Radio remains a large, multi-platform medium. The United States had 17,370 licensed broadcast radio stations in 2024, while UK radio reached 50.000 million adults aged 15+ each week in the quarter ending 14 December 2025. The figures below show the scale of broadcasting, the work behind it, and how audiences listen.
Contents
- Licensed radio stations in the United States
- Employment and wages in U.S. radio
- UK radio reach and listening volume
- BBC and commercial radio audiences
- Platforms and listening locations
- Listening by age and audience segment
Licensed radio stations in the United States
The Federal Communications Commission counted 4,546 licensed AM radio stations in 2021, 4,508 in 2022, 4,472 in 2023 and 4,427 in 2024. These are licensed-station counts for the United States, not audience estimates. (Federal Communications Commission FCC 24-136)
Commercial FM counts were 6,682 in 2021, 6,763 in 2022, 6,681 in 2023 and 6,663 in 2024. Non-commercial FM counts were 4,213, 4,119, 4,219 and 4,320 respectively. Low-power FM counts were 2,114 in 2021, 2,049 in 2022, 1,999 in 2023 and 1,960 in 2024. (Federal Communications Commission FCC 24-136)
The available total counts were 17,555 licensed broadcast radio stations in 2021, 17,371 in 2023 and 17,370 in 2024. The FCC series therefore provides a useful recent view of the licensed U.S. broadcast base, while each service category follows its own pattern.
| U.S. licensed station category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | 4,546 | 4,508 | 4,472 | 4,427 |
| Commercial FM | 6,682 | 6,763 | 6,681 | 6,663 |
| Non-commercial FM | 4,213 | 4,119 | 4,219 | 4,320 |
| Low-power FM | 2,114 | 2,049 | 1,999 | 1,960 |
The categories should not be treated as interchangeable: commercial FM, non-commercial FM and low-power FM describe different licensed services, while the total is the FCC’s reported total for licensed broadcast radio stations.
Employment and wages in U.S. radio
U.S. radio broadcasting stations employed about 52,680 people in May 2024. The annual mean wage at these stations was $68,900. These are May 2024 employment and wage measurements, rather than a forecast of future hiring or pay. (Broadcasting BLS statistics on Radio Day, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The occupational mix shows that radio broadcasting involves programming, sales, management, technical work, journalism and administration. Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys accounted for 13,710 jobs, with an annual mean wage of $62,330. Advertising sales agents accounted for 7,510 jobs and a $76,210 annual mean wage. Producers and directors accounted for 5,500 jobs and a $67,450 annual mean wage.
Broadcast technicians accounted for 3,850 jobs and a $44,380 annual mean wage. General and operations managers accounted for 2,820 jobs and a $100,180 annual mean wage. News analysts, reporters and journalists accounted for 1,830 jobs and a $63,860 annual mean wage.
Administrative and specialist roles were also included in the BLS figures. Office clerks accounted for 1,630 jobs and a $38,590 annual mean wage. Sales representatives of services other than advertising, insurance, financial services and travel accounted for 1,250 jobs and an $87,850 annual mean wage. Market research analysts and marketing specialists accounted for 1,120 jobs and a $62,680 annual mean wage. Secretaries and administrative assistants accounted for 1,050 jobs and a $37,570 annual mean wage. Sales managers accounted for 780 jobs and a $154,510 annual mean wage.
The wage figures are annual mean wages for the named occupations in May 2024. They should not be read as typical pay for every person in a role, and they do not establish a direct relationship between station size and compensation.
UK radio reach and listening volume
In the quarter ending 14 December 2025, all radio reached 50.000 million UK adults aged 15+ weekly. That represented 86% reach. All radio generated 17.4 average hours per UK adult aged 15+ per week and 1,014,900 thousand total listening hours. Among listeners, the average was 20.3 hours per week. (Quarterly Summary Of Radio Listening, RAJAR)
RAJAR reported a 100.0% share for all radio in the UK survey transmission area for the same quarter. The measures use different denominators: weekly reach describes the adults who listened, average hours per adult includes the adult population measure, and average hours per listener describes listening among those reached. Keeping those definitions separate is important when comparing the figures.
The UK results indicate both broad availability and substantial time spent with radio. Reach of 50.000 million adults and 17.4 hours per adult per week describe the overall scale, while 20.3 hours per listener shows the higher average among people who listened during the measurement period.
BBC and commercial radio audiences
BBC and commercial radio both contributed major shares of UK listening in the quarter ending 14 December 2025. All BBC Radio reached 30.904 million UK adults aged 15+ weekly and held a 42.8% share. All commercial radio reached 39.431 million and held a 55.2% share. (Quarterly Summary Of Radio Listening, RAJAR)
Average weekly listening was 7.5 hours per UK adult aged 15+ for all BBC Radio and 9.6 hours for all commercial radio. Commercial radio also reached 18.570 million UK adults aged 15–44 weekly. The age range is specific to that commercial-radio measure and should not be substituted for the all-adult reach figures.
| UK radio group or service | Weekly reach | Share or total hours | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| All BBC Radio | 30.904 million adults 15+ | 42.8% share | Quarter ending 14 Dec 2025 |
| All commercial radio | 39.431 million adults 15+ | 55.2% share | Quarter ending 14 Dec 2025 |
| BBC Radio 2 | 12.709 million adults 15+ | 13.8% share | Quarter ending 14 Dec 2025 |
| BBC Radio 4 including 4 Extra | 9.274 million adults 15+ | 11.4% share | Quarter ending 14 Dec 2025 |
At the network level, BBC Network Radio 1 reached 28.226 million UK adults aged 15+ weekly and generated 390,962 thousand total hours. The dataset reports Radio 2 and Radio 4 including 4 Extra with reach and share figures, while the Radio 1 figure pairs reach with total hours; these are distinct measurements.
Platforms and listening locations
UK listening remained divided between broadcast receivers and connected devices in Q1 2025. AM/FM or DAB/DAB+ radio sets accounted for 69% of radio listening hours. Smart speakers and other online devices accounted for 28%, up from 22% in Q1 2022. (Audio Listening in the UK 2025, Ofcom)
Smart speakers accounted for 26% of UK radio listening hours at home in Q1 2025 and 18% across all locations. Laptops, smartphones and other online devices accounted for 18% of listening hours at work and elsewhere, and 11% across all locations.
Cars, vans and lorries accounted for 26% of UK live radio listening in Q1 2025. This is a location share for live radio listening, whereas the device figures describe shares of radio listening hours. The measures are related but should not be combined as though they used the same base.
| UK listening measure | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| AM/FM or DAB/DAB+ sets | 69% of radio listening hours | Q1 2025 |
| Smart speakers and other online devices | 28% of radio listening hours | Q1 2025 |
| Smart speakers at home | 26% of radio listening hours | Q1 2025 |
| Smart speakers across all locations | 18% of radio listening hours | Q1 2025 |
| Cars, vans and lorries | 26% of live radio listening | Q1 2025 |
The change from 22% for smart speakers and other online devices in Q1 2022 to 28% in Q1 2025 describes a six-percentage-point increase in the reported share over that period. It does not identify which individual device type accounted for the change.
Listening by age and audience segment
The 2025 Ofcom Audio Survey reported that music radio was used weekly by 62% of UK adults, while speech radio was used weekly by 36%. These are weekly-use measures, not shares of total listening hours. (Audio Listening in the UK 2025, Ofcom)
Online music services showed a clear age split. They were used weekly by 85% of UK adults aged 16–34, 67% of those aged 35–54 and 39% of those aged 55+. The age bands are reported separately and should not be treated as a single combined audience.
The same survey found that 78% of UK adults aged 55+ had ever listened to a personal CD, vinyl or cassette collection, compared with 54% of 16–34-year-olds. This is an “ever listened” measure, so it describes experience with a format rather than current weekly listening.
Connected voice devices were also measured. Forty-one percent of UK households had a smart speaker in Ofcom’s 2024 Technology Tracker. Among UK smart-speaker owners, 57% used the device to listen to live radio. In 2025, 54% of UK adults surveyed had used a voice assistant in the previous three months, and 71% of those voice-assistant users used one to listen to radio stations.
Together, these figures describe several different layers of radio use: weekly use of music or speech radio, use of online music services by age, ownership of smart speakers, and radio listening through voice assistants. They are not interchangeable audience totals, but they show how broadcast radio and connected audio coexist in UK listening behavior.