Photography Contributes $10.2B to US Economy: Govt Report

Ever wonder how much the arts and photography contribute towards the United States economy? Wonder no more. According to a newly-published government report, the arts contribute over $763 billion to the economy, and photography represents over $10 billion of that total.

Those numbers come from new data released earlier this month by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The findings were based on information collected in 2015.

“The arts contribute $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy, more than agriculture, transportation, or warehousing,” the NEA reports. “The arts employ 4.9 million workers across the country with earnings of more than $370 billion. Furthermore, the arts exported $20 billion more than imported, providing a positive trade balance.”

In fact, the arts were found to add four times as much to the US economy than agriculture.

And of the $763.6 billion generated by the arts, “photography and photo-finishing services” accounted for $10.2 billion, with a 2.9% annual growth between 2012 and 2015. By comparison, the motion picture industry contributed $99.3 billion.

“The data confirm that the arts play a meaningful role in our daily lives, including through the jobs we have, the products we purchase, and the experiences we share,” says NEA Chairman Jane Chu.

(via NEA via PDNPulse)

Image credits: Illustrations by the National Endowment for the Arts