The Creative Industries in Denver

“ A creative economy is the fuel of magnificence.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Creative Industries study provides a new, research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation’s economy. The creative industries are composed of arts-centric businesses that range from museums, symphonies, and theaters to film, architecture, and advertising companies. Nationally, more than 548,000 businesses are involved in the production and delivery of America’s creative industries (4.3 percent of all U.S. businesses) and they employ 2.99 million people (2.2 percent of all employees). The creative industries also provide the high-octane fuel that drives the “information economy”—the fastest growing segment of the nation’s economy.

In Denver, there are 2,198 arts-related businesses (including nonprofits) that employed 12,433 people in January 2004. Using reliable Dun & Bradstreet data and geo-economic analysis, Americans for the Arts produced the map below to provide a clear picture of the creative industries in Denver.
The arts mean business!

2,198 Arts-Related Businesses in Denver Employ 12,433 People

The following table presents a detailed breakdown of the creative industries in Denver. The first column (“category”) is the name of the business sector; the second column (“businesses”) lists the number of companies—including nonprofits—in that sector; and the third column (“employees”) indicates the number of people employed by those companies. Totals are listed at the bottom of the table. Preliminary analysis suggest an under-representation of nonprofit arts organizations in the Dun & Bradstreet database, and consequently, in the data below. The source of these data is Dun & Bradstreet; they are current as of January 2004.

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