Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Wearables in the U.S.- statistics & facts
Wearable technology, where innovation meets convenience, blending fitness, comfort, and cutting-edge tech into devices designed for everyday life. The wearable market is not just about fitness and audio anymore —it is rapidly expanding into new frontiers, including virtual reality (VR) headsets, augmented reality (AR) glasses, and AI-driven gadgets. Nowhere are these developments more obvious than in the United States, home to many of the global tech leaders. Because of their variety and many functionalities, wearables have become one of the major consumer electronics subsegments, both in the U.S. and worldwide.
With innovative technologies advancing, and in particular the unstoppable integration of generative AI into our everyday life, new wearables will undoubtedly be developed to satisfy the needs of consumers, whether it is tracking fitness data, listening to music, getting immersed into a new reality, or many more.
Many segments, one leader
As the world moves in the direction of fitness and well-being, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart bands have become some of the most popular devices among American consumers who want to track health-related data. In the U.S., the smartwatch market is expected to generate revenues of over 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, with this value forecast to increase in the coming years. Similarly, headphones and earbuds have become one of the “standard” electronic devices Americans own to listen to music and podcasts, as shown by the growing volume of the headphone market. Both markets host a wide range of players, including tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Sony, as well as companies targeting a specific industry, such as Garmin and JBL. However, it is Apple that leads the American fitness tracker industry, holding a share of over 50 percent, as well as the headphone market, with 35 percent of Americans owning Apple headphones.New wearables on the horizon: XR devices
As is the case for the rest of the world, the XR industry is taking off in the United States too. The country is a hub for companies manufacturing XR devices, including VR headsets and AR glasses. Indeed, the VR headset market, forecast to generate revenues of just under two billion U.S. dollars in 2025, counts Meta, with its Quest devices, and Apple, with their Vision Pro, among its market leaders. At the same time, consumers in the country seem to be eager to try such devices, as illustrated by the rising number of AR hardware users.With innovative technologies advancing, and in particular the unstoppable integration of generative AI into our everyday life, new wearables will undoubtedly be developed to satisfy the needs of consumers, whether it is tracking fitness data, listening to music, getting immersed into a new reality, or many more.
Federica Laricchia
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Mar 6, 2025
Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
