Podcast Statistics Roundup: 10 Facts You Need to Know

Over the last 10 years, the number of podcast listeners has doubled, and more than 2 million podcasts are currently active and uploading new episodes - four times as many as three years ago. Now might be the best time ever to pursue podcasting - both for content creators and brand managers looking for efficient ways of promoting their products and services.

Whether you're looking for advice on cryptocurrency investments or enjoy celebrity interviews, podcasts offer a lot to choose from for virtually all audiences. You'll find parenting strategies, true crime analysis, self-help seminars - you name it. There's a lot of money to be made in podcasting, and to properly capitalize on it, you'll need a good strategy based on real statistics.

How to Grow Your Podcast Audience Using Data and Statistics

To make it big as a podcaster - or to monetize on podcasts as a brand - you'll need to keep up with the current podcasting trends. Staying relevant is increasingly difficult in podcasting, taking into consideration the massive number of new podcasts being created each week. The competition is getting fierce and you'll need to adjust your strategy to fill a niche.

Good research is the foundation of a successful podcast. Knowing your audience will give you an edge over your competitors, allowing you to better predict what's going to work and what is not. If a lot of your listeners use Reddit, for example, it may be worth it to check out the subreddits they subscribe to and make yourself known there. Or, if they spend most of their time on Instagram, try to find out what hashtags they follow.

The more data you have at your disposal, the more meaningful analysis you can perform, but shuffling through countless statistics can take ages before you find what you're looking for. With Hintech, you get easy access to all kinds of useful podcast data, including content, transcriptions, popularity statistics, and more, all immediately accessible and encased in an intuitive interface.

Hintech is a podcast analytics and monitoring tool, designed for those who want to optimize their efforts and find out which trends are worth following. Our app provides you with ready-to-use information, gathered from multiple data sources, including various podcast platforms, Google's data, as well as our own AI-powered algorithm.

With Hintech, brand managers will be able to find everything their clients and influencers say about their company and its products in a matter of seconds. Data provided by Hintech can be used to analyze the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, maximizing profits providing valuable insight.

Understanding Data is the Key to Success

Here are important facts and statistics connected with podcasting to keep in mind:

1. Almost 80% of Americans Know About Podcasts

Over the last 15 years, podcasts have changed from a niche hobby into a popular pastime - people listen to podcasts while exercising, driving, or even to help them fall asleep. From 2006 to 2021, the percentage of U.S. citizens aware of podcasting rose from a mere 22% to an astonishing 78% - that's over 200 million people in the United States alone.

On the other hand, 78% isn't that much when compared to Australia, where 91% of people older than 12 are aware what podcasting is!

2. 57% of All US Consumers Listen to Podcasts

The number of podcast listeners rises every year, reaching almost 60% in 2021 in the United States. According to data shared by Statista, over half of American consumers have listened to a podcast at least once. The podcasting industry grew immensely over the last decade, and continues to grow with each year.

3. 30% of US Drivers Listen to Podcasts in Their Cars

The latest study presented by Edison Research and Triton Digital shows that more and more car drivers listen to podcasts while on their way. Almost a third of all interviewed drivers over the age of 18 claimed they listen to podcasts while driving - a 4% increase from 2019. The popularity of listening to podcasts in your car caused many creators to tailor their podcasts to make them easier to listen to while on your way to work or during longer trips - and it's been very effective for some!

4. Over 40% of Americans Listen to Podcasts Monthly

If you consider that 10 years ago barely 12% of US citizens above the age of 12 listened to podcasts at least once a month, the current 41% really puts into perspective how popular podcasting grew. That's an estimated 116 million people, all listening to at least one episode of any podcast a month. If you've wondered whether now is the time to invest in podcasting, it definitely seems so!

While there still seems to be slightly more men (43%) than women (39%) listening to podcasts, the two numbers have grown closer and closer together over the last couple years, and the difference will most likely continue to evaporate.

5. Podcasts are Mostly Listened to by 12 to 34 Year Olds

The largest age group of podcast listeners seems to be 12-34, with as much as 56% of those interviewed in that age span listening to at least one episode of any podcast a month. For ages 35-54, that's 39% (it actually fell down from 40% in 2020!), and for ages 55+, 26% (up from 2% in 2020).

It's especially interesting to see more and more older listeners enjoying podcasts each year - is the technology becoming more accessible, or are we simply getting older?

6. Over 160 Million US Citizens Listened to at Least One Podcast

Among all people older than 12 interviewed by Edison Research and Triton Digital, over 160 million listened to one episode or more of any podcast. 15 years ago, that number barely exceeded 10 million, and nowadays if you haven't listened to a podcast - you're not in the majority anymore.

7. 80 Million Americans Listen to at Least One Show a Week

That's right, over a quarter (28%) of Americans over the age of 12 listen to at least one episode of a podcast a week. Out of those estimated 80 million people, 11% have listened to one episode in the last week, 15% have listened to two episodes, 14% to three episodes, 21% to four or five episodes, 19% to six to ten episodes, and 19% to 11 or more.

When extrapolated, an average U.S. weekly podcast listener listens to eight podcasts each week.

8. People Prefer to Listen to Podcasts on Their Phones

Almost 80% of all podcast listening hours come from smartphones - with laptops (15%) and tablets (6%) far behind. No wonder - it's the easiest and most convenient way to listen to a podcast, simply download your go-to podcast app like Spotify or Apple Podcasts and you're good to go!

9. Over 70% of Podcast Listeners Want to Learn Something New

While not every podcast offers advice and help, the 2019 edition of The Infinite Dial suggests that's exactly what most listeners look for. 74% of all podcast listeners want to learn something new from their podcasts, 71% want to be entertained, 60% want to stay up-to-date with the latest topics, 51% want to relax, 47% want to feel inspired, 37% wish to escape their everyday struggles, and 24% look for companionship.