Podcast Consumption Statistics 2026: Listening Habits and Behavior
TL;DR: U.S. weekly podcast listeners averaged 7 hours 43 minutes of listening and 8.3 episodes a week in Edison's 2024 data (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2024). In Q4 2025, podcasts took 40% of U.S. spoken-word listening time, passing AM/FM radio at 39% for the first time (Edison Research, 2026). On Buzzsprout, 85% of downloads come from mobile devices (Buzzsprout, August 2026), and 73% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners age 18+ in a 2022 survey said they play favorite shows within a day of release: 27% immediately and 46% within 24 hours (Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 2022).
Table of Contents
- How Many Americans Consume Podcasts
- Time Spent Listening
- Device Preferences
- How Soon Listeners Play New Episodes
- Audio vs Video Consumption
- FAQ
How Many Americans Consume Podcasts
Edison Research counts people who consumed a podcast, listening or watching, so these reach figures include video.
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In 2025, 73% of Americans age 12+ had ever consumed a podcast (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2025).
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In 2025, 55% of Americans age 12+ had consumed (listened to or watched) a podcast in the last month (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2025).
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In 2025, 40% of Americans age 12+ had consumed a podcast in the last week (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2025).
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In August 2025, 54% of U.S. adults said they had listened to a podcast in the past 12 months (Pew Research Center).
Pew asks U.S. adults about the past 12 months, while Edison asks Americans age 12+ about ever, the last month or the last week, so the two series don't compare directly.
Time Spent Listening
Weekly consumption statistics (U.S.):
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly listening time, weekly podcast listeners | 7 hours 43 minutes | Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2024 |
| Average episodes per week, weekly podcast listeners age 12+ | 8.3 | Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2024 |
Both figures cover people who had listened to a podcast in the past week, not everyone who has ever tried one (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2024).
Share of audio consumption:
- 10% of Americans' daily time spent with audio went to podcasts in 2023 (Edison Research Share of Ear)
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In Q4 2025, podcasts took 40% of Americans' spoken-word listening time, ahead of AM/FM radio at 39% (Edison Research).
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Americans age 13+ listened to a total of 773 million hours of podcasts a week, up 355% from 170 million ten years earlier (Edison Research, Share of Ear).
Q4 2025 was the first time podcasts led AM/FM radio in U.S. spoken-word listening time among Americans age 13+ (Edison Research, 2026). Edison's Share of Ear counts both audio-only and video podcasts, so the spoken-word figure includes people watching shows as well as listening.
Device Preferences
Buzzsprout publishes the device types behind downloads of podcasts it hosts. It's one platform's data, not a measure of all podcast listening.
Device breakdown (Buzzsprout-hosted podcasts, August 2026):
| Device | Share of Downloads | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 85.0% | Buzzsprout, August 2026 |
| Computer | 8.0% | Buzzsprout, August 2026 |
| Smart speaker | 0.6% | Buzzsprout, August 2026 |
| Unknown | 6.2% | Buzzsprout, August 2026 |
With most of those downloads going to mobile devices, check how your audio sounds through phone speakers and earbuds.
How Soon Listeners Play New Episodes
- 73% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners age 18+ said they listen to their favorite podcasts within a day of a new episode's release (27% immediately after release, 46% within 24 hours), in Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights' October 2022 survey (Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 2022)
Analytics tracking shows you when your own audience plays new episodes.
Audio vs Video Consumption
YouGov's July 2025 survey of 2,046 UK adults looked at how people choose between audio and video podcasts (YouGov, 2025).
Consumption preference breakdown (UK adults):
| Measure | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Consume podcasts in audio format | 43% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Watch podcasts in video format | 22% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Prefer video, among those who consume both | 48% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Prefer audio, among those who consume both | 42% | YouGov, 2025 |
Why video podcast viewers choose video (UK):
- 71% say it's a more engaging or richer experience (YouGov, 2025)
- 61% point to facial expressions and body language (YouGov, 2025)
Age gap: Among UK adults who consume both formats, 47% of 18 to 24-year-olds prefer video, compared with 12% of those aged 55 and over (YouGov, 2025).
For podcasters, this suggests:
- Produce content that works audio-only
- Create video clips for promotional use
Making your episodes searchable and discoverable helps listeners who search for specific topics find them long after release.
FAQ
How much time do people spend listening to podcasts per week?
In Edison Research's 2024 data, U.S. weekly podcast listeners averaged 7 hours 43 minutes of podcast listening per week across 8.3 episodes (Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2024).
What device do most people use to listen to podcasts?
On Buzzsprout, 85% of downloads in August 2026 came from mobile devices, 8% from computers and 0.6% from smart speakers (Buzzsprout, August 2026). That is one hosting platform's data, not a measure of all listening.
How quickly do listeners play new episodes?
In Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights' October 2022 survey, 73% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners age 18+ said they listen to their favorite podcasts within a day of release: 27% immediately after release and another 46% within 24 hours (Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 2022).
Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash