NEW REPORT MEASURES IMPORTANCE OF THE CREATIVE SECTOR TO PHILADELPHIA’S ECONOMY

by PIDCphila
July 11, 2012

Explore Categories

The Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) recently released a new research report which shows that Philadelphia’s creative sector employment totals 48,900 jobs, representing 6.5% of the City’s employment base or one-in-fifteen jobs. The report also shows that creative employment in Philadelphia grew 6.3% from 2001 to 2011. OACCE defines the creative sector as including the people and products that make up the for-profit and non-profit arts-related creative industries such as visual and performing arts, graphic design, music, fashion, public relations, and architecture.

The research, conducted by Econsult Corporation, found that Philadelphia’s creative sector yields $5 billion in direct output and $2.7 billion in direct employee earnings. Previous reports commissioned by OACCE found that Philadelphia ranked 50 to 70% above the national standard for creative vitality, but only calculated employment for those engaged in creative occupations such as actors, artists, and architects. To understand the larger impact the creative sector has on Philadelphia’s economy, Econsult analyzed creative occupations as well as non-creative jobs at creative businesses. The report can be found on OACCE’s blog at: http://creativephl.org/post/25456082151/philadelphias-creative-sector-employment.

PIDC recognizes the important impact that the creative sector has on the City’s economy and has supported many creative sector businesses throughout all neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Since 2007, PIDC has worked with nearly 150 creative economy businesses and organizations on over $535M in financing transactions for a total of $1.5B in total project costs.  Please visit our 2011 annual review to see how PIDC supported two of these organizations, the Center for Art in Wood and The Barnes Foundation, last year:  http://pidc-pa.org/2011-pidc-annual-review/.

For more information on the creative sector and how PIDC may be of assistance, please contact Carol de Fries (non-profit organizations) at 215.496.8150 or and Susan Lowry (for-profit businesses) at 215-496-8161 or .

Explore Categories