Nearly two-thirds of arts workers in Chicago reported earning less than $40,000 annually in a new survey that takes stock of the sector. Those earnings fall below the city’s overall average income per capita for the years surveyed.
The Chicago Arts Census initially grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic and was organized by a coalition of arts workers seeking to put real numbers to their own experiences. More than 1,200 people who work across arts disciplines took the 120-question survey; the project received funding from major culture philanthropists including the Walder Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The census also found that arts workers are significantly less likely to be homeowners than most Chicagoans, even though 44% of respondents report having begun or completed a master’s degree program.
“We have all lived these data points, and so seeing them is not surprising,” said Kate Bowen, one of the census’ lead organizers. “But what feels exciting and hopefully feels powerful to folks is that it’s together in one place, and it is reflecting what we’ve experienced as arts workers.”
The survey findings were released last month after years of analysis, which was done, in part, by data scientist Leonardo Figueiredo of the Rila Group. The respondents represent all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, although there were concentrations in areas like Logan Square.
Slightly more than half of the respondents identified as women and about 60% were white.
The findings arrive in a precarious moment for the arts. Funding for the field has been cut at the city level, stagnant in the proposed state budget and under attack federally.
Still, local government officials have repeatedly touted the arts as a driver of Chicago’s economy. Last year, Choose Chicago reported a record-setting summer of tourism, citing the city’s “festivals, concerts, and Chicago’s world-renowned cultural and culinary scene” as key factors in attracting visitors. Plus, a report from the Chicago Loop Alliance found that the arts have played a major role in drawing foot traffic Downtown after the pandemic.
But an arts career lacks stability, artists reported in the survey. The census found that 88% of arts workers strongly believed their work was valuable. However, fewer than half felt that they had a strong sense of job security. And while nearly all of the respondents (95%) said they were compensated for their work in the field, only 57% said they typically receive payment promptly. About 37% said they are only occasionally or never paid on time.
“Artists are frequently [contract] employees, and I think it’s part of the practice of the people who are paying artists, you aren’t paid until after the project, so that means you are fronting your own money for that thing,” said Bowen, who is the executive director of ACRE, a Chicago nonprofit artist residency and exhibition program.
Bowen worries that if Chicago becomes unaffordable, the city’s artistic talent will leave the sector or move elsewhere. “It means that the industry isn’t going to have as much talent, as much of that economic driver,” she said.
Respondents completed the survey before Donald Trump’s reelection in 2024, so the impact of cuts to national arts funding are not reflected. But, the organizers say that as they have started to present the data, they continue to hear about the changes in arts funding, not only from the government, but also from foundations whose priorities have shifted in recent years.
“There’s been a contracture there, and people are reprioritizing because there’s a lot more emergencies that are not the arts,” said Bowen. “We understand that the arts feel like a luxury to folks when we’re talking about people starving or losing their SNAP benefits. But I think what we’re also saying is the arts is a really powerful group of people that can advocate alongside the rest of workers who also might benefit from things like SNAP.”
The census organizers said this report gives the sector actual data to conversations with policymakers.
“It might not be a surprise to see how low the incomes of many of our respondents are, but often, when we are going to policymakers or grant makers or folks with resources, we can tell them about our lived experience, but they often need numbers to back that up,” said Anthony Stepter, ACRE’s program director, who has worked closely on the census project.
“Now we have information about income, we have information about resources related to childcare, we have information about education and all sorts of things that people can use in a really practical and specific manner.”
Beyond advocating for direct funding for the arts at the city and state level, the census organizers say investments in affordable housing and public transportation are also investments in the city’s arts community.
“Artists and arts workers are an incredibly resilient group who want very badly to see things be better for each other, not just themselves,” said Bowen.
A series of live events is planned to present the findings. The group will also soon launch the report in Spanish.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.