Performing arts statistics that show where audiences and jobs are moving
Performing arts in the United States still pull large crowds, but the mix has shifted: some categories are recovering strongly, while others remain below earlier levels. The clearest signal comes from Broadway, where the latest seasonal totals show both scale and momentum.
Table of contents
- Broadway at a glance
- What the latest season says
- How attendance compares with 2023-24 and earlier seasons
- Which live performance types gained and lost ground
- Who attended live performances in 2022
- Regional patterns in arts participation
- The workforce behind the stage
- What the job outlook says about performing arts careers
- How to read these numbers
Broadway at a glance
The strongest single live-performance market in the dataset is Broadway, and the latest season provides a useful snapshot of demand.
- Broadway’s 2024-25 season grossed $1.893 billion (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
- Broadway’s 2024-25 season drew 14.66 million attendances (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
- Broadway’s 2024-25 season logged 1,712 playing weeks (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
- Broadway’s 2024-25 season introduced 43 new productions (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
Broadway remains a high-volume, high-revenue center for performing arts, with attendance and gross revenue both moving above the prior season’s level (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
What the latest season says
Broadway’s 2024-25 season is useful because it combines revenue, attendance, and production count in one place. That makes it easier to see whether growth comes from higher prices, more visits, or more shows.
The latest season shows all three levers in motion. Gross revenue reached $1.893 billion while attendances reached 14.66 million, and the schedule supported that scale with 1,712 playing weeks and 43 new productions (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
That does not mean every part of the performing arts ecosystem is expanding at the same rate. It does show that a flagship live theater market can still operate at very large scale when programming stays broad and audiences keep buying tickets.
A compact comparison of recent Broadway seasons
| Season | Gross revenue | Attendances | Playing weeks | New productions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | $1.893 billion | 14.66 million | 1,712 | 43 |
| 2023-24 | $1.539 billion | 12.29 million | 1,471 | 39 |
| 2022-23 | $1.578 billion | 12.28 million | 1,474 | 40 |
| 2021-22 | $845 million | 6.73 million | 946 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | $1.358 billion | 11.14 million | 1,282 | 33 |
| 2018-19 | $1.829 billion | 14.77 million | 1,737 | 38 |
(The Broadway League Broadway season table; The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats.)
The table makes one thing obvious: the 2021-22 season was far below the pre-pandemic high-water mark, but the most recent seasons have climbed back toward the earlier volume of activity. The 2024-25 season even exceeded the 2018-19 gross, with attendance nearly matching that earlier peak (The Broadway League Broadway season table; The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
How attendance compares with 2023-24 and earlier seasons
The latest Broadway season can be read as a year-over-year gain and a longer recovery pattern at the same time.
From 2023-24 to 2024-25, gross revenue increased from $1.539 billion to $1.893 billion, while attendances rose from 12.29 million to 14.66 million (The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats; The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats). Playing weeks also rose from 1,471 to 1,712, and new productions increased from 39 to 43 (The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats; The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats).
From the broader comparison table, 2024-25 also outperformed 2019-20 in gross revenue and attendance. That matters because 2019-20 is not a normal full season reference point, yet it still shows how much scale the market can support when conditions are favorable (The Broadway League Broadway season table).
Fast read on the seasonal changes
- 2024-25 gross revenue was higher than 2023-24 by $354 million (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats).
- 2024-25 attendances were higher than 2023-24 by 2.37 million (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats).
- 2024-25 playing weeks were higher than 2023-24 by 241 weeks (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats).
- 2024-25 new productions were higher than 2023-24 by 4 productions (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats).
The pattern suggests that more available productions and more time on stage are linked to stronger revenue and attendance totals, at least in Broadway’s case. The dataset does not prove causation, but it does show how scale and supply move together (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; The Broadway League 2023-24 season stats).
Which live performance types gained and lost ground
Broadway is only one part of the performing arts picture. The National Endowment for the Arts survey data shows that overall arts attendance declined from 53.8% in 2017 to 47.9% in 2022, a drop of 5.9 percentage points (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
That is a broad change, but the subcategories moved differently.
Performing arts attendance changes, 2017 to 2022
| Category | 2017 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall arts attendance | 53.8% | 47.9% | -5.9 pts |
| Other performing arts events | 15.0% | 21.2% | +6.2 pts |
| Jazz music | 8.6% | 6.3% | -2.3 pts |
| Latin, Spanish, or salsa music | 5.9% | 3.9% | -2.0 pts |
| Classical music | 8.6% | 4.6% | -4.0 pts |
| Opera | 2.2% | 0.7% | -1.5 pts |
| Musical stage play | 16.5% | 10.3% | -6.2 pts |
| Non-musical stage play | 9.4% | 4.5% | -4.9 pts |
| Ballet | 3.1% | 2.0% | -1.1 pts |
| Other dance | 6.3% | 3.3% | -3.0 pts |
(NEA 2022 SPPA highlights.)
The most notable result is that some categories contracted sharply while the broad label of “other performing arts events” moved in the opposite direction. That tells you the live arts landscape is not moving as one block. Interest is being redistributed, and category definitions matter (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
What stands out inside the category data
- Musical stage play attendance fell from 16.5% to 10.3% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Non-musical stage play attendance fell from 9.4% to 4.5% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Classical music attendance fell from 8.6% to 4.6% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Opera attendance fell from 2.2% to 0.7% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Other performing arts events rose from 15.0% to 21.2% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
The data suggests that some traditional attendance categories weakened between 2017 and 2022, while a broader category picked up share. That kind of shift can happen when audiences substitute across formats, venues, and ticket prices, or when survey categories capture changing behavior differently over time. The statistics do not identify the cause, but they do show the direction of change (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
Who attended live performances in 2022
The 2022 survey data also shows that attendance varied by gender, race, education, and disability status.
Gender and attendance
Women attended live performances at a 40% rate in 2022 versus 35% for men (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights). The same pattern appears in several categories:
- Women attended classical music performances at 5% versus 4% for men (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Women attended ballet at 3% versus 1% for men (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Women attended musical stage plays at 11% versus 9% for men (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
That does not mean every subgenre follows the same audience pattern, but it does show that women reported higher attendance in the surveyed live-performance measures (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
Race and ethnicity differences
Adults with more than one race reported any live performance attendance at 52% in 2022, the highest listed rate in this set (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights). The other reported rates were:
- White adults: 42% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Hispanic adults: 31% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Black adults: 28% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Asian adults: 26% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
These values are useful because they show that live-performance participation is not evenly distributed across groups. When planning outreach, programming, and pricing, the audience mix matters as much as the overall attendance total (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
Education and disability status
Education level was strongly associated with attendance:
- Adults with a master’s degree or higher attended any live performance at 56% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Adults with a bachelor’s degree attended any live performance at 53% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Adults with a high school education attended any live performance at 25% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Adults with less than a high school education attended any live performance at 13% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
Disability status also separated attendance rates:
- Adults without a disability attended any live performance at 39% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Adults with a disability attended any live performance at 24% (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
This is one of the clearest signals in the whole dataset: live arts participation rises with educational attainment and is lower among adults with a disability. Those are not small gaps; they are structural differences in access and participation (NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
Regional patterns in arts participation
The NEA regional data shows that geography matters too.
Live attendance by region
| Region | Any arts events in person | Live performance attendance | Learning an art form or subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | 55.9% | 40.2% | 34.6% |
| Midwest | 54.6% | not listed | 31.8% |
| West | 49.6% | not listed | 31.5% |
| Mid-America | 47.8% | not listed | 27.9% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 43.4% | not listed | 25.9% |
| South | 42.9% | 27.9% | 23.5% |
(NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report.)
New England stands out across all the available measures, with 55.9% attending arts events in person, 40.2% attending live performances, and 34.6% learning an art form or subject (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report).
The South sits at the other end of the list, with 27.9% live performance attendance and 23.5% learning an art form or subject (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report). That gap suggests the cultural and market environment for live performance varies significantly by region, not just by city.
What the regional split implies
- The highest live-performance rate in the dataset is New England at 40.2% (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report).
- The lowest live-performance rate listed is the South at 27.9% (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report).
- New England also leads in arts participation more broadly, which suggests a stronger pipeline from general arts engagement into live attendance (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report).
For any organization in the performing arts, region is not a minor detail. It affects who attends, how often they attend, and how likely they are to participate in arts learning as well (NEA 2022 SPPA comprehensive report).
The workforce behind the stage
Performing arts statistics are not just about audiences. They also point to the labor force that keeps productions running.
In NAICS 711100 performing arts companies, the occupational counts reported for May 2023 include:
- Musicians and singers: 21,290 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Producers and directors: 8,410 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Actors: 6,660 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Waiters and waitresses: 3,070 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Bartenders: 2,770 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Audio and video technicians: 1,970 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Set and exhibit designers: 1,470 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Lighting technicians: 810 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Security guards: 680 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Choreographers: 1,200 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Food preparation workers: 260 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers: 130 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
The occupations reveal something important: a performing arts company is not staffed only by performers. It also depends on technicians, service staff, and design roles that support the audience experience and the production itself (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
Occupation totals in context
The overall arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupational group employed 56,420 workers in May 2023 within NAICS 711100 performing arts companies (BLS OEWS performing arts companies). Within that same setting, the entertainers and performers, sports and related workers group employed 47,100, and the musicians, singers, and related workers group employed 25,080 (BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
That mix tells you the sector is large enough to support both visible creative roles and a substantial backstage infrastructure.
What the job outlook says about performing arts careers
The long-term outlook for musicians and singers is modest but stable.
- Musicians and singers had 169,800 jobs in 2024 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
- Musicians and singers are projected to have 171,600 jobs in 2034 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
- That implies 1% growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
- The occupation is projected to have 1,800 net openings over 2024-34 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
- It is projected to average about 19,400 openings per year over 2024-34 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
The wage data in the performing-arts-company setting shows why the occupation can still attract workers despite limited growth:
- The median hourly wage for musicians and singers was $42.45 in May 2024 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
- The median hourly wage for entertainers and performers, sports and related workers was $26.38 in May 2024 (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
The numbers suggest a sector that is competitive, specialized, and dependent on steady turnover. Even when total employment grows slowly, openings remain important because performers move between gigs, venues, and production cycles (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
How to read these numbers
A good way to interpret performing arts statistics is to separate three layers:
- Audience demand, shown by attendance and participation rates (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; NEA 2022 SPPA highlights).
- Organizational scale, shown by revenue, playing weeks, productions, and occupational counts (The Broadway League Broadway season table; BLS OEWS performing arts companies).
- Labor-market durability, shown by wage levels and projected openings (BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).
Taken together, the dataset points to a performing arts field that is still large, uneven, and highly segmented. Broadway is recovering to strong totals. National survey data shows mixed participation trends and clear demographic gaps. Workforce data shows a broad support structure behind the stage, while occupation forecasts show limited growth but continued openings in musician careers (The Broadway League 2024-25 season stats; NEA 2022 SPPA highlights; BLS OEWS performing arts companies; BLS Musicians and Singers OOH).