At Ringling College of Art and Design, we prepare our students for a lifetime of amazing possibilities. In fact, we are shattering the myth of the starving artist. Curious about how important of a role that art and design plays in our everyday lives?

Did you know that:

  • 3.34 million Americans work in the  arts.
  • One in 111 jobs is in art and design.
  • Creative jobs have grown from 10% to over 30% of the economy.
  • 97% of employers say that creativity is of increasing importance, but 85% say they are unable to find the applicants they seek.
  • The economic impact of art and design exceeds that of sports worldwide.
  • The creative industries are an estimated $30 billion export annually.
  • Jobs in design have increased 43% in the past ten years.
  • The global art market was worth $60.8 billion in 2011; 70% of all art sales were for contemporary and modern art.
  • There are over 532,000 designers working in the U.S.
  • More people are employed in the visual arts than in all of the performing arts and sports industries combined.
  • 200,000 people are employed in the film industry.
  • People spend approximately $55 billion annually on video games.
  • The computer animation industry generates $33 billion annually.
  • Jobs and employment in many creative industries are growing faster than the labor force as a whole and make up 30% of the work force by some estimates.
  • America’s nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity every year.
  • By 2016, jobs for artists and designers are predicted to increase by 42%.
  • Arts-related businesses in the country's largest cities represent 4.3% of all businesses and 2.2% of all jobs in the United States.
  • There are 3.34 million people working for over 904,000 arts-centric businesses in the United States.
  • Employment growth by arts-centric businesses since 2007 was 12%, more than four times the rise in the total number of U.S. employees.
  • Designers are the single largest group of artists, followed by performing artists such as actors, dancers, musicians, and announcers.
  • Employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19% from 2006 to 2016.
  • Median salaries of: Creative Directors–$90,000, Art Directors–$86,505, Fine Artists–$48,870, Multi-media Artists and Animators–$61,555, Graphic Designers–$46,925, Set and Exhibit Designers–$49,330, Producers and Directors–$86,790, Broadcast Technicians–$40,270, Photographers–$36,090, and Film and Video Editors–$66,715.
  • Wage and salary employment in the motion picture and video industries is projected to grow 11% by 2016.
  • Animators, film and video editors, and others skilled in digital filming and computer-generated imaging have the best job prospects in future of the motion picture and video industries.
  • There are about 94,000 computer artists and animators working in the United States.
  • Jobs for photographers have increased 38% in the past four years.

Sources: Americans for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Entertainment Software Association