Click on the license plate to go to the North Carolina Specialty Plate Website! Cost: $30 in addition to your yearly car registration; ($20 tax-deductible as a charitable donation to Arts North Carolina.)
In Western NC, Creativity Means Business Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, artists, creative workers, entrepreneurs and businesses producing innovative products make up the Creative Economy. The Creative Industry supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is a cornerstone of tourism. With a nationally competitive market for creative employment, new talent and skilled workers continue to be drawn to western N.C. The nonprofit arts and culture sector alone is a $140 million industry in western N. C.
In Western NC, Creativity Means Jobs
More than 14,000 people in western N.C. have jobs in creative occupations, and the number is increasing every year. Creative sector jobs in western N.C. increased 6 percent from 2010 to 2011. Cultural programs draw new talent and keep skilled workers. Counties with higher proportions of workers in arts-related occupations are more likely to retain current residents and attract new ones. And the presence of creative workers is strongly associated with rising household incomes.
In Western NC, Creativity Means Growing Economies
The rich cultural traditions in craft and music are sustainable place-based economic development opportunities that cannot be outsourced. These traditions attract thousands of visitors, investors and potential residents to
the region who spend money each day for authentic experiences.
Audience members from outside the region at nonprofit arts and culture programs spend an average of nearly $60 per person in the community beyond the cost of the event. All nonprofit cultural audiences spend $60.7 million a year. Nonprofit arts organizations contribute $79 million to the western N.C. economy each year. Together, nonprofit arts groups and their audiences return more than $6 million in annual revenue to local governments.
For more information on how the Creative Economy fuels North Carolina’s economy, visit the North Carolina Arts Council’s Creative Economy Portal at www.ncarts.org/creative_economy
Data compiled by The North Carolina Arts Council, part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
Study Shows Western NC Nonprofit Arts & Culture Sector is a $239 million industry
Non Profit Arts & Culture are a $1.24 Billion Industry in North Carolina! MORE INFO
