South Carolina’s cultural industry supporting $700 million in wages and 30,000 jobs

South Carolina’s cultural industry has an annual economic impact of $1.9 billion on South Carolina, directly and indirectly, supporting about $700 million in wages and 30,000 jobs, according to a two-year study released Friday by the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business.
Titled “The Economic Impact of the Cultural Industry on the State of South Carolina,” the comprehensive study was commissioned by the South Carolina Arts Commission to update a 1992 study also made by USC.
“The arts add to our lives in many intangible ways,” said Dr. Donald L. Schunk, research economist for the Moore School’s Division of Research and assistant professor of economics, who headed the study. “But the arts also definitely contribute to the economy through complex links.”
He said the study was for the years 2000 and 2001.
Top contributors to the arts’ economic impact are Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the study revealed. Schunk said that the impacts of the Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival were lumped together showing an annual $67.8 million impact statewide.
A study released by the arts commission in 1992 showed that the Spoleto Festival USA had a $60 to $70 million impact statewide. However, Schunk said, “You really can’t compare these two studies because a very different methodology was used this time.” He said most of the impact of the two festivals is felt in the Lowcountry and little in the Midlands and Upstate.
While the greatest overall economic impact came from arts education in the public schools at a total of $194.3 million annually, Schunk said, “You have to realize that the Spoleto and Piccolo festivals are unique in that they bring_ in new money from outside the state, whereas the arts education money is within the state.”
The study showed that visitors’ spending at the 2000 Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto festivals generated $29.2 million in wages and 1,628 full-time jobs. The study also projected that during 2002, a total of 1,169 full-time jobs would be created by spending at the Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival by visitors from outside Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. This means that for every 200 jobs in the tri-county area, one will exist this year solely because of the outside money brought in by these festivals, the study shows.
Other findings were:
• For every $100 in wages earned in South Carolina, $1.30 can be linked to the cultural industry. Of every 100 jobs in the state, 1.6 are directly or indirectly linked to the arts.
• South Carolina artists spent a total of $35.8 million on supplies and services in the state over the past two years. Through multiplier effects, the artists’ activities supported a total of $23 million in wages, 870 jobs and had a total economic impact of $120.5 million.
• The estimated $75 million spent annually on arts education for public school students supported $98.4 million in wages, 3,712 jobs, with a total economic impact of $194.3 million.
• The annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition that takes place in Charleston draws more than 37 percent of its 40,000 visitors from outside South Carolina and another 34 percent from outside Charleston. Spending by visitors totaled $36.4 million, while the exposition itself spent an additional $1.8 million on expenses.
• Other festivals across the state, excluding the Spoleto and Piccolo festivals and Southeastern Wildlife, spent a total of $40 million in the state and supported a total of $27.7 million in wages and salaries, with a total economic impact of $105.4 million.
• Cultural organizations, including local arts organizations, historical sites and libraries, museums and parks, had a total impact of $424.9 million.
• The for-profit segment of the cultural industry, including art galleries, craft suppliers, dance instructors and photographers, resulted in 14,963 jobs with a total economic impact of $925.5 million.
• The motion picture industry spent a total of $49.1 million in the state supporting 1,491 jobs, with a total economic impact of $74.5 million.
Schunk said the study did not compare the economic impact of culture and the arts in other states.