Research Findings
The size and complexity of the economic impact of sacred places provides powerful new evidence that America ’ s sacred places have enormous community value ...
Partners for Sacred Places has completed a research study finding that the average historic sacred place in an urban environment generates over $ 1.7 million annually in economic impact . With over 700 active historic houses of worship each in Chicago and Philadelphia , and close to 350 in Fort Worth , this translates into over $ 3 billion in annual impact for the three cities combined .
The study is based on an in-depth analysis of 90 congregations in Philadelphia , Chicago , and Fort Worth , conducted by Partners for Sacred Places researchers working with Dr . Ram Cnaan , Director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania ’ s School of Social Policy and Practice .
The size and complexity of the economic impact of sacred places provides powerful new evidence that America ’ s sacred places have enormous community value , a value that is increasingly at risk when these buildings decline and close .
Older churches , synagogues , temples , and meetinghouses should now be seen as engines of community health and vitality , and when communities are strengthened and revitalized , the value of sacred places can and should be considered and maximized . Congregations employ , on average , 5 full-time and 6 part-time staff , and purchase goods and services from a network of local small businesses and individual vendors , sustaining an important community economic ecosystem .
Each sacred place is also a magnet for visitors , attracting 780 visits on average each week into its neighborhood or locale . These visits , whether for worship services , life events such as weddings and funerals , concerts and recitals , outreach programs , and other activities , generate spending that boosts the local economy . People spend on travel to and from the sacred place and often patronize local stores nearby . In fact , the majority of these visits are not related to worship . Only 11 % of total visits were for worship while 89 % were by others attending an event , utilizing a program of the congregation , or going to and from a school or daycare .
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