Radio statistics show a large and varied U.S. broadcasting system. The Federal Communications Commission counted 15,485 licensed radio stations on December 31, 2024, while Nielsen measured 3 hours and 57 minutes of daily audio use in the third quarter of 2024. The figures below distinguish station licensing, business revenue, formats, audience behavior and market populations.
Contents
- Licensed radio stations
- Station ownership
- Radio revenue
- Programming formats
- Audio listening
- Audience preferences
- Radio market populations
Licensed radio stations
The FCC’s Broadcast Station Totals as of December 31, 2024 reported 4,383 licensed AM stations, 6,625 licensed FM commercial stations, and 4,477 licensed FM educational stations. It also counted 8,880 FM translators and boosters and 1,968 low power FM stations. The total number of licensed radio stations was 15,485. Across radio and television, the FCC reported 33,373 total broadcast stations.
The quarterly numbers provide useful context for how the licensed system changes over time. As of June 30, 2024, the FCC counted 4,413 AM stations, 6,620 FM commercial stations, 4,356 FM educational stations, and 15,389 total licensed radio stations. The combined total for radio and television was 33,326 broadcast stations at that date.
Earlier 2024 figures were different again. On March 31, the FCC reported 4,427 AM stations, 6,663 FM commercial stations, 4,320 FM educational stations, and 1,960 low power FM stations. Total licensed radio stations stood at 15,380, while total broadcast stations across radio and television stood at 33,344.
| FCC measurement date | AM | FM commercial | FM educational | Total licensed radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | 4,427 | 6,663 | 4,320 | 15,380 |
| June 30, 2024 | 4,413 | 6,620 | 4,356 | 15,389 |
| December 31, 2024 | 4,383 | 6,625 | 4,477 | 15,485 |
These are licensed-station counts at specific FCC reporting dates. They should not be read as a measure of daily audience, hours on air or the number of separate programs available to listeners.
Station ownership
The FCC’s 2024 Top 10 Radio Station Owners data illustrates how ownership is distributed among major groups. iHeartMedia, Inc. owned 745 radio stations and operated in 149 markets. Cumulus Media Inc. owned 353 stations in 84 markets, while Audacy, Inc. owned 211 stations in 46 markets.
Townsquare Media, Inc. owned 225 radio stations and operated in 52 markets. Beasley Broadcast, Inc. owned 54 stations in 12 markets, and Urban One, Inc. owned 49 stations in 13 markets. The figures describe station ownership and market presence, which are separate measures: a market can contain more than one station from the same owner, and a station can serve listeners beyond a single local area.
Other owners in the FCC list included CMG Media Corporation, with 38 stations in 8 markets; Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., with 33 stations in 8 markets; and TelevisaUnivision, Inc., with 33 stations in 12 markets. Spanish Broadcasting, Inc. owned 18 stations and operated in 7 markets.
The station totals in this ownership list should not be added to the FCC’s national station total. They represent selected owners and may use an ownership-reporting scope that differs from the FCC’s overall licensing categories.
Radio revenue
The FCC’s 2024 broadcast radio revenue discussion reported U.S. broadcast radio revenue of $17.3 billion in 2010 and $17.8 billion in 2019. Revenue then fell to $13.7 billion in 2020, rose to $14.8 billion in 2021, reached $15.4 billion in 2022, and was $15.2 billion in 2023.
| Year | U.S. broadcast radio revenue |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $17.3 billion |
| 2019 | $17.8 billion |
| 2020 | $13.7 billion |
| 2021 | $14.8 billion |
| 2022 | $15.4 billion |
| 2023 | $15.2 billion |
The same FCC discussion said total U.S. broadcast radio revenue declined by about 17% from 2019 to 2021. It also reported that online broadcast radio revenue grew at a 13.1% average annual rate from 2010 through 2019. Online advertising’s share of radio revenue increased from 3.6% in 2010 to 10.0% in 2023.
These revenue figures cover U.S. broadcast radio and are measured in dollars for the stated years. The online advertising share is a portion of radio revenue, not a separate estimate of all digital audio revenue.
Programming formats
FCC format data shows that station type is associated with different programming mixes. Music formats accounted for 61.1% of FM stations and 35.4% of AM stations. FM stations were also 22.9% religion formats. For AM, news represented 17.7%, sports 11.3%, and talk 5.7% in the cited format data.
Low power FM had a different profile. Religion formats represented 37.0% of LPFM stations, while music formats represented 45.8%. Public and education formats represented 4.6% of LPFM stations.
| Station category | Selected format share |
|---|---|
| FM music | 61.1% |
| FM religion | 22.9% |
| AM music | 35.4% |
| AM news | 17.7% |
| AM sports | 11.3% |
| AM talk | 5.7% |
| LPFM music | 45.8% |
| LPFM religion | 37.0% |
| LPFM public and education | 4.6% |
The percentages describe format shares in the FCC format data. They are not shares of listening time, revenue or population coverage.
Audio listening
Nielsen’s The Record Q3 2024 reported that Americans spent 3 hours and 57 minutes per day with audio across ad-supported and ad-free platforms. In Q2 2024, the comparable daily audio figure was 4 hours and 5 minutes. Nielsen reported that audio represented almost 20% of the daily media day in Q2 2024.
For Q3 2024 ad-supported audio time, radio accounted for 67%, podcasts for 18%, streaming audio services for 11%, and satellite radio for 3%. These categories describe the composition of ad-supported audio time, not the full cross-platform audio day.
Edison Research’s Share of Ear 10-year release reported that AM/FM radio accounted for 36% of the audio day for Americans age 13 and older. The same release reported 18% for streaming music, 14% for YouTube for music, 10% for podcasts, 8% for SiriusXM and 3% for audiobooks. It also described AM/FM radio as having accounted for 36% of the audio day 10 years earlier, compared with just over half a decade earlier.
Because Nielsen and Edison Research use different studies, periods and definitions, their percentages should be compared as study-specific measurements rather than combined into one total.
Audience preferences
Nielsen’s The Record Q3 2024 tables reported listening shares by format among people age 18 and older. News/Talk accounted for 10.7% of all radio listening, Adult Contemporary for 7.4%, Country for 5.9%, Classic Hits for 5.9%, and All Sports for 4.4%.
Age groups show a different pattern. Among listeners age 18 to 34, Adult Contemporary accounted for 8.4% of all radio listening, Pop Contemporary Hit Radio for 7.3%, and News/Talk for 3.8%. Among people age 25 to 54, Adult Contemporary accounted for 7.4% and News/Talk for 6.0%. Among people age 35 and older, News/Talk accounted for 12.2% and All Sports for 4.8%.
| Audience group | Format | Share of all radio listening |
|---|---|---|
| Persons 18+ | News/Talk | 10.7% |
| Persons 18+ | Adult Contemporary | 7.4% |
| Persons 18+ | Country | 5.9% |
| Persons 18+ | Classic Hits | 5.9% |
| Persons 18+ | All Sports | 4.4% |
| Persons 18–34 | Adult Contemporary | 8.4% |
| Persons 18–34 | Pop Contemporary Hit Radio | 7.3% |
| Persons 18–34 | News/Talk | 3.8% |
| Persons 25–54 | News/Talk | 6.0% |
| Persons 35+ | News/Talk | 12.2% |
These are format shares within the specified Nielsen audience groups. They are not the percentage of each age group that listens to a format.
Radio market populations
Nielsen’s Spring 2024 Radio Market Survey reported the persons age 12 and older population for several major metro radio markets. New York had 16,600,600 people age 12 and older, Los Angeles had 11,297,500, and Chicago had 8,034,800.
Dallas–Fort Worth had 6,862,600 people age 12 and older, San Francisco had 6,609,300, and Houston–Galveston had 6,417,100. Atlanta had 5,285,800. These figures describe the surveyed market populations, not station audience ratings or cumulative listeners.
The same Nielsen survey also listed television DMA populations for selected areas. Los Angeles TV DMA had 15,730,400 people age 12 and older, Miami–Fort Lauderdale had 4,211,700, and Minneapolis–St. Paul had 4,259,000.
| Market or DMA | Population, persons age 12+ |
|---|---|
| New York metro | 16,600,600 |
| Los Angeles metro | 11,297,500 |
| Chicago metro | 8,034,800 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth metro | 6,862,600 |
| San Francisco metro | 6,609,300 |
| Houston–Galveston metro | 6,417,100 |
| Atlanta metro | 5,285,800 |
| Los Angeles TV DMA | 15,730,400 |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul TV DMA | 4,259,000 |
| Miami–Fort Lauderdale TV DMA | 4,211,700 |
The metro and DMA labels are retained as reported by Nielsen. They are different geographic definitions, so their population figures should not be treated as interchangeable.