State-Level Estimates of Arts Participation Patterns (2012-2015)

This profile features state-level estimates of arts participation rates from the NEA’s Annual Arts Basic Survey (AABS) and the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). Both surveys are produced by the NEA in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. The SPPA is conducted approximately every five years; the AABS is a short-form version of the SPPA. AABS question topics alternate: they include (for years ending in odd numbers) items about arts attendance, literary reading, and arts classes taken, and (in even numbers) items about personal performance or creation of artworks.

For each U.S. state, the interactive map below illustrates the share of U.S. adults who did the following activities at least once in a 12-month period: attend visual or performing arts events or go to the movies; read literature; personally perform or create artworks; and use TV, radio, and/or the Internet to consume art or arts programming.