What does this measure?
The share of jobs in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector, shown as a percentage of all jobs in a geographical area.
Why is this important?
Arts and culture bring distinction and visitors to a region, and employment in the sector provides a measure of the sector's relative financial strength and contribution to the larger regional economy.
How is our region doing?
In 2021, 1.2% of jobs in MetroWest were in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector, representing about 17,300 people. This was a slightly lower share of jobs than in Massachusetts and the U.S. (at 1.3% and 1.4% respectively). Since 2000, employment in this sector increased by 0.1 percentage points in MetroWest, compared to a decrease of 0.1 percentage points at both the state and national levels during the same period.
Notes about the data
County employment estimates are reported by place of work, not place of residence.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.4% |
| Massachusetts | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.3% |
| Region | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Middlesex County | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| Norfolk County | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 1.7% |
| Worcester County | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,741,497 | 1,780,362 | 1,800,991 | 1,832,985 | 1,889,044 | 1,936,484 | 1,973,655 | 2,008,567 | 2,069,346 | 2,010,339 | 2,003,595 | 2,003,129 | 2,057,290 | 2,112,000 | 2,170,121 | 2,230,822 | 2,311,437 | 2,368,928 | 2,435,562 | 2,504,413 | 2,504,959 | 1,858,669 |
| Massachusetts | 43,144 | 45,363 | 44,894 | 45,064 | 46,411 | 47,509 | 48,761 | 50,763 | 52,268 | 51,227 | 51,323 | 51,589 | 54,534 | 54,051 | 54,980 | 56,464 | 60,235 | 62,020 | 64,570 | 66,150 | 65,753 | 42,489 |
| Region | 17,040 | 18,034 | 18,344 | 18,152 | 18,197 | 18,466 | 20,063 | 21,099 | 20,613 | 20,073 | 19,666 | 20,157 | 20,882 | 20,875 | 21,338 | 22,429 | 23,946 | 24,941 | 26,381 | 27,559 | 28,063 | 17,327 |
| Middlesex County | 8,771 | 9,255 | 9,165 | 9,248 | 9,585 | 9,457 | 10,075 | 10,066 | 10,126 | 9,476 | 9,388 | 9,383 | 9,989 | 10,076 | 10,673 | 11,607 | 11,654 | 12,201 | 13,339 | 14,641 | 14,827 | 8,682 |
| Norfolk County | 4,056 | 4,431 | 4,738 | 3,748 | 3,595 | 3,878 | 5,283 | 5,530 | 5,909 | 5,783 | 5,727 | 6,081 | 6,423 | 6,269 | 6,131 | 6,354 | 7,293 | 7,598 | 8,159 | 8,361 | 8,628 | 5,251 |
| Worcester County | 4,213 | 4,348 | 4,441 | 5,156 | 5,017 | 5,131 | 4,705 | 5,503 | 4,578 | 4,814 | 4,551 | 4,693 | 4,470 | 4,530 | 4,534 | 4,468 | 4,999 | 5,142 | 4,883 | 4,557 | 4,608 | 3,394 |
| INDICATORS | REGIONAL TREND |
|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments | Increasing |
| Tourism Spending | Maintaining |
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment | Maintaining |
| Arts Grants Distribution | Maintaining |
| Arts and Culture Attendance | Not Applicable |
| Arts Teachers in Public Schools | Increasing |
| Students Taking Arts Courses | Increasing |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Grade Level | Not Applicable |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Student Group | Not Applicable |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Subject | Not Applicable |
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