First, the index tracks three areas: arts providers, arts dollars, and government support. We focus on measures available for every community in the U.S., minimizing bias based on local data collection capacity and ensuring apples-to-apples comparisons.

Second, we use a per capita approach. This ensures that cultural vitality is not dictated by population size, but by genuine investment in and commitment to the arts, given the size of a community. For instance, a small mountain town like Jackson, Wyoming with its robust cultural infrastructure can rank alongside—or even above—major metropolitan areas.  

Third, we adjust for cost of living. A dollar spent on arts in rural Montana stretches further than a dollar in Manhattan. Our methodology accounts for these economic realities, ensuring that communities aren’t penalized—or artificially boosted—simply by geography.

With these methodological principles in place, our results consistently demonstrate that vibrant arts ecosystems can exist anywhere, given the right support and commitment. Read more about our methodology.