Benchmarking Data Report

The latest edition of the National Guild’s Benchmarking Data Report is now available! This report contains a wealth of data—on staff and faculty compensation, instructional fees, income and expense ratios, and more—that can inform your planning and budgeting and help funders and policy makers better understand the needs and impact of our field. The data, gathered from 179 Guild member organizations, is presented in easy to read charts and tables.

For the first time, the report also includes sections on racial equity, creative aging, and analysis of salary information by organization type, type of community served, and organizational budget size. 

Data was collected in 2019 before the pandemic and this summer’s uprising and call to reckoning about structural racism and anti-Black violence. This means that the data provides a valuable snapshot of where the community arts education field was just before these transformational events.

Accessing the Report

The 2019 Benchmarking Data Report is available to all Guild members that participated in the survey, free of charge. For access, contact programs@nationalguild.org.

The report is also available for purchase. Guild members receive a discounted rate (Guild membership is currently "pay what you can").
 

Guild Member Rate $50
Non-Member Rate $100

 

 

Examples of Data & Findings Inside

  • ENROLLMENT: 51% of total students served by the survey respondents attended classes that were free to all students. Details on programs, partnerships, and class fees for group and individual instruction are provided. 
  • FACULTY/TEACHING ARTIST WAGES: Overall, 151 survey participants provided data on faculty/teaching artist employment; These participants employed a total of 8,946 faculty/teaching artists (including 646 who were employed full-time). Details on faculty/teaching artist wages are provided. 
  • RACIAL EQUITY: Most participating Guild members have taken actions during the past two years to address racial equity through organizational policies or capacity. The most common action taken was to examine/alter their fee structure and/or financial aid levels and models (36%). The least common action was to conduct an audit of the organization/division regarding racial justice (13%). Examples of actions taken are outlined in the report.
  • SALARY RANGES & BENEFITS: The detailed data tables located in the body of this report include itemized salary ranges for 12 key staff positions by organization type, population of service area, and size of operating budget. Benefit information is also provided.