US Bars and Clubs Per Capita Fall Nearly Two-Thirds Since 1970s as Bloomberg Warns of 'Fun Shortage'
Updated
Updated · fingers.email · Jul 10
US Bars and Clubs Per Capita Fall Nearly Two-Thirds Since 1970s as Bloomberg Warns of 'Fun Shortage'
1 articles · Updated · fingers.email · Jul 10
Summary
Bloomberg says a US “fun shortage” is deepening as leisure activities from nights out to vacations have become markedly more expensive.
Nearly two-thirds of US bars and clubs per capita have disappeared since the late 1970s, according to a Census Bureau-based analysis cited by staffer Ben Steverman.
Steverman links the nightlife decline partly to venue-opening rules he says run to millions of pages, with many regulations dating to the early 20th century.
The report argues those costs and restrictions are making Americans more miserable, using the shrinking bar scene as a concrete sign of broader leisure erosion.