Weekly podcast use nears 40%
Podcast use is no longer a niche habit: weekly U.S. consumption rose from 7% in 2013 to 40% in 2025.
The voice in your earbuds is becoming a bigger part of how people learn, laugh, buy, and decide who to trust.
Weekly podcast use is more than five times higher than it was in 2013.
- Video made podcasts easier to discover on big everyday apps.
- Listeners use podcasts during dead time, like driving, chores, and exercise.
- Hosts feel more personal than outlets, so trust can move from institutions to individuals.
Your commute, workout, dishes, and dog walk are now media time. That means your beliefs can be shaped while your hands are busy.
Behind the numbersOpen
Pew’s audio fact sheet cites Edison Research’s Infinite Dial series: 7% of Americans age 12+ listened to podcasts weekly in 2013, 26% in 2022, and 31% in 2023. Edison’s 2025 Podcast Consumer report says 40% of Americans age 12+ consumed a podcast in the last week. Edison now uses 'consume' because many people watch podcasts as video, not only listen to audio. That method change matters: video podcasts can lift the newer numbers compared with older audio-only habits.