Reference desk / Updated October 1, 2026
A source-backed snapshot of how Americans read, buy books, and listen, gathered for writers, readers, journalists, and anyone following the shape of the publishing world.
Every figure below links to its original named source. The reading data is the latest federal survey currently available; publishing and audio figures use the most recent annual industry releases.
The figures
These figures describe the U.S. market and audience. They are not estimates of Harrison Napier’s own readership or sales.
48.5%
The National Endowment for the Arts reports this was down from 52.7% in 2017 and 54.6% in 2012.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Participation Patterns in 2022 (October 2023) ↗37.6%
That share was 45.2% in 2012, a 17% decline over the decade in the same federal survey series.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Participation Patterns in 2022 (October 2023) ↗$32.5B
The total was 4.1% higher than 2023, according to the Association of American Publishers’ annual report.
Source: Association of American Publishers, StatShot Annual Report (August 2025) ↗$21.2B
The trade segment grew 4.4% year over year. It is the part of publishing most directly connected to books readers buy for themselves.
Source: Association of American Publishers, StatShot Annual Report (August 2025) ↗$2.43B
The Audio Publishers Association reported 9% year-over-year growth, continuing the format’s expansion.
Source: Audio Publishers Association Sales Survey, conducted by Toluna (June 2026) ↗51%
The Audio Publishers Association’s 2025 consumer research puts that audience at an estimated 134 million adults.
Source: Audio Publishers Association Consumer Survey, conducted by Edison Research (2025) ↗Method & sources
This page brings together publicly available figures from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Association of American Publishers, and the Audio Publishers Association. Sources are linked beside each statistic so a reader can check the wording, date, and methodology at the origin.
The page will be reviewed roughly monthly and refreshed when a principal source publishes newer data. Anchors for the individual statistics will remain stable so citations keep their destination.
Cite this page
Harrison Napier / Hyooristik, LLC. “U.S. Reading & Audiobook Statistics.” Updated October 1, 2026. https://harrisonnapier.com/reading-and-audiobook-statistics.
From the same desk
For the fiction and audio taking shape around these numbers, visit Harrison Napier’s Work and Listen pages.