Podcast listeners are overtaking talk radio for the first time in history

A decade ago, you probably wouldn’t have been able to name a single podcast (unless it was one.) series). Now, if you are on social media or Music streaming platformsYou’re overwhelmed with them. Because of their growing popularity, Survey from Edison Research’s Share of Ear It found that for the first time ever, more Americans ages 13 and older listen to podcasts (40%) than AM/FM radio (39%) as of the end of 2025.

Although the difference is only 1%, it is a historic number because the number of podcast listeners has never surpassed radio, and the gap between the two has become increasingly smaller over the past decade. By comparison, in 2015, 75% of respondents listened to AM/FM radio, while only 10% said they listened to podcasts.

“The sound of spoken words has changed dramatically over the past 10 years,” Edison Research says in a statement about the survey. “Consumers now listen using different platforms, devices and services to interact with spoken audio.”

In recent years, podcasts have also become increasingly influential. In 2024, during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Joe Rogan—whose podcast The Joe Rogan Experience often ranks as one of the most listened to podcasts in the United States— He endorsed Trump the night before the election. Post-election period Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll (PDF) Among 1,732 registered voters they found that 37% of respondents said Rogan’s endorsement had a lot or some influence on their vote, while 40% said they were aware of Rogan’s endorsement when they went to the polls.