Arts Culture Heritage

A region’s competitiveness extends beyond its economy, housing, and infrastructure. Quality-of-life factors are critical for attracting and retaining graduates and skilled workers. Although these aspects of a community are difficult to measure systematically, they include economic activity, investment in the arts, and preservation of historic resources and landscapes. The indicators in this category highlight some metrics that demonstrate quality of life.

In addition to making the region a more attractive place to live and work, strong cultural resources drive tourism. As of 2024, visitor spending in the region exceeded $2.4 billion in the four counties, and the economic ripple effects of this activity spread across many industry sectors and communities. Tourism was reduced in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions on travel, but there was a resurgence in 2021. All four counties saw tourism rebound faster than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is experiencing a record of tourism growth, with the highest statewide total of tourism spending in the last ten years recorded in 2024, and all regional counties except Wyoming experiencing an increase in tourism spending.

There has also been a resurgence in arts and entertainment. Overall, the number of arts and design workers has increased regionally throughout the past decade and remained steady in recent years. The number of entertainers, performers, sports, and related workers has declined during that period, but experienced an increase in 2025.

Scenic landscapes and historic resources are important aspects of tourism development and quality of life. The region is home to between four percent and five percent of Pennsylvania’s historic sites and markers. Despite year-over-year fluctuations in state and county funds for farmland preservation (regionally and statewide), increases in the Commonwealth as well as Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne Counties were recorded between 2023 and 2024. Funding in Wyoming County declined during that period.