Buckle up, because Los Angeles isn't just keeping the lights on for Hollywood—it's powering a full-blown entertainment boom, with film permits soaring 15% last year to support over 50,000 on-location shoot days, a statistic that underscores the city's reign as the undisputed capital of global storytelling.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Los Angeles County issued 1,728 film permits, a 15% increase from 2021, supporting over 50,000 on-location shooting days
- Hollywood studios in LA produced 68 major feature films in 2023, accounting for 42% of all U.S. theatrical releases
- The average budget for a feature film shot in LA in 2022 was $85 million, with visual effects comprising 25% of costs
- In 2023, Los Angeles TV production generated 4,200 on-location shoot days, up 8% from 2022
- LA is home to 120 active soundstages dedicated to TV, producing 350+ hours of scripted content yearly
- Netflix's LA operations streamed 1,200 original TV episodes from 2020-2023
- In 2023, LA music venues hosted 2,500 live concerts, drawing 4.2 million attendees
- Grammy Awards 2024 featured 45 LA-based artists, with 70% of performances at LA venues
- LA's Hollywood Bowl sold 450,000 tickets across 80 shows in summer 2023
- Entertainment employment in LA metro totaled 710,000 jobs in 2023, 10% of total workforce
- IATSE Local 80 in LA represents 4,200 grips/lighting techs, 95% unionized on features
- SAG-AFTRA has 50,000 LA members, earning $2.8B in wages 2023
- LA entertainment industry generated $122 billion GDP impact in 2022, 5.6% of CA total
- Film/TV tax credits in LA returned $13 ROI per $1 invested in 2023
- LA tourism from entertainment events added $8.7B visitor spend 2023
Los Angeles remains the vibrant global center for film, music, and television production.
Economic and Revenue Impact
- LA entertainment industry generated $122 billion GDP impact in 2022, 5.6% of CA total
- Film/TV tax credits in LA returned $13 ROI per $1 invested in 2023
- LA tourism from entertainment events added $8.7B visitor spend 2023
- Streaming services invested $4.5B in LA content production 2023
- LA box office grosses hit $1.9B in 2023, 40% U.S. market share
- Music industry in LA contributed $6.2B direct output 2022
- LA convention center events generated $1.1B economic activity 2023
- Film exports from LA totaled $1.4B in 2023 trade surplus
- LA hotel bookings from awards shows like Oscars added $450M 2023
- Entertainment payroll taxes contributed $1.2B to LA city coffers 2023
- LA prop rental businesses generated $150M revenue from productions 2023
- Streaming residuals paid $850M to LA creatives in 2023
- LA live event ticket sales reached $2.3B in 2023
- VFX outsourcing to LA firms brought $2.8B foreign spend 2023
- LA restaurant spend by crews totaled $750M in 2023
- Merchandising from LA films/TV generated $12B global revenue 2023
- LA film permit fees collected $28M in 2023
- Advertising shoots in LA spent $1.6B locally 2023
- LA entertainment venture capital hit $1.9B for startups 2023
- Tourism multiplier from Hollywood studios: $7.2B annual
- LA music royalties streaming share $4.1B 2023
- Post-production spending in LA: $3.4B 2023
- LA awards season events boosted retail $320M 2023
- Transportation from LA sets: $950M vendor spend 2023
- LA content licensing deals worth $5.5B 2023
- Hotel night stays for pilots/festivals: 1.2M nights, $900M 2023
- LA gaming tie-ins with entertainment: $2.7B revenue 2023
- Craft services/ catering economic output $420M 2023
- LA IP sales from studios: $8.9B 2023
Economic and Revenue Impact Interpretation
For all the drama on screen, the real blockbuster is off-screen, where every tax credit, tourist dollar, and craft services lunch proves that in Los Angeles, the business of show is a spectacularly lucrative engine that funds the city itself.
Employment and Talent
- Entertainment employment in LA metro totaled 710,000 jobs in 2023, 10% of total workforce
- IATSE Local 80 in LA represents 4,200 grips/lighting techs, 95% unionized on features
- SAG-AFTRA has 50,000 LA members, earning $2.8B in wages 2023
- WGA West 12,000 LA writers generated $1.1B earnings pre-strike 2023
- DGA LA directors numbered 18,000, directing 85% U.S. TV/film hours 2023
- LA casting directors handled auditions for 15,000 roles yearly, employing 1,200 agents
- Teamsters Local 399 hauls for 90% LA productions, 8,000 drivers 2023
- LA stunt performers guild has 2,500 members, working 5,000 gigs 2023
- Costume & Wardrobe Union Local 705 employs 2,800 in LA, $400M annual spend
- LA editors guild (MPEG Local 700) 7,000 members edited 80% Emmy shows 2023
- Make-up artists & Hairstylists Local 706: 1,600 LA pros for 300 productions 2023
- LA talent agencies represent 45,000 actors, booking $3.2B deals 2023
- Production coordinators in LA: 3,500 freelancers, average salary $95K 2023
- LA VFX artists totaled 15,000, contributing to 70% global blockbusters 2023
- Music supervisors in LA placed tracks in 1,200 projects 2023, employing 800
- LA location managers guild: 1,200 members scouting 10,000 sites yearly
- Script supervisors in LA worked 4,500 days on sets 2023
- LA animal trainers for film/TV: 450 pros, handling 2,000 animals 2023
- Post-production sound mixers in LA: 2,200, mixing 95% Oscar contenders 2023
- LA diversity hires in entertainment rose to 32% in 2023 from 22% 2019
- Prop masters guild LA: 900 members supplying 500 shows 2023
- LA intimacy coordinators: 600 certified, used in 85% intimate scenes 2023
- Entertainment payroll services in LA processed $5.1B for 250,000 workers 2023
- LA acting coaches trained 20,000 students, 5% booking major roles 2023
- Set designers Local 847: 1,100 LA members for 400 productions 2023
- LA entertainment lawyers: 4,500 specializing, handling $10B deals 2023
- Dialect coaches in LA worked on 250 international casts 2023
Employment and Talent Interpretation
Behind the glittering screen lies a vast and intricate machine of 710,000 human cogs, where drivers haul the lights, writers battle for words, and every prop and stitch is a unionized act of creation, all so a few stars can shine.
Film and Cinema
- In 2022, Los Angeles County issued 1,728 film permits, a 15% increase from 2021, supporting over 50,000 on-location shooting days
- Hollywood studios in LA produced 68 major feature films in 2023, accounting for 42% of all U.S. theatrical releases
- The average budget for a feature film shot in LA in 2022 was $85 million, with visual effects comprising 25% of costs
- LA's film industry employed 187,000 workers in 2022, generating 1.2 million indirect jobs statewide
- In 2023, 72% of Oscar-nominated films for Best Picture had primary production in Greater LA
- FilmLA reported 28,400 permitted shoot days in Q1 2024, up 12% YoY, primarily in commercial and TV genres
- LA hosts 15 of the top 20 largest soundstages in North America, totaling over 2.5 million sq ft
- Independent films shot in LA generated $450 million in local spending in 2022
- 85% of VFX shots for Marvel films from 2019-2023 were created by LA-based companies like ILM and DNEG
- LA film exports contributed $1.1 billion to California's trade balance in 2022
- LA County film incentives attracted $750 million in qualified spend in 2023, creating 12,000 jobs
- 92% of top-grossing films in 2023 used LA post-production facilities
- Sunset Gower Studios in LA hosted production for 45 TV shows and films in 2022
- LA's grip and electric workforce numbers 8,500 union members, handling 70% of U.S. feature film needs
- In 2024, LA saw 3,200 student films permitted, fostering 15,000 emerging filmmakers annually
- LA produced 15 IMAX-format films in 2023, representing 60% of global IMAX releases
- Costume designers in LA equipped 120 major productions in 2022, spending $250 million locally
- LA's film commission facilitated 450 international co-productions in 2023
- 76% of animation frames for Disney/Pixar films 2020-2023 originated in LA studios
- LA film location scouts covered 2.1 million miles in 2022 for scouting
- Netflix shot 25 original films in LA in 2023, investing $1.2 billion
- LA's practical effects industry generated $180 million in revenue from 50+ blockbusters in 2022
- 68% of Directors Guild awards 2018-2023 went to LA-based directors
- LA film craft services fed 1.5 million meals on sets in 2022, employing 4,200 workers
- Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank hosted 32 productions simultaneously in peak 2023
- LA's film insurance claims totaled $120 million in 2022, covering weather and accidents
- 82% of SAG-AFTRA film contracts in 2023 were for LA productions
- LA hosted the world premiere of 110 films at festivals like TIFF LA in 2023
- Digital intermediate work for 95% of Sundance 2023 films done in LA
Film and Cinema Interpretation
Even as the streamers and blockbusters swell Hollywood's on-location shooting days and billion-dollar budgets, the industry's lifeblood remains the 187,000 local workers and countless caterers, scouts, and costume designers whose everyday hustle quietly feeds the glittering Oscar machine.
Music and Live Events
- In 2023, LA music venues hosted 2,500 live concerts, drawing 4.2 million attendees
- Grammy Awards 2024 featured 45 LA-based artists, with 70% of performances at LA venues
- LA's Hollywood Bowl sold 450,000 tickets across 80 shows in summer 2023
- Universal Music Group in Santa Monica signed 120 new artists in 2023
- LA rap/hip-hop generated $850 million in streaming revenue 2023, 25% of U.S. total
- The Forum in Inglewood hosted 120 events in 2023, grossing $150 million
- LA Philharmonic performed 185 concerts in 2023, reaching 750,000 listeners
- Coachella 2023 (near LA) drew 250,000 weekend attendees, $115 million economic boost
- LA Latin music market share 18% of U.S. $1.5B in 2023
- Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena concerts grossed $220 million in 2023
- Warner Music Group LA labels released 450 albums in 2023
- LA EDM festivals like HARD Summer attracted 150,000 in 2023
- Greek Theatre LA hosted 60 shows, 300,000 tickets sold in 2023
- LA pop stars like Ariana Grande generated $1.2B touring revenue from LA bases 2023
- Capitol Records Tower studio sessions produced 200 tracks for top 100 Billboard 2023
- LA country music scene grew 22% with 450 events in 2023
- Troubadour venue in LA hosted 300 shows, launching 15 breakout acts 2023
- LA jazz clubs like Blue Whale booked 1,200 sets in 2023
- Rock music venues in LA sold 1.8 million tickets in 2023
- LA music film soundtracks contributed to 40% of Oscar-nominated scores 2023
- R&B/Soul streaming from LA artists hit 500 million plays Q4 2023
- Whisky a Go Go celebrated 60 years with 400 shows in 2023
- LA Symphony performed 95 classical concerts, 400,000 attendees 2023
- K-pop concerts in LA drew 500,000 fans across 20 shows 2023
- LA music publishers collected $950 million royalties 2023
- House of Blues LA hosted 250 live acts, gross $45 million 2023
- LA reggaeton events surged 35%, 120 shows in 2023
- The Roxy Theatre booked 320 gigs, 150,000 patrons 2023
- LA electronic music labels released 1,200 tracks 2023
Music and Live Events Interpretation
Los Angeles remains an entertainment hydra whose musical heads—from symphonies to stadium rap, indie clubs to K-pop coliseums—collectively form a roaring, billion-dollar engine that both soundtracks the world and stubbornly insists you can still make it here.
Television and Streaming
- In 2023, Los Angeles TV production generated 4,200 on-location shoot days, up 8% from 2022
- LA is home to 120 active soundstages dedicated to TV, producing 350+ hours of scripted content yearly
- Netflix's LA operations streamed 1,200 original TV episodes from 2020-2023
- ABC/Disney Television in LA produced 45 primetime series in 2023 season, employing 25,000
- LA late-night shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! filmed 160 episodes in 2023, drawing 2 million studio audience members
- Hulu originals shot in LA accounted for 65% of its 2023 slate, $800 million spend
- Warner Bros. TV in Burbank delivered 1,100 hours of content in 2023
- LA reality TV productions numbered 75 in 2023, generating 650 episodes
- CBS Studios LA produced 28 procedurals like NCIS in 2023, 900+ hours total
- Amazon MGM Studios in LA launched 40 Prime Video series in 2023
- LA TV animation studios created 520 episodes for networks like Cartoon Network in 2023
- Peacock streaming service filmed 22 originals in LA in 2023, investing $450 million
- LA hosts 45% of U.S. TV writers' rooms, with 12,000 WGA members based there
- Daytime soaps like General Hospital filmed 260 episodes in LA in 2023
- LA TV post-production houses handled 80% of Emmy-nominated series in 2023
- Fox Television Studios produced 35 unscripted shows in LA 2023
- Apple TV+ shot 18 dramas in LA in 2023, $1 billion qualified spend
- LA TV crew overtime hours reached 2.5 million in 2023 strike-impacted year
- Paramount Television in LA generated 750 hours of content for 2023-24 season
- 67% of Golden Globe TV nominees 2023 were LA-produced
- LA TV location fees totaled $65 million in 2023
- Disney Channel/Plus filmed 120 kids shows episodes in LA 2023
- LA TV VFX for series like The Mandalorian cost $300 million in 2023
- NBCUniversal Studios LA produced 42 series, 1,200 hours in 2023
- Streaming platforms spent $2.1 billion on LA TV pilots in 2023
- LA TV wardrobe departments spent $120 million on 50+ shows in 2023
- 55% of SAG TV residuals in 2023 came from LA productions
- LA filmed 180 news magazine episodes like 60 Minutes in 2023
Television and Streaming Interpretation
Los Angeles' television industry is a relentless, big-budget machine that—despite the occasional labor strike—somehow manages to simultaneously employ half of Hollywood, fund the entire local dry-cleaning industry, and produce enough scripted hours to ensure you'll never, ever run out of things to watch.
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