Arts generate $172 million in Westchester County, study finds

The nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $172.3 million in Westchester County during 2015, according to a study by Americans for the Arts, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for the arts.

The national study, called Arts & Economic Prosperity 5, found that the sector delivered $25.8 million in local and state government revenues and supported 5,179 jobs in 2015.

The data was presented by ArtsWestchester, who partnered with Americans for the Arts to conduct the study, during a breakfast conference at Morton”™s The Steakhouse in downtown White Plains on Wednesday.
“The arts is a powerful economic driver that fuels smart growth in Westchester,” said Janet Langsam, CEO of White Plains-based ArtsWestchester. “This economic impact study sends a strong signal that when government and the corporate sector support the arts, quality of life improves as does Westchester County”™s economy.”

The study also found that since 1995, the economic impact of arts in Westchester increased by 218 percent. The research also found that attendees to cultural events spent an average of $21.84 per person per event on items and services other than the price of their ticket. That figure could include child care, meals or overnight lodging. Sixty-two percent of nonresidents surveyed indicated that their primary purpose for visiting the county was to attend an arts or cultural event.

“The arts are not only vital to Westchester”™s quality of life, but they are also significant to our economy by creating jobs and helping businesses large and small,” said County Executive Robert P. Astorino, who attended the conference.