The data presented in this note derived from the Economic Census, taken by the U.S. Census Bureau every five years. Comparing Economic Census data for 2002 and 1997, it finds much consistency in the state counts of performing arts companies. For example, relative to their populations, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, Nevada, and New York had the highest numbers of performing arts organizations in 2002—a statistic that did not differ greatly from 1997 levels. In terms of an absolute count, California had the most performing arts organizations, or 18% of all companies nationwide. Yet each of those states (not counting D.C.) lost performing arts companies over the five-year period.

http://www.arts.gov/pub/Notes/93.pdf