Listening On an AM/FM Radio Resonates in Rural Communities

Edison Research’s Share of Ear study goes in-depth on all the ways Americans engage with audio daily. This weekly insight focuses specifically on which devices Americans use to listen to audio daily in Q2 of 2025, and investigates how that varies depending on what type of community someone lives in. While Share of Ear captures many different types of audio listening devices, today we will focus specifically on the top two: mobile device and AM/FM radio receiver.

Among all Americans 13+, 38% of time is spent listening to audio on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, and 30% of time is spent listening to audio on an AM/FM radio receiver. Share of Ear showed that the mobile device surpassed the AM/FM radio receiver back in Q3 of 2022. While the mobile device remains the most popular audio listening device, the competition between the two gets tighter as you look at different community types across the United States.

The popularity of mobile devices for audio listening is the most dominant in urban communities. Within that audience segment, 40% of time is spent listening to audio on a mobile device, vs. 28% of time spent listening on an AM/FM radio receiver. The mobile device also holds a strong lead in suburban communities, with 36% of time spent listening on that device compared to 30% of time on a radio receiver. The radio receiver is strongest in rural communities where it matches the listening time of the mobile device, each receiving 34%.

Share of Ear is instrumental to understanding how different Americans engage with audio throughout their day. Understanding this data allows you to provide a custom approach to your audience acquisition strategies. Find out more about a Share of Ear subscription here.