230 million Americans have listened to a podcast. 167 million did it last month. 130 million do it every week. In fact, Edison Research says all three figures are all-time highs, and the medium still hasn’t plateaued as radio seeks new opportunities in the digital frontier.
Edison Research at SSRS VP Megan Lazovick presented the findings during the company’s Podcast Consumer 2026 report.
Drawing on data from the Infinite Dial, Edison Podcast Metrics, and the Share of Ear diary study, the reach numbers set records across every frequency measured. As of 2026, 58% of Americans age 12 and older have consumed a podcast in the last month, an all-time high. Weekly consumption stands at 45% of the 12-and-older population, roughly 130 million people, up from 115 million a year ago. Ever-consumption has reached 80%, representing 230 million Americans, up 10 million from 2025.
The audience skews younger but is growing across all age groups. Monthly consumption stands at 64% among those 12 to 34 and 68% among those 35 to 54, compared to 44% among those 55 and older, a figure Lazovick noted has been rising quickly. Among multicultural audiences, 63% of Black Americans and 60% of Latino Americans are monthly podcast consumers.
Podcast consumers are also heavier audio users overall. Edison’s Share of Ear diary study found that Americans age 13 and older average three hours and 57 minutes of daily audio consumption. Among those who reported any podcast consumption on their diary day, that figure rises to five hours and 11 minutes.
The platform landscape has shifted. YouTube is now the most-used service for podcasts among weekly consumers at 37%, up from 31% two years ago, when Spotify held that position. The shift reflects the rise of video podcast consumption. For the first time in Edison Podcast Metrics, video consumption outpaced audio-only. In 2023, 89% of weekly podcast consumers said they consumed audio-only podcasts; that figure fell to 78% by Q3 2025. Those actively watching video while listening rose from 73% to 82% over the same period. Q1 2026 data shows a slight audio-only rebound, though Lazovick framed the two formats as roughly equivalent in scale rather than in competition.
On trust and loyalty, 21% of weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older gave money to support a podcast in the last year, with 47% of those donors supporting a host directly and 36% paying for exclusive membership content.
The AI findings carry a cautionary note. Edison asked consumers whether they approved of generative AI at various stages of podcast production. Majorities approved of AI conducting research, brainstorming ideas, and creating social graphics. Approval dropped sharply at the bottom: using a generative AI voice as the host drew the lowest approval of any item tested. Separately, 62% of respondents said AI is at least somewhat of a threat to podcast credibility.
Ad receptivity remains a core strength of the medium. Among weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older, 76% said they have taken action after hearing a podcast ad, including visiting a website, recommending a product, or making a purchase. Humor tested as the top driver of ad attention at 56%, followed by honesty and transparency at 52% and ads that feel unique or different at 51%.
A pharmaceutical advertiser case study using Nielsen Media Impact with Podcast Fusion illustrated the reach efficiency argument. A $42 million media plan across broadcast TV and cable achieved 39% reach among adults 18 to 54 with no podcast allocation. Shifting just 5% of that budget to podcasts produced a 41% lift in reach, adding 26 million additional people at no increase in total spend.
For radio broadcasters, the consumption records land as opportunity rather than threat.
FMR/Eastlan’s 2026 National Radio Listening Survey found that podcast growth, which stabilized at 40% weekly this year after an election-year spike, has not cannibalized radio, streaming, or satellite consumption. Edison’s own Q4 2025 Share of Ear data reinforces the point: AM/FM still captures 83% of all in-car ad-supported audio listening among adults 18-plus, nearly 50 minutes of every ad-supported hour on the road. The audiences overlap. The medium expands.
