The Influencers Among Us

The influencer industry plays an integral and immense role in both the culture and economy of the United States. According to a 2024 article from Forbes, the influencer industry is worth approximately $250 billion and is expected to reach $500 billion by 2027. Creators like Mr. Beast, Charli D’Amelio, Alix Earle, and Ms. Rachel all have millions of followers as well as lucrative brand and merchandising deals. While many of us are familiar with these household names, Edison Research wanted to capture and understand what percent of the overall American population consider themselves digital content creators. The following showcases some of the never-before-seen data we have about digital content creators from a national online survey among Americans 13+.

As of May 2025, 18% of Americans 13+ say that they are currently involved with the creation or production of any original content that is shared publicly online. Close to one-fifth of Americans are spending their time creating and then sharing content online for others to view, like, and share. Probably not surprising is the fact that this changes significantly when we look at different age segments. Just under one-third, 30%, of Americans 13-24 say that they are digital content creators. Interestingly, a similar percentage of those 25-44, 28%, also said yes to this question. Of course, Millennials and Zoomers/Gen Z have grown up with the internet. It’s no surprise then that digital content creation is highest among these age segments. We see a sharp and dramatic decline when we look at the same question among Americans 45+. Only 7% of that group says that they are digital creators.