• Read the full Mid-Hudson's Creative Spark report here.
• Read the report's policy recommendations here.
• View reports for all 10 New York state regions in the series here.

The arts are a catalyst for economic vitality in the Mid-Hudson Region, adding thousands of jobs, attracting visitors and tourists, and drawing more resident artists to the area over the past decade. At the same time, artists and the arts sector in the region are fragile and face challenges of financial insecurity, affordability, and cuts in public funding, mirroring challenges felt across the state. Mid-Hudson Region's Creative Spark tells this story through data and interviews, and puts forth seven recommendations for state and local policymakers.

Here are some select data points from the report:

• From 2014 to 2024, the arts and culture sector in the Mid-Hudson region added 2,343 jobs, an increase of 33.7 percent—outpacing regional employment growth of 8.1 percent.
• While the overall Mid-Hudson regional population grew 4.9 percent from 2014 to 2024 (gaining over 100,000 residents), the region’s resident artist population doubled that pace, up 11.5 percent over the same period.
• In 2024, arts and culture workers earned $48,200, far less than the region’s $84,600 overall private-sector annual average wage.
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding dropped by 47.7 percent in one year, from $735,000 in FY 2024 to $384,500 in FY 2025, while the number of grants fell from 34 grants to 15.
• In 2025, in round 15 of New York State Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) funding, 10 of the 53 grants that went to the Mid-Hudson region went to arts and culture projects, an increase from the past.

Read the full Mid-Hudson's Creative Spark report here.

Mid-Hudson's Creative Spark is one of a series of 10 reports from the Center for an Urban Future on the growing power of the arts as a catalyst for economic vitality in each of New York state's economic development regions.