Americans for the Arts (AFTA) released in May 2012 Creative Industries 2012: The State Report, which presents a detailed analysis of arts-related businesses, institutions, and organizations in the country’s 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The study reveals that arts-centric businesses represent 4.3 percent of all businesses and 2.2 percent of all jobs in the United States and that the arts are a robust and formidable economic growth sector.

California had the most number of arts businesses (98,949) and the sixth number of arts employees (500,891). California also had the largest amount of growth in arts businesses (14.35%) and arts employees (17.52%) from 2007 to 2008.

Other highlights of the national study include:

* More than 612,000 arts-related businesses employ 2.98 million people nationwide.
* Arts-centric businesses grew 12 percent from 2007 compared to the growth of 10.7 percent for all U.S. businesses.
* Employment growth by arts-centric businesses since 2007 was 11.6 percent, more than four times the rise in the total number of U.S. employees of 2.4 percent.

The creative industries range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and advertising companies. The study tracks and maps the presence of these arts-related entities in six creative industries: museums and collections; performing arts; visual arts and photography; film, radio, and TV; design and publishing; and arts schools and services.