economy

Good for Texas Tour: Presidential Libraries Edition Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

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Introduction

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum (LBJ Library), located in Austin, Texas, showcases the presidency and career of Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) as well as the broader history of the U.S. during the 20th century. Through its museum, archival holdings, educational programming and public events, the LBJ Library contributes to the nation's civic life by challenging visitors to consider major issues of contemporary debate in their historical context.

LBJ’s legacy includes domestic policy initiatives related to the Great Society and historic American events such as the Vietnam War and the passages of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

History

The LBJ Library, located on The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) campus, was originally proposed in 1965, following LBJ’s 1964 presidential election victory. Although LBJ attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now known as Texas State University) in San Marcos, as a born-and-raised Texan, he was a lifelong fan of the UT Longhorns. First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson was a UT graduate, further adding to the appeal of building a library on the UT campus. Additionally, the library’s ideal location in the state’s capital city and adjacent to Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium, which draws thousands of football fans yearly, helped to secure the deal. Although most presidential libraries up until this time were funded through private donations, the LBJ library was funded primarily by UT. Construction began in fall 1967, with UT donating the land and funding $15 million of the $18 million needed to construct the library. When adjusted for inflation in 2023 dollars, the total library construction cost was $164 million.

Officially opened in 1971, the LBJ Library holds more than 45 million pages of documents, 12,000 hours of recorded audio including telephone conversations and 7,500 videotapes related to LBJ’s career and legacy (Exhibit 1). The LBJ Library encompasses 143,836 square feet, making it the largest presidential library in Texas and the third largest in the U.S. The 10-story library features permanent exhibits including the First Lady’s gallery dedicated to the life and service of Lady Bird Johnson, LBJ’s custom-built limousine for post-presidency use, a replica of the Oval Office during President Johnson’s presidential tenure and more. The LBJ Library also features temporary exhibits such as “Perception & Process: The Work of Naomi Savage”, highlighting the work of the artist who created the mural of President Johnson featured in the library lobby.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum Information

Square Footage	Textual Records	Photography	Video Recordings	Library Artifacts	Audio
143,836 square feet	45 million pages	650,000 photos	7,500 tapes	53,853 artifacts	12,000 hours

Source: Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum; U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Economic Impact

Considering ongoing maintenance and retail sales, the LBJ Library is estimated to have contributed $82 million to the Texas economy in 2023, with total employment — direct and indirect — of about 810 (Exhibit 2). Construction costs for work to shore up structural problems are estimated at $32,500 for 2023.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, Estimated Impact to the Texas Economy, 2023

Contribution	Value
Total employment	811
Gross domestic product	$81,916,000
Output	$137,107,000
Disposable personal income	$48,514,000

Notes: “Total employment” refers to direct and indirect employment; “gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas; “output” refers to the total value of all goods and services (final and intermediate) produced in Texas; “disposable personal income” refers to post-tax incomes.
Sources: REMI Model for Texas; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Attendance

At the time of the LBJ Library’s dedication in 1971, it was only the fifth presidential library under the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the first to be constructed on a university campus. Since then, millions of people have visited the library, with the highest reported attendance being more than 900,000 in late 1976. In 2015, more than 173,000 people visited the library, the highest attendance recorded at the LBJ Library in recent years (Exhibit 3). Although the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced attendance rates in fiscals 2020 and 2021 at all U.S. presidential libraries, attendance has risen since then with approximately 118,885 visitors recorded at the LBJ Library in 2023.

Exhibit 3 data

Fiscal Year	Value
2014	139,026
2015	173,815
2016	154,238
2017	152,583
2018	152,475
2019	145,202
2020*	70,225
2021*	3,373
2022	84,354
2023	118,885
Total	1,194,176

Note: The federal government’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Sources: Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library; U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

The LBJ Library is open seven days a week and offers several discounts to make it accessible to visitors of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Free admission is available to UT students, children 12 and under, active military members and up to five of their family members, and those with the first, middle or last name of Lyndon. Free admission also is offered on President’s Day, Labor Day, LBJ’s Birthday and other holidays throughout the year.

LBJ Foundation

In addition to the LBJ Library, the President and First Lady established the LBJ Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to carrying forward the legacies of the Johnsons. The foundation supports the library and museum as well as the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs (LBJ School) at UT. The LBJ Library was the first presidential library to create a foundation to oversee the funding of its programming and services, paving the way for other libraries to follow suit. The LBJ Foundation is led by a 34-member board of trustees. Two of the president’s daughters, Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb, serve on the foundation’s board.

The foundation manages several programs, including grants, fellowships and endowments. The most recent endowment announced by the LBJ Foundation is the Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities, which funds research and student fellowships regarding sustainable agriculture, energy, water and other topics related to rural and farming communities.

The LBJ Library and the LBJ Foundation also offer several lecture series and speaker events throughout the year. Speaker events are often held in collaboration with the LBJ School and other centers and organizations housed at UT, focusing on foreign and domestic policy-related issues and featuring speakers such as politicians, athletes and community leaders. Annual lecture series hosted by the LBJ Library and LBJ Foundation include the Tom Johnson Lectureship, honoring former chairman of the LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Harry Middleton Lectureship, honoring the former director of the LBJ Library. Past speakers include U.S. presidents Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford; Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; and former leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

The LBJ School was founded at UT as a part of the LBJ Library in 1971 and is dedicated to instilling qualities needed for a career in public service, including governance and civic engagement. Classes are taught by those with years of experience researching and practicing policy, and students are encouraged to pursue out-of-classroom experiences and networking opportunities due to the school’s connection to the Texas Capitol and the LBJ School’s center in Washington, D.C. The LBJ School offers master’s degrees in public affairs and global policy studies, an executive master’s degree in public leadership and a doctoral degree in public policy.

Since its inaugural class in 1972, the LBJ School has graduated more than 4,400 individuals who now have careers at all levels of public service across the world. Notable alumni include former Governor of Colorado Bill Owens, former Georgia state representative and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, former Texas Supreme Court justice Xavier Rodriguez and Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt. The LBJ School also offers professional development programs available to the public, such as the Governor’s Center for Management Development and the LBJ Women’s Campaign School. In 2023, the LBJ School ranked in the top 10 public affairs graduate programs in the U.S. and was the leading public affairs program in Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report.