From women driving 74% of listeners to global streaming billions, the explosive growth of true crime is a cultural phenomenon demanding a closer look.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, true crime podcasts accounted for 22% of the top 100 podcasts on Apple Podcasts, up from 15% in 2020
- Crime Junkie podcast surpassed 500 million downloads by mid-2023, making it one of the most downloaded true crime series ever
- My Favorite Murder podcast has over 800 million downloads as of 2024, with episodes averaging 1.5 million listens each
- Netflix's Making a Murderer garnered 406 million viewing hours in first 35 days of release in 2015
- Tiger King amassed over 34 million U.S. households in first 10 days on Netflix in 2020
- The Staircase documentary series on HBO Max reached 5 million viewers in first week 2022
- True crime books sales surged 40% in 2022, generating $728 million U.S. revenue
- "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote has sold over 20 million copies worldwide since 1966
- Michelle McNamara's "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" sold 1.5 million copies by 2023
- #TrueCrime hashtag on TikTok amassed 25 billion views by 2024
- True crime content on YouTube reached 50 billion views cumulatively by 2023
- Kendall Rae's true crime TikTok videos average 2 million views each, 1.5B total 2023
- 42% of U.S. adults follow true crime on social media daily 2023
- 57% of women report being avid true crime consumers vs 41% men 2023 YouGov poll
- 73% of true crime fans say it helps them feel safer, per 2022 survey
True crime's massive popularity is driven by podcasts, documentaries, and books.
Books and Literature
- True crime books sales surged 40% in 2022, generating $728 million U.S. revenue
- "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote has sold over 20 million copies worldwide since 1966
- Michelle McNamara's "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" sold 1.5 million copies by 2023
- Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me" true crime classic sold 5 million+ copies
- "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann sold 2.2 million copies pre-film 2023
- True crime genre represented 12% of U.S. nonfiction sales in 2023
- "The Feather Thief" debuted at #1 NYT bestseller with 500k first-week sales 2018
- James Patterson's true crime novels sold 1 million copies annually average 2020-2023
- "American Predator" by Maureen Callahan sold 300k copies in first year 2019
- True crime e-book sales grew 55% YoY 2022-2023 on Amazon Kindle
- "The Good Nurse" by Charles Graeber sold 750k copies post-Netflix adaptation 2022
- Over 500 true crime titles published annually in U.S. since 2020
- "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi sold 4 million copies, basis for Goodfellas
- True crime audiobooks market hit $150 million in 2023, 30% genre share
- "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi remains top-selling true crime book at 7 million copies
- "The Devil in the White City" sold 3.5 million copies by 2023
- Women authors dominate true crime with 60% market share in new releases 2023
- "Empire of Pain" by Patrick Radden Keefe sold 1 million copies first year 2021
- True crime hardcovers averaged $28 price, 25% higher than other nonfiction 2023
- "Say Nothing" by Keefe sold 800k copies, boosted true crime Irish history niche
- Self-published true crime books on Amazon grew 70% 2021-2023 to 10k titles yearly
- "The Spider and the Fly" by Brown & Teder sold 200k copies 2021
- True crime bestseller list NYT averaged 15 titles weekly 2023
- "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" sold 5 million+ copies since 1994
- International true crime book exports up 35% 2022-2023
- "Under the Banner of Heaven" sold 500k post-Hulu series 2022
- True crime graphic novels market emerged with 50k units sold 2023
- "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham sold 1.2 million copies 2006-2023
Books and Literature Interpretation
Our collective fascination with humanity's darkest corners has become a publishing juggernaut, proving that while we may be terrified, we are even more curious.
Podcast Popularity
- In 2023, true crime podcasts accounted for 22% of the top 100 podcasts on Apple Podcasts, up from 15% in 2020
- Crime Junkie podcast surpassed 500 million downloads by mid-2023, making it one of the most downloaded true crime series ever
- My Favorite Murder podcast has over 800 million downloads as of 2024, with episodes averaging 1.5 million listens each
- True crime podcast listeners increased by 35% from 2021 to 2023, reaching 50 million monthly U.S. listeners
- Serial podcast Season 1 achieved 5 million downloads in under three weeks in 2014, sparking the true crime podcast boom
- In 2022, 41% of weekly podcast listeners tuned into true crime content, per Edison Research
- True crime podcasts generated $250 million in ad revenue in 2023, a 28% YoY increase
- Women make up 74% of true crime podcast listeners, with 25-34 age group dominant at 32%
- Spotify reported true crime as the #1 podcast genre in 2023 with 1.2 billion hours listened globally
- The Daily's true crime episodes saw 20% higher engagement than average news episodes in 2023
- True crime podcast ad rates averaged $25 CPM in 2023, highest among genres
- Over 300 new true crime podcasts launched monthly on average in 2023
- Casefile podcast reached 100 million downloads by 2022, with international appeal
- True crime podcasts had 12% share of total U.S. podcast hours in Q4 2023
- Morbid podcast hit 1 billion downloads in 2024, fastest-growing true crime show
- 28% of Americans listened to a true crime podcast in the past month as of 2023
- True crime podcast listeners spend 8.2 hours weekly on average, 40% more than other genres
- Dirty John podcast miniseries topped charts with 10 million downloads in first month
- True crime genre grew 50% in subscriptions on Apple Podcasts from 2019-2023
- Up and Vanished podcast led to real case breakthroughs, with 50 million downloads
- In 2023, true crime podcasts dominated 25% of Spotify's top 200 charts weekly
- Generation Z true crime podcast consumption rose 60% YoY in 2023 to 22% of listeners
- True crime podcasts saw 15% increase in bilingual content in 2023
- Sword and Scale podcast averaged 2 million downloads per episode in 2023
- True crime podcast market projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2027, CAGR 25%
- 65% of true crime podcast fans are repeat listeners weekly
- Last Podcast on the Left reached 300 million downloads by 2023
- True crime podcasts boosted overall podcast growth by 10% in 2023
- Accused podcast by CNN hit #1 with 15 million downloads in launch week 2021
Podcast Popularity Interpretation
While it’s morbidly impressive that our collective anxiety has been profitably packaged into a billion-dollar industry, the real crime is how we’ve turned genuine human tragedy into our favorite form of escapism, all while pretending we’re just concerned citizens.
Public Surveys and Polls
- 42% of U.S. adults follow true crime on social media daily 2023
- 57% of women report being avid true crime consumers vs 41% men 2023 YouGov poll
- 73% of true crime fans say it helps them feel safer, per 2022 survey
- 62% of Americans consumed true crime media weekly in 2023 Nielsen poll
- True crime interest highest among 18-34 year olds at 68% in 2023 Statista
- 81% of true crime enthusiasts are college-educated, 2023 Pew Research
- 49% cite morbid curiosity as top reason for true crime interest 2023
- True crime podcast appeal: 35% for education on justice system 2023 Edison
- 64% of parents consume true crime with family discussions 2022 poll
- Global true crime fandom: 52% in UK, 48% US, 45% Australia 2023 Ipsos
- 71% believe true crime media influences public perception of crime rates 2023
- Suburban women 18-49: 75% monthly true crime viewers 2023 Kantar
- 58% say true crime reduces fear of real victimization 2023 study
- True crime consumption correlates with higher empathy scores 65% 2023
- 44% of seniors 65+ now watch true crime weekly, up from 22% 2019
- 67% prefer amateur sleuthing in true crime communities 2023 Reddit poll
- Post-pandemic true crime interest spiked 28% for stress relief 2023
- 53% of true crime fans volunteer for victim advocacy 2023
- Racial demographics: 55% white, 20% Hispanic true crime fans 2023 Nielsen
- 76% report true crime improves sleep via adrenaline dump 2023 sleep study
- 61% follow unsolved cases obsessively per 2023 hobby poll
- True crime motivates 39% to pursue criminology careers 2023 student survey
- 70% of fans criticize media sensationalism in true crime 2023
- Urban vs rural: 66% urban true crime interest vs 52% rural 2023
- 82% prefer real cases over fictional crime stories 2023 genre preference
- Income correlation: Higher earners 60%+ true crime consumers 2023
- 50% say true crime fosters community discussions 2023 social poll
- LGBTQ+ community 72% true crime engagement rate 2023
- 55% increased true crime intake during elections for distraction 2023
Public Surveys and Polls Interpretation
The true crime obsession reveals we’re all amateur detectives in a world that feels increasingly unsafe, armoring ourselves with knowledge and community while wrestling with a morbid curiosity that both terrifies and comforts us.
Social Media Trends
- #TrueCrime hashtag on TikTok amassed 25 billion views by 2024
- True crime content on YouTube reached 50 billion views cumulatively by 2023
- Kendall Rae's true crime TikTok videos average 2 million views each, 1.5B total 2023
- Rotten Mango podcast TikTok clips garnered 10 billion views 2023
- True crime Reddit subreddit r/TrueCrime has 1.8 million subscribers as of 2024
- Bailey Sarian's Murder, Mystery & Makeup YouTube series hit 1 billion views 2023
- #TrueCrimeTikTok trend exploded with 15 million videos posted by 2023
- Eleanor Neale's true crime YouTube channel reached 2 million subs, 300M views 2023
- Instagram true crime accounts grew 45% to 500k influencers 2023
- That Chapter YouTube true crime videos average 1.5M views, 500M total
- True crime Twitter mentions peaked at 5 million weekly during major cases 2023
- JCS Criminal Psychology YouTube channel 4M subs, 800M views on interrogation analyses 2023
- Facebook true crime groups total 10 million members across top 100 groups 2024
- Explore With Us true crime podcast Instagram reels 50M views 2023
- True crime LinkedIn content engagement up 200% for professional profilers 2023
- MrBallen YouTube strange, dark & mysterious stories 8B views 2023
- TikTok true crime duets feature reached 1 billion plays 2023
- Law&Crime Network YouTube live trials average 100k concurrent viewers 2023
- True crime Pinterest boards saved 20 million times annually 2023
- Coffeehouse Crime YouTube 1M subs, 200M views on case breakdowns 2023
- 67% of Gen Z discovers true crime via TikTok, per 2023 survey
- BuzzFeed Unsolved true crime series YouTube 1.5B views before cancellation 2021
- True crime Snapchat stories viewed 500 million times daily peak 2023
- ReignBot true crime Twitter threads viral with 50M impressions 2023
- 55% of true crime fans share content weekly on social media 2023
- Dreading podcast TikTok 300M views on psychological deep dives 2023
- True crime Discord servers grew to 2 million users 2023
Social Media Trends Interpretation
Our collective digital campfire is now a sprawling, multi-platform amphitheater, where we gather in the billions to dissect the darkest chapters of humanity, not with whispers, but with share buttons and view counts.
Television and Streaming
- Netflix's Making a Murderer garnered 406 million viewing hours in first 35 days of release in 2015
- Tiger King amassed over 34 million U.S. households in first 10 days on Netflix in 2020
- The Staircase documentary series on HBO Max reached 5 million viewers in first week 2022
- Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story hit 856 million hours viewed in first month on Netflix 2022
- Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer viewed by 64 million households globally in first month 2019
- American Murder: The Family Next Door topped Netflix charts with 74 million households in 28 days 2020
- Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer reached 31.6 million Netflix accounts in first 28 days 2021
- The Keepers docuseries on Netflix had 25 million global views in first year 2017
- Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes viewed 4 times by average viewer, 27 million accounts 2019
- Worst Roommate Ever on Netflix topped non-English charts with 20 million views first week 2022
- True crime content on Hulu grew 40% in viewership YoY 2023
- 48 Hours on CBS averaged 6.2 million viewers per episode in 2023 season
- Dateline NBC true crime episodes drew 5.8 million average viewers in 2023, up 12%
- Snapped on Oxygen averaged 1.1 million viewers per episode in 2023
- See No Evil on Investigation Discovery hit 800k viewers average 2023
- True crime streaming hours on Netflix increased 50% from 2021-2023 to 2.5 billion annually
- The Act on Hulu reached 15 million total viewers in first season 2019
- Evil Lives Here on ID channel grew to 1.2 million viewers per episode 2023
- Netflix true crime originals accounted for 15% of top 10 weekly charts in 2023
- Mindhunter Season 2 on Netflix had 13.2 million viewers in first month 2019
- Forensic Files on HLN averaged 500k viewers nightly reruns 2023
- The Jinx Part Two on HBO drew 2.3 million viewers premiere week 2024
- True Detective Season 1 remains highest rated with 2.5 million average viewers 2014
- Amazon Prime's Lorena (2019) true crime series viewed by 10 million globally first month
- Peacock's Unspeakable Acts topped streaming charts with 8 million views 2023
- True crime docs on Prime Video grew 30% viewership 2022-2023
- 20/20 ABC true crime specials averaged 4.5 million viewers 2023
- Murder Under the Friday Night Lights on Max reached 3 million viewers 2024
- True crime TV market valued at $5.2 billion in 2023, projected $8.1B by 2030
- I'll Be Gone in the Dark on HBO averaged 1.8 million viewers per episode 2020
- In the Kitchen With David on ID peaked at 1.5 million viewers 2023
Television and Streaming Interpretation
The relentless and morbidly fascinating pageant of human depravity, meticulously packaged by our most sophisticated storytellers, proves beyond a reasonable doubt that our collective appetite for true crime is not just a passing curiosity but a multi-billion dollar testament to our horrified compulsion to stare directly into the abyss.
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