How Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour Gave Los Angeles a Local Business Boom

When Beyoncé brings her Cowboy Carter Tour to town, it’s more than a cultural event, it’s an economic engine. Our Economic Research team analyzed hourly staffing data from the Instawork platform during the LA stop of her tour to measure just how much local businesses benefited. The results? A tidal wave of demand..

A 3,000% surge in local staffing demand

To understand the full impact, we looked at shifts booked on Instawork within a five-mile radius of SoFi Stadium before, during, and after Beyoncé’s concert nights.

On a typical non-event night in the area, local businesses, restaurants, bars, concession vendors, and event operators, book a baseline number of hourly shifts. But on Beyoncé’s concert nights, demand for hourly workers skyrocketed. Shift volumes ranged from 1,300% to 3,000% above baseline levels, depending on the night.
‍

The Beyoncé bump started early

Interestingly, the surge didn’t wait for opening night. On April 28, the evening before her first LA show, local businesses were already ramping up. Shift volume hit 1,500% of the baseline, as vendors prepared their inventory, staffed up concession stands, and executed final logistics.

This early spike shows how large-scale events like this ripple outward, impacting not just concert nights, but the days surrounding them, too.

Why this matters for local economies

Beyoncé’s concert series is more than just a show; it's a short-term economic accelerator. These spikes in demand give local workers more hours, put money in people’s pockets, and support small businesses trying to capitalize on once-in-a-lifetime foot traffic.

For cities like Inglewood, a neighborhood in LA where the stadium resides, it’s a proof point: investing in entertainment infrastructure pays dividends. Not just in ticket sales, but in food service, hospitality, logistics, and retail jobs.

What’s Next?

As the summer concert season continues, we’ll keep tracking how major events are shaping hourly labor demand across the country like we’ve done for previous blockbuster summer concert series.

At Instawork, we’re proud to support local businesses and workers during these peak moments, helping them flex up with ease and confidence. 

Make sure to register to receive the data insights from our Economic Research team, delivered directly to your inbox.

‍