RESUMEN In this work we reflect on the potential of the “cultural industry” to boost the economy of cities in Mexico. Cultural activities have been promoted in large cities to revitalise their economies and, in some cases, provide a high share of their employment and income. They also represent a niche that attracts visitors and generates utilities, and have become their brand and symbolic stamp. The central objective is to study the participation and recent changes of cultural activities in the economic structure of the 384 cities of the Mexican National Urban System (sun). Methodological, such activities have been defined as ‘Kis’ (knowledge-intensive services) producing ‘symbolic’ elements: mass media, culture and design. The results show that not only large cities have outstanding concentrations of kis-symbolic, but also medium-sized and small cities, which opens up a range of possibilities for implementing public policies aimed at their urban development.