Performing Arts Groups NAICS 7111

Jul 24, 2025 - Admission Costs Rise

• The price of admission to movies, theaters, and concerts rose 3.9% in June 2025 compared to a year ago, reflecting higher demand and increased operational costs, according to the Consumer Price Index from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Month over month, the price of admission fell 0.3% in June 2025. Employment by performing arts groups rose 5.1% in May 2025 compared to a year ago, according to data from the BLS. In the past decade, industry employment was up 25.8%, faster than the 13.4% growth in overall private employment. Average wages for nonsupervisory employees in the industry dipped 3% in May 2025 year over year, reaching $34.68 per hour. Total revenue for performing arts companies in Q4 increased 8.6% compared to a year ago and fell 4.2% compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau.
• Consumer sentiment, an indicator of discretionary spending, increased slightly in July 2025, rising to 61.8 in preliminary July data from 60.7 in June, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The consumer sentiment index from the University of Michigan hit a recent peak in December of 74, buoyed following the presidential election, but dropped to 52.2 in April 2025 as consumers expressed uncertainty about tariff effects and rising inflation. In July, respondents’ inflation expectations for the coming year were an anticipated price increase of 4.4%, which was tracking higher than in January, when respondents expected prices to grow by 3.9%. However, July’s inflation expectation results were lower than June’s, when respondents expected a 5% price increase for the coming year. The index serves as a predictor of consumer spending as it indicates consumers’ perception of their financial prospects and the broader economy.

• The US performing arts groups industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.15% between 2025 and 2029, comparable to the overall economy's projected growth, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Consumer confidence is expected to improve in the forecast period, which bodes well for the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector. Consumer expenditure for membership clubs, sports centers, parks, theaters, and museums drives much of the revenue for the sector. While this spending dropped severely during the pandemic lockdown, recovery has gradually occurred. Real spending for other live entertainment saw inflation-adjusted spending recover but then slip again in an uneven economy, down 9.4% in Q3 2024. A factor that may curb consumer spending during the forecast window is higher tariffs on consumer goods. Lower inflation supports a moderate increase of real disposable income by about 2% in 2025 and 1.9% in 2026.
• Arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, grew at more than twice the rate of the total economy between 2022 and 2023, according to figures released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts. Arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.2%, approximately $1.2 trillion, of the US GDP in 2023, according to the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account. Real value added for total arts and cultural production industries increased by 6.6% in 2023; the performing arts sector rose 31.6% in 2023. For other core categories, performing arts presenters increased by 20.7% in 2023, followed by museums (18%) and design services (6.8%).