Number of US Museums is Double Previous Estimate
- May 20, 2014 16:40
The U.S. government announced there could be twice the number of museums previously accounted for across the country.
On Monday, a report at the American Alliance of Museums conference in Seattle said that there are 35,144 museums nationwide, up from an estimated 17,500 museums in the 1990s.
The U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services says the count is based primarily on IRS 990 forms filed by nonprofit museums, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and historical societies between 2009 and 2013, reports the AP. The 1990s methd relied only on state museum association records.
Historical societies are the largest museum segment, comprising nearly 17,000 nationwide..
More info: www.imls.gov/museum—universe
