Americans Listening to Podcasts Reaches a Record-High

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, May 3, 2023 | 1:03pm CT

Edison Research

Edison Research's latest quarterly update of Share of Ear shows the time Americans spend listening to podcasts has grown to a record-high: nine percent of all the time that the U.S. population spends with audio is now spent listening to podcasts. Podcasting is now one point shy of 'double digits' -- just a few more challenging steps away.

Another way to look at the medium's share is by removing music from the equation and isolating spoken word content, such as news and talk radio or audiobooks. Through this scope, Share of Ear this quarter reveals an all-time high 31% of all spoken word audio listening going to podcasts; an increase from 4% in 2014, and just a few points from podcasts accounting for one-third of all spoken word audio. It's an important "milepost" to set your eyes on.

Edison Research is observing these Share of Ear statistics on the heels of our 2023 Infinite Dial report, which captured a rebound in U.S. weekly podcast listeners since a dip observed in 2022. Today, the firm estimates a record-high 89 million Americans are listening to podcasts weekly, which means the 100-million weekly listener mark is on the horizon.