A Quick Introduction to the MADTECH.AI with CultureComp Benchmarks 2026 Insights – Cultural Attractions Attendance Edition

U.S. cultural attractions are growing, engaging new audiences, and playing an increasingly vital role in their communities. Now, for the first time, the sector has a standardized framework to measure and celebrate that progress collectively. Understanding how your institution performs alongside comparable peers adds powerful context to internal results, strengthening the case to boards, funders, and planning teams. A new benchmarking report built specifically for cultural attractions makes that possible, drawing on two years of attendance data across hundreds of institutions nationwide. It gives leadership teams the external reference point they need to plan confidently, forecast accurately, and communicate performance with clarity.

Bill Lederer
Chairman and CEO

A Quick Introduction to the MADTECH.AI with CultureComp Benchmarks 2026 Insights – Cultural Attractions Attendance Edition - Banner Image

What Is the MADTECH.AI with CultureComp Benchmarks Report?

MADTECH.AI Benchmarks with CultureComp is the first standardized performance benchmarking framework built specifically for U.S. cultural attractions. Developed through a partnership between MADTECH.AI, a decision intelligence platform for the cultural, arts, and heritage sector, and CultureComp, a research and analytics firm with over 30 years of experience serving cultural institutions, the report covers attendance data for 810 tracked institutions across zoos, museums, aquariums, botanical gardens, science centers, and history museums.

The 2026 Attendance Edition establishes the foundational baseline against which all future quarterly editions will be measured.

Why Do Cultural Institutions Need Benchmarks?

For too long, performance visibility in the cultural sector has stopped at the institutional level. Leadership teams could measure themselves against their own history, but not against comparable peers. Benchmarks change that. They allow institutions to contextualize growth or decline within sector-wide trends, build realistic planning assumptions, and make the case to boards and funders with data-grounded evidence.

What Did the 2024 to 2025 Data Reveal?

Across both years, U.S. cultural attractions recorded a combined 597.8 million visits. Total attendance grew 9.12% year-over-year, rising from 285.85 million visits in 2024 to 311.91 million in 2025. However, the aggregate number masks a more significant structural shift: resident visits surged 19.55% while tourist visits declined by 8.70%.

This divergence is the defining story of the period. Institutions that have invested in local audience development, membership programs, and community partnerships are better positioned than those historically reliant on destination tourism.

Which Categories Grew the Most?

Subject History was the fastest-growing category at 33.3%, driven by nationally significant institutions including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Alamo, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Botanical Gardens followed closely at 23.55%, benefiting from growing demand for outdoor cultural experiences and wellness-oriented programming. Zoos remained the largest category in absolute terms, recording over 76 million visits in 2025, a gain of 12.71%.

Art Museums were the notable exception, declining 6.33% overall. The drop was driven almost entirely by a 19.6% contraction in tourist visits. Resident visits to art museums were nearly flat at 0.4%, indicating that local audiences remained engaged. Natural History also saw a modest decline of 8.1%.

How Did Key Regions Perform?

All four tracked regions posted positive growth. The West was the fastest growing at 14.9%, led by Sacramento, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The South grew 7.9%, the Midwest 7.8%, and the Northeast 6.1%. Among the top 10 markets by total visits, New York City led with 28.4 million visits, followed by Washington D.C. at 18.8 million and Chicago at 14.7 million. Chicago posted the strongest growth among major markets at 22.2%, while Minneapolis delivered a 45.9% surge driven by the MN Zoo and Science Museum of Minnesota.

What Should Institutions Take Away from This?

The data points to five clear strategic conclusions. Resident audiences are now the primary growth engine for the sector. Subject History and Botanical Gardens are outperforming because they serve both local and out-of-market demand. Zoos serve as the sector anchor with the most favorable resident-to-tourist attendance balance. The West is the fastest-growing region, amplified by population growth and cultural infrastructure investment. Finally, market-level divergence is wide enough that national averages must always be paired with regional and peer-tier comparisons.

Download the Full Report

The complete MADTECH.AI Benchmarks with Culture Comp – 2026 Insights – Cultural Attractions Attendance Edition includes detailed data tables, resident versus tourist breakdowns by category, market tier analysis, and regional highlights across all tracked institutions.

Download the full report.

Attendance details from leading cultural attractions in the U.S.

Access the MADTECH.AI with Culture Comp Benchmarks – 2026 Insights – Cultural Attractions Attendance Edition.

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