The Arrowhead Includes:

Key Cities: Duluth, Cloquet, Ely, Grand Marais, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, International Falls, Moose Lake, Virginia.

Report Highlights:

The Arrowhead is second, behind only the seven county Metro Area, in most of the economic impact indicators including artistic expenditures, jobs created, and household income generated from artistic spending. In local government revenue generated, it is third. It beats every other area, including the Metro Area, in the make-up of its artist population, in that it has the highest percentage of full-time artists (30 percent) and retired/hobbyist artists (26 percent). As a result, it has the lowest percentage of part-time artists at 44 percent. This area’s artists also achieved the highest percentage of their income from their art (38 percent of their income) and highest average amount of income from their art ($29,808). This area’s artists must be doing something right, because even their non-artistic income is higher than anywhere else in the state ($48,795).

Unfortunately, the Arrowhead’s artists also have the second highest percentage without health insurance (16 percent) and without retirement plans (38 percent).

The Arrowhead is home to 1,990 individual artists. Artistic spending by these artists totaled $19.3 million during 2005. $13.8 million of those expenditures (71 percent) were made to merchants and businesses located within the State of Minnesota, and therefore have an impact on Minnesota’s economy. This spending supported 490 jobs, generated $10.5M in resident household income and $1.6M in state and local government revenue The average artistic expenditures of the Arrowhead’s individual artists (full-time, part-time and hobbyist) during 2005 were $9,680 per artist, compared to the state average of $13,572. Median artist income for full-time artists in this area was $18,000, compared to the state median of $21,841.

Area’s 2005 population: 322,193
Area’s percentage of state’s population: 6.3%
Area’s percentage of the state’s artists: 10.1%
Number of artists surveyed in this area: 1990

We would be happy to give presentations about the results of this study to any group. Just call MCA at 651-251-0868 to schedule a presentation.