U.S. Radio Industry - statistics & facts

Radio is one of the most powerful mediums in the United States, with a weekly reach of around 82 percent among adults. There are over 15,445 radio stations in the U.S., all competing for a piece of this massive market. Online radio is also playing an increasing role in the radio market, with an estimated 974 minutes spent listening to online radio on a monthly basis in 2021.

Radio stations in the U.S.

IHeartRadio is the biggest online radio company in the United States by a significant margin, boasting an average active sessions figure over 390 thousand.The National Public Radio is also reporting steady numbers, with a revenue of 309 million U.S. dollars. American radio stations generated total revenue of over 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, of which 1.7 million dollars was generated through online radio streaming. In addition to the massive national stations and broadcasts, local public radio stations also appear to be thriving.

Radio advertising

The continuous presence of advertising on radio, heard in cars as well as in public areas, is an incentive for many businesses to invest in this medium of advertising. Local radio digital advertising amounted to over 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in the United States in 2023, with the retail and communications industries being the largest radio advertisers, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on radio advertising each year. Advertising revenue often keeps traditional formats afloat, and is greatly important not just for radio but also for magazines, newspapers, and TV, but also for music streaming services like Spotify.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Estimated revenue of U.S. radio broadcasters: 23.1bn USD

Revenue of local public radio stations in the U.S.: 9.7 bn USD

Over-the-air radio station revenue: 10.78bn USD

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Current statistics on this topic

Radio

Radio consumption in the U.S. & Canada 2021, by device/platform

Online Advertising

Radio local digital advertising revenue in the U.S. 2002-2023

Radio station advertising revenues in the United States from 2006 to 2024, by type (in billion U.S. dollars)

Traditional advertising

Radio station ad revenues in the U.S. 2006-2024, by type

Overview

Premium Statistic Revenue of U.S. radio broadcasters 2005-2022
Revenue of U.S. radio broadcasters 2005-2022
Estimated revenue of radio broadcasters in the United States from 2005 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Radio stations revenue in the U.S. 2010-2022, by source
Radio stations revenue in the U.S. 2010-2022, by source
Estimated revenue generated by radio stations in the United States from 2010 to 2022, by source (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Air time revenue of U.S. radio stations 2010-2022
Air time revenue of U.S. radio stations 2010-2022
Air time revenue of U.S. radio stations from 2010 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Leading radio formats in the U.S. in 2023, by number of stations
Leading radio formats in the U.S. in 2023, by number of stations
Leading radio formats in the United States as of June 2023, by number of stations

Market leaders

Premium Statistic Highest-revenue radio stations in the U.S. 2023
Highest-revenue radio stations in the U.S. 2023
Leading radio stations in the United States in 2023, by revenue (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Number of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia in the U.S. 2014-2023
Number of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia in the U.S. 2014-2023
Number of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia in the United States from 2014 to 2023
Premium Statistic iHeartMedia revenue 2015-2023
iHeartMedia revenue 2015-2023
Revenue generated by iHeartMedia, Inc. from 2015 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic NPR revenue in the U.S. 2015-2023
NPR revenue in the U.S. 2015-2023
Revenue of National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States from 2015 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Consumption

Premium Statistic Share of weekly online radio listeners in the U.S. 2000-2024
Share of weekly online radio listeners in the U.S. 2000-2024
Share of weekly online radio listeners in the United States from 2000 to 2024
Premium Statistic Radio reach in the U.S. in 2024, by age and gender
Radio reach in the U.S. in 2024, by age and gender
Weekly radio reach in the United States as of June 2024, by age and gender
Premium Statistic Radio reach in the U.S. in 2023, by time of day, gender, and age
Radio reach in the U.S. in 2023, by time of day, gender, and age
Weekly radio reach in the United States as of June 2023, by time of day, gender, and age group
Premium Statistic Distribution of U.S. radio formats audience in 2023, by age
Distribution of U.S. radio formats audience in 2023, by age
Audience of various radio formats in the United States in 2023, by age

Advertising

Premium Statistic Radio ad spend in the U.S. 2020-2024
Radio ad spend in the U.S. 2020-2024
Radio advertising spending in the United States from 2020 to 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Radio station ad revenues in the U.S. 2006-2024, by type
Radio station ad revenues in the U.S. 2006-2024, by type
Radio station advertising revenues in the United States from 2006 to 2024, by type (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Digital share of radio ad revenue in the U.S. 2013-2023
Digital share of radio ad revenue in the U.S. 2013-2023
Share of digital in radio advertising revenue in the United States from 2013 to 2023
Premium Statistic Radio local digital advertising revenue in the U.S. 2002-2023
Radio local digital advertising revenue in the U.S. 2002-2023
Radio local digital advertising revenue in the United States from 2002 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Estimated revenue of U.S. radio broadcasters: 23.1bn USD

Revenue of local public radio stations in the U.S.: 9.7 bn USD

Over-the-air radio station revenue: 10.78bn USD

Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "Radio Industry" and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.

Leading online radio company by average active sessions
iHeartRadio
Detailed statistics
Leading online radio companies in the U.S. 2024, by active sessions
Leading radio station in New York
WLTW-FM (AC)
Detailed statistics
Most popular radio stations in New York 2022
Number of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia
868
Detailed statistics
Number of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia in the U.S. 2014-2023
Leading radio format
Country
Detailed statistics
Leading radio formats in the U.S. in 2023, by number of stations

Most popular radio genre among young adults ages 18 to 24
Rhythmic
Detailed statistics
Distribution of U.S. radio formats audience in 2023, by age
Weekly radio reach among Hispanic adults in the U.S.
84.5%
Detailed statistics
Radio reach among Hispanics in the U.S. 2021, by age and gender
Weekly radio reach among African American adults in the U.S.
81.7%
Detailed statistics
Radio reach among African Americans in the U.S. in 2021, by age and gender
Weekly radio reach among 55-year-olds in the U.S.
84.3%
Detailed statistics
Radio reach in the U.S. in 2024, by age and gender

Weekly radio reach among high income men in the U.S.
83.1%
Detailed statistics
Radio use among high income adults in the U.S. in 2021, by gender
Share of respondents who listen to more radio in Canada and the U.S.
23%
Detailed statistics
Change in radio listening in U.S. & Canada 2021
Average daily time spent listening to the radio in the U.S.
99 minutes
Detailed statistics
U.S. media use: time spent listening to the radio 2015-2020
Average weekly time spent with online radio/audio in the U.S.
974 minutes
Detailed statistics
Weekly time spent with online radio in the U.S. 2008-2021