The arts and culture sector of the U.S. economy contributed $699 billion to the U.S. economy in 2012, according to a federal report.
The study by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found that the arts and culture sector accounted for 4.3% of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2012, ahead of the $530 billion construction industry and the $461 billion transportation and warehousing industry, according to the report.