TV, movies, books, music, and movies have experienced wildly disparate audience growth trends in the last decade. The U.S. movie box office showed strong growth, peaking around 2018-2019 (over $11 billion) but has generally stayed below pre-pandemic peaks. Broadcast TV continues to post record low viewership as streaming services continue to grow, albeit slowly. Book sales have experienced slow, stable growth in the last decade, with audiobooks the engine to drive any appreciable growth. Music has slipped the Napster knot and the industry’s finances are booming, driven heavily by streaming subscriptions.
As podcasting has grown, the medium has attracted new audiences.
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Yet, it is podcasting that has seen the most consistent growth over the last decade, with U.S. time spent on podcasts increasing over 350%, listener numbers surging (73% of Americans have tried podcasts by 2025), according to Edison Research.
Of course, all that growth in podcasting begs the questions: Who’s listening to podcasts? Is it the same demographic who listened when podcasting started about 20 years ago?
What groups are engaged with podcasts?
Podcasts are listened to and viewed by a broad audience, but are, not surprisingly, most popular with younger adults (12-34), who show the highest monthly listenership, followed by Gen X (35-54) and an increasingly engaged 55+ demographic, according to RiversideFM, a prominent cloud-based platform for recording, editing, and producing high-quality remote audio and video content.
Podcast engagement has seen significant growth, precisely because its content has such wide appeal.
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Listenership is fairly balanced by gender, though slightly skewed towards men, with women showing strong growth, and audiences that tend to be educated and employed, making them valuable for advertisers. Diverse groups like Black and Latino listeners, and Gen Z discovering content via social media, are key segments.
According to Podcast Statistics, the share of Americans listening monthly more than doubled from around 17-21% in 2015 to over 50% (around 55%) by 2025, and even more people listening at least once in their lifetime, while women’s listenership specifically has tripled, driven by diverse content and increased access. The time spent listening has also surged, with one source noting a 355% increase in listening time over the last decade.
We can define podcast consumers in a few ways. First, they are, unsurprisingly, most often young adults – Millennial/Gen Z. Second, they are highly educated, with approximately 27% to 28% of podcast listeners holding a postgraduate degree (master’s or higher). You can see that played out in the growth of longform, narrative podcasts that appeal to those listeners.
Why Wars Happened is an independent podcast that attracts a significant audience, many of them being people with postgraduate degrees.
Emily Ross
Popular Science podcasts, such as Taboo Science and The Rest Is Science, and History podcasts like Why Wars Happened and Echoes In The First Person appeal to that cohort.
More participation by women
In recent years, women have become a larger percentage of the podcast audience (And the podcast creation, hosting and production side as well), with women being the most enthusiastic consumers of true-crime podcasts, such as The First Degree podcast. Women-focused podcasts such as If She Can Make It Here, The Secret Life of TK Dutes, and The Scientista Podcast are made by women for women, focusing on women as changemakers and thought leaders.
Podcast listeners in the first ten years were largely white men, and that has changed dramatically in the last decade. Podcasting, especially independent podcasts developed by Black and Latino creatives, have significant engagement from Black and Latino listeners.
Diversity of podcast creators and audience grows
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 21: Joe Budden doing a Live show. The Joe Budden Podcast is one of the highest Black-themed podcasts, along with The Breakfast Club with Charlemagne Tha God.
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Shows such as The Joe Budden Podcast, The Breakfast Club, Drink Champs, and Therapy for Black Girls generate impressive ratings. Latino podcasts such as Radio Ambulante, Latino USA, and Café con Pam have brought in millions of listeners/viewers to podcasting.
Despite recent cultural pushback from conservative groups, LGBTQ+ podcasts continue to grow in number of shows and audience engagement. iHeartMedia has the Outspoken Podcast Network, specifically dedicated to amplifying LGBTQ+ voices with various shows covering pop culture, news, personal stories, and community topics, featuring creators like JoJo Siwa, Rosie O’Donnell, and The Old Gays. Queer independent podcasts have flourished, with two of the unique indie shows being Queernecks, which is a podcast created by two queer rednecks from Appalachia, exploring what it means to be queer in rural spaces. Because the Boss Belongs To Us is a narrative podcast series all about how, though you might not expect it, Bruce Springsteen is a queer icon.
Boomers are listening
Yet, the most fertile area of podcast audience growth is in the older demographics (45-54, 55+). According to Edison Research, as of 2025, 27% of Americans 55+ watched or listened to a podcast in the past week, continuing an upward trend from 19% in 2024 and 14% in both 2023 and 2022. Podcast listening will grow for people over 55 due to improving technology (smarter apps, smart speakers/TVs), content tailored to their interests (news, history, health), and podcasts’ convenience for multitasking, making it a natural fit for their lifestyle and offering personalized, engaging audio and video experiences, notes Insideradio.
Finally, on the other end of the age spectrum, children are listening to podcasts at an increasing pace, as parents grant access to phones. For example, The Ten News podcast explores topics that kids care about most including events, sports, science, gaming, pop culture, entertainment, and more.
Engagement among kids 6-12 in podcast consumption has increased significantly in the last five years, with new shows targeting that growing audience.
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It’s generated robust ratings with high marks from kids, parents, and educators. According to Edison Research, 94% of kids ages 6–12 who have listened to a podcast in the last month say they learn new things from podcasts. Moreover, 84% of this group have shared what they’ve learned from a podcast with other people.
By virtue of its decentralized and “guerilla” origins, podcasting has always been able to offer content to diverse groups, whether it be ethnic background, race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. Consumers listen or view podcasts precisely because podcasting has something for everyone.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankracioppi/2026/01/20/who-listens-to-podcasts-is-a-question-with-an-ever-changing-answer/
