Arts & Culture Summary

Overall, arts and cultural organizations have flourished in Orange County over the past decade. Film production has grown significantly in Orange County and much of the Hudson Valley region since 2016, when New York State amended the New York State Film Production Tax Credit so that a 40% tax credit on qualified labor expenses could apply to Hudson Valley counties, including Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Sullivan, Ulster, and others.

From 2015 to 2025, Orange County hosted 115 film/TV/commercial/series productions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and union strikes, there are significant fluctuations in annual figures, yet the trend is reliably upward.

Production infrastructure within the county increased during the same time period. Ten soundstages are located in Orange County, with multiple stages and additional production-related space.

Arts-related businesses in Orange County grew between the period between 2011 and 2017 and likely grew between 2017 and 2025, due in large part to the growth of the film industry in the Hudson Valley region, although other arts-related businesses have seen hefty growth as well. Unfortunately, data on this indicator have not been collected since 2017.

Locations of art and cultural venues have expanded as well. Venues range from traditional theaters and galleries to libraries, cafes, and places of worship. The data clearly indicate an expansion in the types of cultural activities offered and a wide geographic distribution of arts opportunities.

Orange County experienced a substantial increase in both the number of grants and grant dollars distributed by the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) from 2000 to 2025, reaching a peak in 2025 with 14 grants totaling $898,000. Orange County experienced the strongest growth in the number of grants issued in this timeframe among all the Mid-Hudson counties.

Arts Mid-Hudson grants increased from just one in 2010 to 22 by 2013, before dipping to 18 in 2024. Dutchess and Ulster counties received significantly more grants in 2024, 39 and 45, respectively.

Much of the data contained in earlier Quality of Life Report Cards is no longer measured by Americans for the Arts or the National Endowment for the Arts.