Using information on thousands of cultural organisations, cinemas and live rock concerts as well as opera and chamber music companies, this text systematically analyses the prevailing cultural patterns of contemporary American society.

In this book Judith Blau conducts an empirical investigation of cultural institutions and activities in 125 cities in the United States. Her analyses reveal that cultural institutions are more evenly distributed among larger and smaller urban centers and among regions than is commonly thought. Her focus is on establishing the relationship between demographic characteristics and demand for the arts.