | 49% | 1.10% |
| 2000 | 475,729 | 19% | 5,840 | 32% | 1.23% |
| Change from 1970-2000 | 74% | 214% |
Sources: Montana Dept. of Labor and the National Endowment for the Arts
Chart 1a: Growth In Total Labor Force and
Artists in Labor Force From 1970-2000
Economic impact of Montana artists
- Artists' sales produced an expected total economic impact of over $233 million in 2003.
| Jobs | Economic Impact | |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | 2,411 | $165 million |
| Indirect | 1,301 | $38 million |
| Induced | 562 | $30 million |
| Total | 4,274 | $233 million |
- Artists' sales support the equivalent of 4,200 full-time jobs in Montana.
- The economic benefit from sales of each responding artist's work averaged $49,919.
- Montana artists sell 1/3 of their work to out-of-state buyers. These out-of-state sales are significantly more profitable to artists, producing over 3/4 of all sales dollars earned.
- Economic impacts from out-of-state sales are estimated at $179 million and support 3,200 full-time jobs in Montana.
- Average out-of-state sales equaled $28,641 per responding artists in the survey.
Individual sales levels
- Almost 1/3 of responding artists reported sales of $25,000 and above. Four out of ten responding artists reported sales of $5,000 or less.
- Fifty percent of all artists surveyed said that art accounted for 100% of their personal income.
Total economic impacts by county
Responses from artists living in each county were analyzed and used as the basis to develop what those figures would look like for all 5,840 Montana artists in the 2000 U. S. Census. Extrapolating from the respondents' information, 5,840 artists would generate an overall economic impact of $233,403,685 for the state of Montana.
| County | Extrapolated Sales | Extrapolated Output | Extrapolated Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn | $628,550 | $818,373 | 17.7 |
| Broadwater | $335,489 | $436,807 | 13.7 |
| Carbon | $3,149,490 | $4,464,402 | 80.5 |
| Cascade | $5,716,938 | $8,403,898 | 146.2 |
| Chouteau | $335,227 | $436,466 | 13.7 |
| Custer | $246,033 | $322,303 | 10.1 |
| Dawson | $469,106 | $625,553 | 12.0 |
| Deer Lodge | $942,826 | $1,187,960 | 24.1 |
| Fergus | $521,697 | $679,249 | 15.0 |
| Flathead | $17,005,163 | $23,390,602 | 435.8 |
| Gallatin | $45,475,674 | $62,551,790 | 1163.8 |
| Hill | $497,812 | $663,832 | 14.5 |
| Jefferson | $1,340,873 | $1,773,975 | 34.3 |
| Judith Basin | $678,159 | $904,325 | 17.3 |
| Lake | $2,727,688 | $3,436,887 | 69.7 |
| Lewis & Clark | $9,924,003 | $13,546,265 | 254.7 |
| Liberty | $678,834 | $883,842 | 27.8 |
| Lincoln | $1,404,439 | $1,858,073 | 35.9 |
| Madison | $1,388,114 | $1,894,776 | 35.5 |
| Missoula | $39,205,602 | $60,102,188 | 1002.4 |
| Park | $15,061,774 | $20,084,876 | 385.1 |
| Powell | $579,461 | $754,458 | 14.8 |
| Ravalli | $3,002,075 | $4,476,093 | 76.8 |
| Rosebud | $315,061 | $420,134 | 8.1 |
| Sanders | $273,109 | $344,117 | 10.8 |
| Silver Bow | $818,722 | $1,212,118 | 21.9 |
| Stillwater | $765,002 | $1,020,131 | 19.6 |
| Sweet Grass | $394,730 | $513,938 | 16.2 |
| Teton | $1,543,374 | $2,058,089 | 39.5 |
| Toole | $455,699 | $607,675 | 11.7 |
| Yellowstone | $7,423,034 | $11,925,104 | 191.8 |
| Other Counties | $386,198 | $1,605,386 | 50.5 |
| TOTAL | $164,368,792 | $233,403,685 | 4,273 |
Who is the average Montana artist?
- They are involved in crafts, design, literature, media, performing art, photography, traditional arts or visual arts. Here is the breakdown on the survey respondents:
- A little less than half of the survey respondents stated they are full-time artists.
Where do they live?
How long have they called Montana home?
- The average time a Montana artist has called Montana home is 32.5 years.
- They have lived here 70% of their adult life; 90% of respondents wish to remain in Montana.
- Open space and quality of life are the main reasons that artists remain in Montana.
- While there are concentrations of artists in the western part of the state, 25% of artists responding to the survey live east of Lewistown.
What do artists spend to produce their work?
- The average Montana artist purchased 26% of their arts and business supplies from Montana businesses.
- On average, artists spend $3,876 on materials, $517 on marketing and $385 on other items at Montana businesses.
What Montana artists suggest would give them the next best boost for their businesses?
- 70.2% need assistance with marketing
- 49.5% would like a state resource database
- 29.6% would like more statewide wholesale craft shows
Study methodology
- 3,099 artists statewide were surveyed by mail (Montana Arts Council database)
- 795 (26%) responded—far above the 10% return required for a 95% data confidence level
- Responses were then extrapolated to the 5,840 Montana artists in the U.S. 2000 Census
- Utilized the economic modeling system IMPLAN to evaluate data
These highlights of the study were prepared by the Montana Arts Council.
For the full report please click here.
For more specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact:
Arlynn Fishbaugh, Executive Director, Montana Arts Council
afishbaugh@mt.gov or 406-444-6430
or
Dr. Ann Adair, Senior Economist, Center for Applied Economic Research, MSU Billings
aadair@msubillings.edu or 406-657-1608
