Radio reaches a large share of the U.S. population across age, gender, and ethnicity groups. Nielsen reported 243 million Americans listened weekly, representing more than 91% of Americans age 12 and older. The figures below combine Nielsen audience measurements with Pew Research Center data on radio news use, with each measurement period identified.
Contents
- Weekly reach across major audiences
- Generational listening patterns
- Ethnicity, formats, and dayparts
- The profile of heavy radio users
- Where radio listening happens
- Radio as a news source
Weekly reach across major audiences
Nielsen’s The Steady Reach of Radio: Winning Consumer Attention measured radio’s weekly reach across several U.S. audience groups. Adults ages 18–49 reached by radio totaled 132.4 million, equal to 98% of that age group. Adults ages 25–54 reached 123.6 million, or 99% of the group.
The same Nielsen report recorded 23.3 million teens ages 12–17 reached by radio, representing 93% of that age group. Among adults, 35.1 million Black adults were reached, equal to 98% of that group, while 45.6 million Hispanic adults were reached, also equal to 98%.
Gender differences were small in the 18–49 audience. Nielsen counted 65.9 million women reached weekly, representing 97% of women ages 18–49, and 65.4 million men reached weekly, representing 98% of men in that age range.
| Audience group | Weekly radio reach | Share of group |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 18–49 | 132.4 million | 98% |
| Adults 25–54 | 123.6 million | 99% |
| Teens 12–17 | 23.3 million | 93% |
| Women 18–49 | 65.9 million | 97% |
| Men 18–49 | 65.4 million | 98% |
| Black adults | 35.1 million | 98% |
| Hispanic adults | 45.6 million | 98% |
These figures describe weekly reach, not the amount of time each person listened. A high reach percentage indicates that radio connected with most people in the measured group at least during the relevant weekly measurement.
Generational listening patterns
Nielsen’s Audio Today Q1 2015 reported weekly radio reach and time spent with radio for Millennials, Generation X, and Boomers. Millennials had 66.6 million weekly radio users, and radio reached 91.3% of Millennials. Their weekly time with radio was 11 hours 26 minutes. The top Millennial daypart was 3pm–7pm PM drive, and Country was the number-one format for this generation.
Generation X had 57.9 million weekly radio users, with 94.0% reached weekly. Generation X spent 13 hours 45 minutes with radio each week. Its top daypart was 6am–10am morning drive, and Country was the number-one format. Nielsen also reported that 72% of Generation X listeners worked full-time.
Boomers had 57.9 million weekly radio users, and Nielsen reported weekly reach of 93.5%. Boomers spent 15 hours 6 minutes with radio each week. Their top daypart was 10am–3pm midday, and Country was the number-one format. Nielsen reported that 66% of Boomer listeners worked full-time.
The generational measurements show different listening concentrations. Millennials’ strongest listed period was PM drive, Generation X’s was morning drive, and Boomers’ was midday. The time figures are weekly listening totals from the Q1 2015 report, so they should not be read as current forecasts.
Ethnicity, formats, and dayparts
Nielsen’s Q1 2015 report also described listening patterns for Hispanic and African American audiences. Hispanic listeners numbered 39.9 million weekly radio users, and radio reached 93.1% of Hispanics. Hispanics spent 12 hours 43 minutes with radio each week. Their top daypart was 10am–3pm midday, and Mexican Regional was the number-one format.
African American listeners numbered 30.9 million weekly radio users. Nielsen reported that radio reached 91.0% of African Americans, who spent 12 hours 59 minutes with radio each week. Their top daypart was 3pm–7pm PM drive, and Urban Adult Contemporary was the number-one format.
The format results are audience-specific rankings in Nielsen’s report. Country ranked first for Millennials, Generation X, and Boomers in the supplied measurement, while Mexican Regional ranked first for Hispanics and Urban Adult Contemporary ranked first for African Americans. These labels identify the leading format reported for each audience; they do not quantify format share.
The daypart figures also show why a single station schedule can serve different audience opportunities. Morning drive was the top listed period for Generation X, midday for Boomers and Hispanics, and PM drive for Millennials and African Americans. The report does not provide a comparable percentage for each daypart in these supplied figures.
The profile of heavy radio users
Nielsen’s Q1 2015 heavy-media-user comparison provides a separate profile of people who were heavy radio users. The average heavy radio user was 44 years old, lived in a household of 3.3 people, and had average yearly household income of $73,500. Heavy radio users were 53% male and 47% female.
Employment was common in this group: 68% of heavy radio users worked either full-time or part-time. Nielsen reported that 75% used social media. These figures describe the composition and reported behaviors of heavy users, not all weekly radio users.
Heavy radio users spent 18 hours 45 minutes listening to radio each week. In the same comparison, they spent 27 hours 19 minutes watching television and 8 hours 40 minutes online each week. The three time figures show how the report placed radio alongside other media activities for this heavy-use audience.
| Measure for heavy radio users | Nielsen figure |
|---|---|
| Average age | 44 years |
| Average household size | 3.3 people |
| Male | 53% |
| Female | 47% |
| Working full- or part-time | 68% |
| Average yearly household income | $73,500 |
| Radio time each week | 18 hours 45 minutes |
| Television time each week | 27 hours 19 minutes |
| Online time each week | 8 hours 40 minutes |
| Used social media | 75% |
Because this is a heavy-user comparison, its averages should not be substituted for the demographic profile of the entire radio audience. It is most useful for describing people with especially high radio use and their media context.
Where radio listening happens
Nielsen’s The Steady Reach of Radio: Winning Consumer Attention reported that 69% of weekly radio listening happened away from home, compared with 31% at home. This location split describes listening time during the total week.
The report identified the car as the main setting within away-from-home listening. In-car listening accounted for 66% of away-from-home radio listening during the total week. During Monday–Friday commute times, the in-car share of away-from-home listening was 71%. On weekends, in-car listening accounted for 79% of away-from-home listening.
| Listening context | In-car share of away-from-home listening |
|---|---|
| Total week | 66% |
| Monday–Friday commute times | 71% |
| Weekends | 79% |
The 69% away-from-home figure and the three in-car percentages use different bases: the first divides total weekly listening between away-from-home and at-home settings, while the latter describe the share of away-from-home listening attributed to in-car use. Keeping those bases separate avoids treating the percentages as one combined total.
Radio as a news source
Pew Research Center’s National Radio Day 2023 findings measured how U.S. adults use radio for news. Overall, 47% of U.S. adults said they sometimes or often get news from radio, while 7% said they prefer radio for news.
Age differences appeared in the share who get news from radio at least sometimes. The figure was 55% among adults ages 50–64, 48% among adults ages 30–49, 46% among adults ages 65 and older, and 35% among adults ages 18–29.
Pew also reported differences by race and ethnicity. White adults and Black adults each recorded 48% getting news from radio at least sometimes. The figure was 42% among Hispanic adults and 37% among Asian adults.
| Group | Get news from radio at least sometimes |
|---|---|
| U.S. adults overall | 47% |
| Ages 50–64 | 55% |
| Ages 30–49 | 48% |
| Ages 65+ | 46% |
| Ages 18–29 | 35% |
| White adults | 48% |
| Black adults | 48% |
| Hispanic adults | 42% |
| Asian adults | 37% |
Pew’s 47% measure concerns getting news from radio at least sometimes, while the 7% figure concerns preferring radio for news. They measure different aspects of news behavior and should not be treated as equivalent audience shares. Together with Nielsen’s reach figures, they distinguish radio’s broad weekly audience from the smaller share that identifies it as a preferred news source.