Community Database: “Geographic Characteristics”

Erika Sung is an ASU doctoral student in community resources and development where she focuses on non-profit management.  Her analysis of the Arizona Arts & Cultural Census/Community Database is underwritten by a grant from the Lodestar Foundation.  

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In the previous blog, we examined the national characteristics of Arizona’s arts & cultural patrons.  Today, we will examine the Arizona statistics.

So far, the 94 percent of the households in the Arizona Community Database are located in Maricopa County, while 6% of households are from only three other Arizona counties: Coconino, Pinal, and Yavapai. The interesting point here is that all the households’ data of Coconino County are from only Flagstaff, and those of Yavapai County are only from Prescott. On the other hand, the data from Pinal County show a different aspect. Even though main attendances are from Apache Junction, Gold Canyon and Casa Grande also represent a total of over 4,000 households.

Patron by Geography in AZ

[Note: Only mailable households are included; for further information, refer to the Zip Penetration Report in eMerge. (https://emerge.trgarts.com/eMerge1/launch)]

Now, we will take a look at our 94% households specifically. Based on the number of households in Maricopa County by the 2010 U.S Census, the 94% households participating in arts and cultural activities represent  24% of all the households in the county.

What city do you think is home to the most active participation in arts and cultural activities? Look at the below graph. It shows our top three candidates. As you might expect, the top three are Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa.

However, that result may be simply caused by size of the city. So, it is necessary to take a look at their actual proportion of attendance depending on households of each city. Unfortunately, there are no separate households information about Laveen and Paradise Valley based on the 2010 US Census. However, we can still get some interesting results. Look at the below graph. Do you think still that Phoenix is the most culturally activated region? NO! Contrary to expectation, Phoenix shows a relatively low percentage of patron households (17%). Also, Avondale, Glendale, and Surprise appear to have the same situation as well. As you can see below, the top three regions that show the most activated cultural attendance are Cave Creek, Litchfield Park, and Scottsdale. Isn’t it interesting?

Proportion of Patron

First of all, Scottsdale is a real gem; it lives up to our expectation, representing a high percent (48%) of patrons engaging in arts and culture. Also, even though Cave Creek and Litchfield Park have less than 3,000 households, the above graph tells us that it is worthwhile to include them as important arts and culture consumers. It shows their enthusiasm for arts and cultural activities.

If you have previously overlooked their potential as a valuable asset, it is time to devote attention to those cities from now on.