The 1997 Census of Service Industries (Economic Census) counted over 26,000 arts and cultural organizations that were active at the end of 1997. These organizations fell into three major categories:

• Performing Arts (57.9%)
• Museums, Historical Sites, etc. (21.1%), and
• Retail Arts Dealers (20.9%).

Not counting retail art dealers, there were 20,866 arts and cultural organizations. Of these, about two in five (41.6%) were tax-exempt (nonprofit), while three in five (58.4%) were not.

The largest component of organizations whose payroll counted in the 'Arts, entertainment, and recreation' sector were those in the 'Amusement and recreation industries,' comprising 61% of all establishments in this sector. Performing arts organizations, museums, historical sites, and related institutions accounted for about 21%.

It is important to note that these figures do not include organizations that had no employees, had budgets less than $25,000, or were subsidiaries of other organizations belonging to another industry (e.g. arts museums on college campuses).

SOURCE: CPANDA (the Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive)

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