2025 Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture Reports Record-Breaking $3.12 Billion of Economic Activity

A vibrant graphic with the CBCA logo in the center, showing a dancer on the left, people viewing art on the right, and a musician playing a guitar. Text reads: "Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture.

By PRESS RELEASE

CBCA’s latest edition of this biennial report showcases how the arts, cultural and scientific nonprofit sector fuel our regional economic growth

Today, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) released its latest Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture, presented by U.S. Bank, at a community roll-out event at the Denver Art Museum. Today’s event illustrated how arts, culture and scientific nonprofit organizations are impacting the local economy and contributing to employment, education, tourism, cultural engagement and overall economic activity, especially considering the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid uncertain times.

The event featured a presentation of the study results, a panel discussion that put the data in context, and a performance from The Mile High Freedom Band, an LGBTQ+ and ally community performing arts organization. The 2025 study was calculated using data from 2024 calendar year. Data was self-reported by the nearly 300 arts, culture and scientific organizations funded by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in a seven-county region: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson. The data analysis and research were conducted by BBC Research & Consulting. CBCA has been publishing this report for every other year since 1993.

“The latest data demonstrates how the nonprofit cultural sector continues to contribute to the economic growth of the Metro Denver region, reaching a new milestone in total economic activity,” said Christin Crampton Day, executive director of CBCA. “Despite this growth, some areas still lag pre-pandemic levels, including in-person attendance, showing the number of engagements is still behind 2019 by 5%. Bright spots also show growth in jobs, cultural tourism and education outreach,” she added.

2025 Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture Highlights

  • Economic activity generated by the cultural sector continues to grow in 2024, reaching a record-breaking $3.12 billion, a 19.7% increase over 2022. This growth persists despite fluctuations in capital expenses.
  • Employment at arts, culture and scientific organizations is at an all-time high with 14,466 jobs, a 6.8% increase over 2022. However, personnel costs are outpacing the growth in total employment, reaching $312 million in 2024, a 27.1% increase over 2022.
  • In-person attendance is almost back to pre-pandemic levels at 14.52 million engagements. Education outreach and school programming have bounced back and are at a record high. The economic impact of cultural tourism is up to $692 million in 2024, thanks to direct and indirect spending of audiences from outside the Denver metro area, Colorado and internationally.
  • Total giving to the arts was at $286 million in 2024, a 34.1% increase over 2019, but a 2.6% drop compared to 2022. Organizations saw a dramatic drop in federal government funding as pandemic-related relief programs have gone away (90% decrease from 2022). Individual donations and foundation giving are helping to bridge that gap. Corporate sponsorships increased slightly in 2024, but at a much slower pace than other funding sources.
  • The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) continues to be the single largest funding source for arts, culture and science nonprofits in the metro region, reaching another all-time high in distributions in 2024, totaling $85 million. SCFD remains a vital stabilizing force for the community.

“U.S. Bank believes in the value and impact that arts, cultural and scientific nonprofits have on the Denver metro region, which is why we have been a proud sponsor of CBCA’s Economic Activity Study of Metro Culture for over a decade,” said Chris Ross, U.S. Bank senior vice president and commercial banking relationship manager. “A thriving creative sector makes the Denver metro area a better place to live, work, play, and visit, and CBCA and the Economic Activity Study allow us to identify how the private sector can better support the community organizations that make this possible.”

Read the full study at cbca.org/economic-activity-study. In addition to the comprehensive whitepaper from BBC Research & Consulting, there is a downloadable summary in English and Spanish.

Event and report sponsors include: U.S. Bank; Pinnacol Assurance; Colorado Education & Cultural Facilities Authority; VISIT DENVER; Denver Art Museum; Denver Botanic Gardens; Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance; East West Partners; SCFD; Fairfield & Woods; GFM|CenterTable; The Publishing House; and Rocky Mountain Public Media.