The economic impact of metro Denver’s cultural arts and science institutions is continuing to grow, yet there are some trends that continue to be worrisome for the industry.

The region’s cultural industry — which includes museums, theaters, dance groups, orchestras and the zoo — saw its economic activity hit $3.12 billion in 2024, according to a new report from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts released Thursday.

It grew by nearly 20% since 2022, when economic activity was $2.6 billion, according to the CBCA.

Economic activity is an aggregate measure of spending activity ranging from rent, supplies, programs, events, capital projects, renovations, expansions and audience spending.

“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, in a news release.

The CBCA has been tracking the economic activity and impact of the arts every other year since 1993.

The report is compiled from self reporting by the 285 arts, culture and scientific organizations who are part of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson County.

The top organizations funded by the SCFD include the Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo.

While economic activity is up, the arts and culture industry is still struggling with several issues following the pandemic including attendance numbers, higher costs of operations and sources of funding.

RACE TO FIGURE OUT NEW CUSTOMER HABITS

One of the biggest concerns continues to be in-person visits.

It’s grown 27% since 2022, but the region’s 14.5 million engagements at arts and science institutions is still down 5% from the record levels seen in 2019.

Colorado Ballet has been a “microcosm” of what the wider industry around Denver is seeing, said Sameed Afghani, Colorado Ballet’s executive director, during a panel at the Denver Art Museum.

The ballet company had record revenues in 2023 at $15.7 million, according to ProPublica’s nonprofit database. In 2024, it fell to $14.1 million.

In 2019, Colorado Ballet reported $10.7 million in revenue.

“We’re growing very rapidly, but we’re still chasing some of those attendance levels.” Afghani said. “That’s what keeps me up at night.
I think that’s a big red flag.”

The numbers show museums, dance groups and theater companies are still adjusting to changing consumer behaviors following the pandemic, said Nathan Richie, the director of Golden History Museum & Park.

These nonprofits and organizations are not just competing against each other or different leisure activities such as skiing anymore, he added.

“We’re actually more in competition with the couch,” Richie said.

Local organizations are starting to catch up to new trends to capture visitors who have changed their habits from the era since the pandemic, said Betty Hart, co-artistic director at the Local Theater Company and president of the Colorado Theatre Guild.

“One of the things that’s happening nationally, that Colorado’s just beginning to do, is that Saturday afternoon is the new Friday night,” Hart said.

Tickets for shows are selling better during Saturday and Sunday afternoons than for evening shows, she explained.

“It’s a big change from 2019 and 2022,” Hart said.

TOURISM AND JOBS ARE UP, THOUGH

Meanwhile, the bright spots are job growth, cultural tourism and education outreach for the sector.

The economic impact of tourism for Denver’s arts world went up to $692 million, up from $654 million two years ago.

Employment is up to nearly 14,500 jobs, the report said, up by 6.8% from 2022. But costs of employees have also grown faster than jobs, it explained. Personnel expenses grew by 27% in the last two years hitting $312 million.

“It’s a good sign, we should be paying our cultural workers what they’re worth,” said Meredith Badler, deputy director of the CBCA. “But it also means that’s a bigger brunt for these cultural organizations to carry in terms of their operating costs.”

FUNDING STILL A CONCERN

Many arts and sciences nonprofits rely on donations and grants to support their operations.

Arts institutions across the Denver metro area received a total of $286 million in 2024. It’s up 34% from 2019, before the pandemic. Yet, gifts dropped by 2.6% since 2022.

The largest source of funding though is the SCFD, a seven-county tax district approved by voters that collects one penny on every $10 in sales and use tax. The SCFD gave about $85 million in 2024 to art and science organizations across the region, making up 30% of all the contributions they received.

The SCFD is beginning work to prepare for reauthorization going on the ballot in 2028, where voters will have to approve in order for the district to continue.

The report said many organizations saw a large drop from federal funding as pandemic relief programs have dissipated. Almost 90% of funding from the federal government is no longer coming in since 2022, the CBCA said. The report covering 2024 does not include data from the time President Donald Trump began cutting federal programs and grants across the board.

Individual donations have helped “bridge the gap,” the CBCA said. Corporate sponsorships rose slightly in 2024, yet much slower than other sources of funding.

While the economic activity is up around the industry, Hart warned that some arts departments and theater groups closed in 2025 after the data was collected.

Without federal, state and business support, she said it will be difficult to continue bolstering the arts and called on more organizations and people to donate to the nonprofits or performing arts groups they love.

“Though we’re doing well,” Hart said, “we still have a way to go before we sleep.”