State‐Level Estimates of Arts Participation Patterns (2017-2018)

Posted December 2019

This profile features state-level estimates of arts participation rates from the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) and the 2018 Arts Basic Survey (ABS). Both surveys are produced by the National Endowment for the arts in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. The SPPA is conducted approximately every five years and features a wide variety of question items pertaining to arts participation. The ABS, alternatively, is a short-form survey that focuses on particular forms of arts participation, including, in 2018, personal performance and creation of art. The ABS’ periodicity has varied, but it generally is conducted in a non-SPPA year.

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: attended performing arts events; attended art exhibits; read literature; personally performed or created artworks; and consumed art and arts programming through electronic media.