Atlanta’s entertainment economy reaches well beyond concerts and nightlife. In FY2022, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated nearly $890 million in total industry expenditures inside the City of Atlanta. The wider picture includes 11.36 million in-person arts and culture visits, nearly $5.1 billion in annual nightlife sales, 273 Georgia film productions in FY24, and major educational and civic programs.
Atlanta entertainment statistics at a glance
- Arts and culture economic impact
- Attendance and visitor spending
- Major cultural institutions
- Aquarium education and operations
- Film and television production
- Atlanta nightlife statistics
- Entertainment travel patterns
Arts and culture economic impact
The AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary measured the economic contribution of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences in FY2022. The sector produced $889,987,564 in total industry expenditures. That total consisted of $410,117,776 in direct organizational spending and $479,869,788 in event-related spending by audiences.
The activity supported 12,719 jobs in the City of Atlanta. It also generated $616,742,303 in personal income paid to residents. The associated tax contribution was distributed across several levels of government: $16,310,818 in local and county tax revenue, $12,480,251 in state tax revenue, and $104,222,172 in federal tax revenue.
These figures describe the FY2022 economic footprint of the measured nonprofit arts and culture sector. They should not be read as a current-year estimate or as a measure of every entertainment business in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The geography in the summary is the City of Atlanta.
FY2022 arts and culture measures
| Measure | Reported figure | Source and period |
|---|---|---|
| Total industry expenditures | $889,987,564 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Direct organizational spending | $410,117,776 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Audience event-related spending | $479,869,788 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Jobs supported | 12,719 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Personal income generated | $616,742,303 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Local and county tax revenue | $16,310,818 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| State tax revenue | $12,480,251 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
| Federal tax revenue | $104,222,172 | AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary, FY2022 |
Attendance and visitor spending
In-person arts and culture attendance reached 11,359,142 total visits in FY2022, according to the AEP6 City of Atlanta One-Page Summary. Local attendees made 5,963,550 visits, or 52.5% of the total. Nonlocal attendees made 5,395,592 visits, or 47.5%. The nearly even split shows that Atlanta’s cultural attendance included both residents and visitors from outside the local area.
Average spending per person per event was $42.24 across all attendees. Local attendees averaged $34.08 per person per event, while nonlocal attendees averaged $51.27. The difference is relevant for Atlanta guides because nonlocal cultural visitors generally bring spending beyond the admission or event itself.
The same FY2022 summary reported the following average spending categories per attendee per event:
- Food and drink: $21.15
- Local transportation: $6.98
- Clothing and accessories: $3.80
- Overnight lodging: $2.95
- Retail shopping: $2.91
- Groceries and supplies: $1.91
- Other or miscellaneous spending: $1.68
- Childcare: $0.86
Food and drink was the largest listed category at $21.15 per attendee per event. Local transportation was the next-largest listed category at $6.98. These are reported averages, not a claim that every visitor incurred each type of cost, and they cover the FY2022 measurement period rather than a forecast.
Major cultural institutions
Atlanta’s large cultural institutions show how entertainment activity combines performances, exhibitions, education, and public access. The Woodruff Arts Center says it enriches the lives of more than 1 million patrons annually and serves more than 200,000 students and teachers each year. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs more than 150 concerts each year, according to a Woodruff Arts Center Grandparents Day announcement.
Access programs account for substantial additional participation. The Woodruff Arts Center 2022-2023 Impact Report says the center provided free admission to 180,000 people during the year. It also reported more than 16,300 complimentary or discounted tickets for educators, students, artists, community partners, library card holders, and others.
The same impact report counted more than 51,000 visitors experiencing no-cost exhibitions during High Museum UPS Second Sundays. It reported that more than 240,000 people experienced free Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts in the city, on television, online, and in Symphony Hall.
The High Museum houses a collection of more than 20,000 works of art, according to its 2026 advance exhibition schedule. Separately, a Woodruff Arts Center fundraising announcement said its corporate fundraising campaign sought to raise $11.8 million for 2024-2025. The fundraising target is a campaign goal, not a statement of money raised.
The Fox Theatre also operates at a large scale. Its 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report says the theater welcomed more than half a million guests over the last year. The Fox Theatre Annual Reports page lists a ranking of number one Highest Grossing Theatre Worldwide in the 2,001-5,000 capacity category, number one Year-End Top Stop Venue in that category, and number three Theatre Worldwide in tickets sold. The page also says nearly 600,000 patrons supported the Fox Theatre’s record-breaking lineup. These Fox figures come from the named annual reports and are not interchangeable attendance measures.
Aquarium education and operations
Georgia Aquarium’s 2024 Annual Report recorded 51,635 students reached through Sponsored Education Admission. The aquarium partnered with 135 school districts in Georgia in 2024. Within those partnerships, 106 DeKalb County schools and 65 Clayton County schools were involved.
Volunteer and internship participation was also quantified in the 2024 report. Georgia Aquarium recorded more than 83,900 volunteer hours and used 32 paid interns across 11 departments. Its teen volunteer program included 66 teen volunteers who donated more than 8,600 hours. The volunteer program covered 26 different departments.
Operational figures help illustrate the scale of the attraction. Georgia Aquarium says it recycles 99% of the water throughout all exhibits and uses more than 11 million gallons of water in total across exhibits. More than 6 million gallons are used in the Ocean Voyager gallery. The aquarium’s plumbing network includes 70 miles of piping, and Georgia Aquarium says it filters all 10 million gallons of fresh and salt water hourly. These figures come from Georgia Aquarium materials identified as Whale Shark 101 and The Aquarium, on Animal Planet; they describe aquarium operations rather than visitor attendance.
Film and television production
The Georgia Film Office reported 273 productions in FY24. Those productions spent $2.6 billion in Georgia during FY24. The office also reported $11 billion in Georgia film spending over the last three fiscal years. The figures are statewide, so they describe Georgia’s production economy rather than Atlanta city limits alone.
Georgia’s stage space increased from 45,000 square feet in 2010 to more than 4.5 million square feet in 2024, according to the Georgia Film Office blog. The office reported that Georgia was second in the United States for stage space. Because the two stage-space figures refer to different years and the later figure is stated as more than 4.5 million square feet, they show long-term growth without establishing a precise percentage increase.
The Georgia Film Office also gave production-specific figures for The Color Purple. The production spent more than $73 million in Georgia, hired more than 2,300 Georgians, and logged 12,594 hotel nights in the state. Those figures connect screen entertainment with employment and lodging, while remaining specific to one production and statewide activity.
Atlanta nightlife statistics
The Atlanta Nightlife Impact Report estimated that Atlanta nightlife generates nearly $5.1 billion in annual revenue and directly supports 41,000 jobs. Its executive summary reported nearly $8.5 billion in total annual economic impact, 40,939 workers in direct impact employment, $1,469,783,218 in direct labor income, and $5,068,137,109 in direct total sales.
The executive summary also said nightlife accounts for 4.4% of the City of Atlanta’s total annual economic output and 7.6% of the city’s total employment base. The rounded figures and the precise executive-summary figures are both retained here as reported; they should not be treated as independently recalculated totals.
Nightlife revenue is distributed unevenly across the week. The Atlanta Nightlife Economy report said the average Atlanta nightlife business makes around one-third of weekly revenue Monday through Friday afternoon. Dining establishments rely on weekday sales for approximately 41% of total sales. Bars and clubs derive 32% of revenue from weekdays and 68% from weekends, while performing arts venues derive 31% from weekdays and 69% from weekends.
| Business type | Weekday revenue | Weekend revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining establishments | Approximately 41% | Not stated in the report | Atlanta Nightlife Economy report |
| Bars and clubs | 32% | 68% | Atlanta Nightlife Economy report |
| Performing arts venues | 31% | 69% | Atlanta Nightlife Economy report |
The report’s statement about roughly one-third of weekly revenue for the average nightlife business refers specifically to Monday through Friday afternoon. It should not be confused with the separate business-type percentages above.
Entertainment travel patterns
The Atlanta Metro Domestic Travel 2018 profile found that 67.1% of visitors were non-Georgia residents. Culture was the stated purpose of the trip for 23% of Atlanta metro domestic visitors, while attractions were the purpose for 20%.
The profile described the average visitor as 48 years old, with an average party size of 1.63 people. Average household income was $101,600 and median household income was $81,900. It also reported that 67% of visitors were married and 42% had children in the household.
These travel-profile figures apply to Atlanta metro domestic visitors measured in 2018. They provide context for the region’s entertainment audience, but they are legacy measurements and are not presented as current visitor demographics. Together with the FY2022 arts attendance split, they show why Atlanta entertainment statistics should distinguish city, metro, and statewide geography as well as measurement year.