In 2024, the typical US adult listened to radio for 13.1 hours per week, yet the habit is slipping slightly compared with 2023 even as digital paths keep expanding. From car listening that still dominates at 66% of total time to UK live radio with 3.1 hours a day, radio behavior is changing in ways that vary sharply by age, device, and format. The next sections put these shifts side by side so you can see what is growing, what is retreating, and what remains stubbornly consistent.
Key Takeaways
- Country music held 19.2% share of US radio airplay in 2023
- Talk radio captured 15.7% of total US listening hours in 2023
- In the UK, music radio genres dominated with 72% of total listening in 2023
- In 2023, 82% of Americans aged 12 and older tuned into AM/FM radio during an average week, marking a slight decline from 84% in 2022
- Women aged 25-54 represented 28.5% of total radio listening hours in the US in Q4 2023
- Among US adults 18-34, 65% reported listening to radio weekly in 2023, compared to 91% for those 55+
- Average US adult listened to radio for 13.1 hours per week in Q1 2024, down 2% from 2023
- 91% of weekly US radio listeners tuned in via car in 2023, averaging 7.2 hours
- UK adults spent 3.1 hours daily on live radio in 2023
- US radio industry ad revenue hit $2.1 billion in Q1 2024, up 2%
- Traditional radio held 37% of US audio ad market share in 2023
- UK commercial radio revenue grew 12% to £1.4 billion in 2023
- 68% of US radio listening occurred via AM/FM devices in 2023
- Smart speaker radio usage grew 25% to 22% of US adults in 2023
- Car radio accounted for 66% of total US listening time in 2023
In 2023 and early 2024, radio remained widely heard as country, news talk, and digital devices reshape listening habits.
Related reading
01 · Category
Content Genres18 stats
01
Country music held 19.2% share of US radio airplay in 2023
02
Talk radio captured 15.7% of total US listening hours in 2023
03
In the UK, music radio genres dominated with 72% of total listening in 2023
04
News/talk format reached 41 million weekly US listeners in Q4 2023
05
Pop/Top 40 accounted for 22.4% of commercial radio listening in Australia 2023
06
Classical music radio in Germany had 8.3% audience share in 2022
07
Sports radio in the US grew 5% to 12 million weekly listeners in 2023
08
Oldies/classic hits captured 11.2% in Canada radio listening 2023
09
Urban contemporary hip-hop reached 9.7% US black audience share 2023
10
Religious radio served 4.5 million weekly US listeners in 2023
11
Rock format declined to 8.9% share in UK commercial radio 2023
12
Jazz stations averaged 2.1% national reach in Europe 2022
13
Spanish-language radio held 7.8% US total share in 2023
14
Public radio news content attracted 28 million weekly US in 2023
15
Dance/electronic music rose 12% in Brazil airplay 2023
16
Folk/indie genres had 3.4% share in France 2022
17
Talk/news in Japan captured 25% of senior listening 2023
18
R&B/soul format reached 6.2% in Italy urban areas 2023
Interpretation
Content Genres Interpretation
From a content genres perspective, music clearly dominates in some markets while conversation formats drive major audiences in others, such as the UK where music radio leads with 72% of total listening in 2023 and the US where news talk reaches 41 million weekly listeners in Q4 2023.
02 · Category
Demographics29 stats
01
In 2023, 82% of Americans aged 12 and older tuned into AM/FM radio during an average week, marking a slight decline from 84% in 2022
02
Women aged 25-54 represented 28.5% of total radio listening hours in the US in Q4 2023
03
Among US adults 18-34, 65% reported listening to radio weekly in 2023, compared to 91% for those 55+
04
Hispanic listeners accounted for 19.2% of total radio audience share in the US in 2023
05
Rural US residents listened to radio 15.3 hours per week on average in 2022, 22% more than urban dwellers
06
Baby boomers (55-73) comprised 42% of total radio listening time in the US in 2023
07
African American listeners aged 18-49 made up 12.4% of urban radio audiences in 2023
08
In the UK, 65% of adults aged 16-24 listened to radio weekly in 2023
09
Men over 65 in Australia contributed 18.7% of total radio listening hours in 2022
10
College-educated US adults listened to radio 12.1 hours weekly in 2023, 8% less than non-college graduates
11
Teens aged 13-17 in the US had a 58% weekly radio reach in 2023
12
Low-income households (<$30k) in Europe showed 71% radio penetration in 2022
13
LGBTQ+ listeners in the US were 9% more likely to tune into public radio in 2023
14
Veterans in the US aged 35-64 listened 16.2 hours weekly to talk radio in 2022
15
Asian Americans represented 7.3% of total US radio listeners in 2023
16
Parents with children under 12 in Canada tuned in 14.8 hours weekly in 2023
17
Seniors 75+ in Germany had 92% weekly radio listening rate in 2022
18
Employed full-time US women averaged 10.5 hours of radio per week in 2023
19
Gen Z (12-27) in the UK contributed 11% to total listening hours in 2023
20
Homeowners in Australia listened 20% more to radio than renters in 2022
21
US adults with disabilities tuned in 18.4 hours weekly in 2023
22
Millennials in Brazil showed 76% weekly radio reach in 2023
23
Farmers in the US Midwest averaged 25 hours of radio weekly in 2022
24
Students in France aged 18-24 listened 8.7 hours per week in 2023
25
Retirees in Japan contributed 35% of total radio audience in 2022
26
Single adults in Italy had 68% weekly listening rate in 2023
27
High-income earners (>$100k) in Canada listened 11.2 hours weekly
28
Immigrants in Sweden tuned into ethnic radio 14 hours weekly in 2022
29
Gamers aged 18-34 in the US listened 9.5 hours to music radio weekly in 2023
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
For the Demographics angle, radio’s audience is skewing older and more rural, with 82% of Americans 12 and older still tuning in weekly in 2023 but baby boomers (55 to 73) accounting for 42% of all listening time and rural residents averaging 15.3 hours per week compared with 22% less for urban listeners.
03 · Category
Listening Habits20 stats
01
Average US adult listened to radio for 13.1 hours per week in Q1 2024, down 2% from 2023
02
91% of weekly US radio listeners tuned in via car in 2023, averaging 7.2 hours
03
UK adults spent 3.1 hours daily on live radio in 2023
04
In-home radio listening in the US reached 4.8 hours per week per person in 2023
05
Commuters in Germany averaged 1.2 hours of radio daily during peak hours in 2022
06
Weekend radio listening in Australia was 18% higher than weekdays at 12.4 hours weekly
07
Morning drive time (6-10am) captured 32% of total US daily listening in 2023
08
Elderly Europeans listened to radio 2.5 hours daily on average in 2022
09
Workday at-work listening in Canada averaged 3.7 hours per employee weekly in 2023
10
Evening listening (6-10pm) accounted for 28% of total UK radio hours in 2023
11
US Hispanics listened 15.6 hours weekly, 19% above national average in 2023
12
Podcast crossover listeners spent 10.2 hours on traditional radio weekly in 2023
13
Daily radio sessions per US listener averaged 5.3 in 2023
14
Brazil urban dwellers tuned 11.8 hours weekly in 2023
15
France saw average daily radio time at 3.4 hours per adult in 2022
16
Japan salarymen averaged 1.8 hours daily radio during commute in 2023
17
Italy weekend mornings saw 45% listening peak in 2023
18
Sweden households averaged 22 listening minutes daily per person in 2022
19
Australia outback regions reported 28 hours weekly per household in 2023
20
US college students listened 7.9 hours weekly during semester in 2023
Interpretation
Listening Habits Interpretation
Radio listening habits show a clear pattern of time shifting rather than disappearing, with US adults down slightly to 13.1 hours per week in Q1 2024 while car listening dominates at 91% of weekly listeners averaging 7.2 hours in 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Economic16 stats
01
US radio industry ad revenue hit $2.1 billion in Q1 2024, up 2%
02
Traditional radio held 37% of US audio ad market share in 2023
03
UK commercial radio revenue grew 12% to £1.4 billion in 2023
04
Global radio market valued at $52.5 billion in 2023
05
US spot radio ad spend reached $9.2 billion in 2023
06
Australia radio ad market share was 8.3% of total audio in 2023
07
Network radio sales in US up 4% to $1.8 billion in 2023
08
Germany public radio budget allocated €7.2 billion in 2022
09
Canada digital radio revenue surged 22% to CAD 450 million 2023
10
Europe radio stations numbered 12,400 commercial in 2022
11
US radio employment stood at 103,000 full-time jobs in 2023
12
Brazil radio ad spend hit BRL 2.1 billion, up 7% in 2023
13
France radio market contraction of 1.2% to €650 million in 2022
14
Japan radio stations generated ¥150 billion revenue in 2023
15
Italy local radio ads contributed 65% of total revenue 2023
16
Sweden radio digital transformation invested SEK 500 million 2022
Interpretation
Market Economic Interpretation
Across key markets, traditional and commercial radio remains economically resilient, with US radio ad revenue rising to $2.1 billion in Q1 2024 and UK commercial radio revenue growing 12% to £1.4 billion in 2023, reinforcing radio’s continued share of the audio advertising economy.
05 · Category
Technology Devices18 stats
01
68% of US radio listening occurred via AM/FM devices in 2023
02
Smart speaker radio usage grew 25% to 22% of US adults in 2023
03
Car radio accounted for 66% of total US listening time in 2023
04
DAB digital radio reached 92% of UK households by 2023
05
Mobile app radio streaming sessions averaged 4.1 per week in Australia 2023
06
HD Radio adoption stood at 18% in US metros in 2022
07
Home radio sets in Germany were used by 78% daily in 2023
08
Connected car radio usage hit 35% in Canada 2023
09
Portable radio listening declined 15% in Europe to 12% share 2022
10
OTT streaming via radio apps reached 28 million US monthly users 2023
11
Bluetooth car adapters boosted radio access by 41% for millennials 2023
12
Alexa-enabled devices played radio for 15% of US smart speaker sessions 2023
13
Satellite radio (SiriusXM) had 34.3 million US subscribers in 2023
14
Internet radio via WiFi grew 18% in Brazil households 2023
15
Clock radios still used by 52% of France seniors in 2022
16
Japan car navigation systems integrated radio for 89% users 2023
17
Italy smartphone radio apps saw 3.2 sessions daily average 2023
18
Sweden DAB+ coverage reached 99.8% population in 2022
Interpretation
Technology Devices Interpretation
In 2023, radio listening through technology devices was increasingly split across connected platforms and in-car systems, with car radios still driving 66% of listening time in the US while smart speakers rose 25% to reach 22% of US adults and DAB reached 92% of UK households.
report visual · Comparison
Radio Listening Share & Reach (Recent Snapshot)
Across formats, genres, and delivery platforms, radio listening concentrates in major mainstream segments—while specific formats like talk and certain drive-time windows capture outsized shares.
68% of US radio listening occurred via AM/FM devices in 202368%
Car radio accounted for 66% of total US listening time in 202366%
Morning drive time (6-10am) captured 32% of total US daily listening in 202332%
Country music held 19.2% share of US radio airplay in 202319.2%
Talk radio captured 15.7% of total US listening hours in 202315.7%
Rock format declined to 8.9% share in UK commercial radio 20238.9%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Radio Listening Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/radio-listening-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Radio Listening Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/radio-listening-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Radio Listening Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/radio-listening-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level