August 15-18 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the watershed events of the turbulent decade of the 1960s — the three days of “Peace, Love and Music” known as Woodstock. It was held at a rural dairy farm in Bethel, New York.

A crowd of up to 200,000 was expected to hear 32 of the top musicians of the time, but estimates of the actual attendance ranged up to a half-million. The size of the crowd created massive traffic jams, and far outstripped the food and sanitation facilities on hand. However, the event was marked by social harmony and is widely considered a watershed in popular music history.

Songs by many of the headliners at Woodstock are still among the playsets of the nation’s 65,000 professional musicians, singers and related workers.

Key Stats:

From QuickFacts: statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.

Selected: Sullivan County, New York; Ulster County, New York; Orange County, New York; New York; United States (Map view)

Selected: Sullivan County, New York; Ulster County, New York; Orange County, New York; New York; United States (Map view)

Note: The map above shows the three counties, outlined in red, in New York State that are associated with the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The black dot is the approximate location of Bethel in Sullivan County, New York.

From American FactFinder — Community Facts about the geographies associated with the Woodstock Festival in 1969:

More Stats:

From the History Staff:

August 2019: Woodstock Music and Art Fair

Source: Quarterly Services Survey, 2003 to 2019, Total Revenue by Quarter.

Source: Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders, 1992 to 2019, Value of Shipments by Month.

Audio and Video Equipment: U.S. Total

Source: 2017 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates (two tables shown below).

Table B24030, Sex by Industry for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over

Table B24030, Sex by Industry for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over

Note: The table above is modified to hide industries not related to music, sound and entertainment. Click on the image to see the full table with 209 rows.

Table B24124, Detailed Occupation for the Full-Time, Year-Round Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over — Musicians, singers, and related workers

Table B24124, Detailed Occupation for the Full-Time, Year-Round Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over — Musicians, singers, and related workers

Note: The table above is cropped. To view the full table, and earlier versions, click on the table and then click on the year to the left.

Source: 2016 County Business Patterns.

Table CB1600A13, Geography Area Series: County Business Patterns by Employment Size Class:

Source: Foreign Trade, U.S. International Trade Data, Country and Product Trade Data, 2009 to 2018.

Source: Current Populations Reports. Estimates for 1920 and after are based on census data and information on births, deaths, and international migration.

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Page 8, Series A 6-8. Annual Population Estimates for the United States: 1790 to 1970, see 1969 [74.4 MB]

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Page 8, Series A 6-8. Annual Population Estimates for the United States: 1790 to 1970, see 1969

Note: The table above is cropped to highlight the total population estimate for the United States in 1969, which was 202,677,000 or 202.7 million.

Source: 1970 Census of Population.

Technical Paper 26, 1970 Occupation and Industry Classification Systems in Terms of Their 1960 Occupation and Industry Elements, Page 22, Table 1, see Musicians and composers, Male and Female [<1.0 MB]

Technical Paper 26, 1970 Occupation and Industry Classification Systems in Terms of Their 1960 Occupation and Industry Elements, Page 22, Table 1, see Musicians and composers, Male and Female [<1.0 MB]

Volume 1, Characteristics of the Population, Part 34, New York section 1, (pages 27-28) Table 9. Population and Land Area of Counties: 1970 and 1960 [6.7 MB]

Volume 1, Characteristics of the Population, Part 34, New York section 1, (pages 27-28) Table 9. Population and Land Area of Counties: 1970 and 1960

Note: The table above is cropped to highlight the three counties in New York State associated with the 1969 Woodstock Festival: Orange, Sullivan and Ulster. Their respective populations in 1970 were 221,657, 52,580 and 141,241.