Current Population Survey (ongoing)

Federal Statistics

Investigators: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of the Census.

Population: Artists (as defined by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system). For more information, see: http://stats.bls.gov/soc/soc_i0a0.htm.

Identification method: Survey respondents who spent most of their paid working hours in the past week in an artistic occupation are classified as artists and related workers per the SOC.

Sampling procedure: Rotating stratified random sample of 50,000 households each month. See: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/bsampdes.htm

N and Response rate: 93 percent through a mix of personal visits and telephone interviews.

Publication: Horowitz, Harold. 1993. "The Status of Artists in the USA." Journal of Cultural Economics, 17(1): 29-48. (Uses 1991 data)

National Endowment for the Arts. 1986. "Artist Employment in 1986." Journal of Cultural Economics, 12(1): 81-86. (Uses 1986 data)

National Endowment for the Arts. 1982. Artist Employment and Unemployment, 1971-1980. Washington D.C.: National Endowment for the Arts, Research Division Report 16. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. (Uses 1971-1980 data)

National Endowment for the Arts. 1976. Employment and Unemployment of Artists: 1970-1975. Washington D.C.: National Endowment for the Arts, Research Division Report 1. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. (Uses 1971-1975 CPS data and 1970 Census data)

Summary: Horowitz (1993) used the 1991 CPS data to analyze earnings and employment rates of artists in comparison to those in other occupations. The NEA has released Research Division Notes for many years based on the Current Population Survey data. Recent notes are available via the Internet at: http://www.arts.endow.gov/pub/ResearchNotes.html.