Utah Cultural Alliance has just released its latest State of UT Culture Report and Cultural Asset Map.

The Utah Cultural Alliance (UCA) – the statewide ambassador for the arts, humanities and cultural sector of Utah – has collected data from the past year that measures the economic impact of cultural businesses within Utah. This data is compiled into their second annual State of Utah Cultural Report. Cultural businesses analyzed in the report include nonprofit organizations as well as for-profit businesses such as galleries, graphic design firms, interior designers, filmmakers, photography studios, along with individual artists, many of whom are independent contractors.

In 2017 cultural businesses boosted Utah’s economy. The following are the Top 10 Facts proving so:

1. Cultural businesses employed 79,328 Utahns
2. Cultural businesses generated 3.5 billion dollars in earnings
3. Cultural businesses are 3.9% of UT’s total employment and grew by 4.01%, making Utah one of the fastest growing states for cultural jobs
4. Three education programs (BTSALP, POPS & iSEE) served 1,575,189 kids
5. Income from historic rehabilitation projects using state tax credits: $32,303,365
6. Businesses love culture: A recent survey conducted by SLC’s Office of Economic Development found that a robust arts & cultural environment is the #1 most important factor that businesses consider when choosing to move to or expand in SLC
7. A recent survey released by the University of Utah found that when ranking qualities they look for in employees: creativity ranked at #1 by business managers
8. Three UT communities did a deeper dive into data. Iron County’s cultural businesses generated $76,128,287 and employed 1,955 people; Iron County had a higher than typical in direct spending by patrons due to the majority of their patrons being visitors
9. SLC cultural businesses generated $306,562,917 and employed 10,479 Utahns
10. Logan cultural businesses generated $31,325,823 and employed 1,104 Utahns

These stats demonstrate that cultural businesses are indeed economic drivers for Utah. They attract and develop businesses, create and support jobs, increase tourism, and generate revenue for state government. Along with boosting the economic vitality of the state, cultural businesses also make it a great place to live and work by adding to the health, vibrancy, quality, and diversity of Utah’s cultural community.

For more information visit http://www.utahculturalalliance.org/stats for the full report. It highlights a number of counties and organizations. Utah Cultural Alliance recently presented this report at the legislature in a committee meeting of the Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Sub-committee.

Cultural Asset Map
Related to the State of Utah Culture report, Utah Cultural Alliance recently released a new tool, the Cultural Asset Map. Located at www.utculture.org/map, this tool is a visual representation of Utah’s cultural sector. This tool is fun to explore but also useful for planning vacations, road trips, and boosting tourism. There are currently around 300+ pins and continues to grow.

About the Utah Cultural Alliance
The Utah Cultural Alliance (UCA) is the unified statewide voice and support organization for the cultural community. UCA is membership-driven organization that includes museums (arts, history, science, botanical gardens, and zoos), universities, archives, libraries, artists, patrons, as well as arts, folk arts, cultural, humanities, science, education, preservation, history, and heritage organizations. Additionally, businesses, corporations, and foundations belong to UCA to support the continuing viability and visibility of Utah’s cultural community.