Research -- any suggestions?

[sarapressey]

Hi everybody,

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but I am an undergraduate studying sociology. For the past year or so, I have been conducting an ethnographic study on tattoo artists and gender. I have spent many hours engaging in participant observation at two tattoo shops and have interviewed local tattoo artists.

I am currently working on my paper but am struggling to find information on the number of tattoo artists in the United States and the gender breakdown. I have been looking through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) website, but I cannot find specific statistics on tattoo artists. The BLS lumps craft and fine artists together and doesn't provide a demographic breakdown.

I am not sure if this information is available, but I am trying my best to provide as accurate a description of the industry demographics as possible. Do any of you have recommendations as to how I might find this information?

[Pugilist]

I would try to send Margot Mifflin an email and ask if she has any sources on this info - she is the most likely person to have tracked this kind of thing down!

[sarapressey]

Thanks for the suggestion. :)