Who Listens to Audiobooks? Demographics, Habits, and How to Market to Them

We've covered the explosive growth of audiobooks and their accelerating velocity. Now let's talk about the people actually pressing play—because understanding who's listening is the difference between marketing into the void and reaching readers who'll become lifelong fans.

The audiobook market hit $2.22 billion in 2024, growing 13% year-over-year. But here's what matters more than that headline number: 51% of Americans aged 18 and older—an estimated 134 million people—have listened to an audiobook (Source: Research Surveys Press Release — Homepage). More importantly, interest among non-listeners jumped from 32% to 38% in just one year, with those "very interested" nearly doubling from 10% to 18% (Source: Research Surveys Press Release — Homepage).

This isn't a niche format anymore. It's mainstream, it's growing, and the audience is more diverse than you think.

Age Cohorts: The Under-45 Advantage

People aged 18-44 represent 57% of audiobook listeners (Source: Audiobook Statistics By Sales, Listeners and Demographics (2025)), with the sweet spot being ages 25-34, which constitutes 29.28% of listeners, followed closely by the 18-24 age group at 20.41% (Source: Audiobooks Statistics and Facts (2025)).

But don't sleep on older listeners. While only 12% of those 65 and older had listened to an audiobook in the past year, 30% of adults aged 18 to 29 engaged with the format (Source: Audiobook consumption in U.S. by age 2021 | Statista). The gradient is clear: younger audiences are driving adoption, but there's runway for growth across all age groups.

What this means for you: If you're publishing genre fiction—especially Romantasy, YA, or contemporary romance—your core audiobook audience skews younger. But literary fiction, mystery/thriller, and nonfiction? You've got a broader age demographic willing to listen.

Gender Tendencies by Genre

25% of women reported listening to an audiobook in the past year, compared to 22% of men (Source: Audiobook consumption in U.S. by gender 2021 | Statista)—not a massive gap, but women do edge ahead. Where it gets interesting is genre preference.

Women read mystery/thriller/crime books at a much higher rate than men (57% compared to 39%), while romance shows the most pronounced difference, with 37% of women reading romance compared to just 3% of men (Source: Female, Younger Readers Biggest Fiction Fans - Marketing Charts). Meanwhile, science fiction appeals to 32% of men versus 20% of women (Source: Female, Younger Readers Biggest Fiction Fans - Marketing Charts).

The takeaway? Genre matters more than gender in audiobook marketing. If you're in romance, your audience is overwhelmingly female. Sci-fi and fantasy? More balanced, but still male-leaning. Mystery and thriller? Both genders love it, but women consume more.

Average Titles Per Year: The Voracious Listener Economy

Audiobook listeners consumed an average of 6.8 titles in 2024, up from 6.3 in 2023 (Source: Audiobook Sales are Soaring in 2024 – Audiobook Statistics - Good e-Reader). But remember from our previous installment—active readers are consuming 11-12 books per month (132-144 annually). Many of those are audiobooks.

The velocity is real. On average, listeners consume 8.1 audiobooks annually (Source: Who Listens To Audiobooks? A Look At The Market - Lantern Audio), but the heaviest users are burning through far more. The average daily time spent listening to audiobooks is 41 minutes (Source: Fresh Audiobooks Statistics: Sales, Listeners, Demographics & Audible Stats (2025)), and since an average audiobook lasts 10 hours, listeners can complete at least 2 audiobooks per month.

This consumption pattern creates opportunity: listeners need a steady supply of new content. Series work particularly well. Keep them hooked with book one, and they'll devour the rest.

Kids & Family Listening: The Next Generation

This is huge: 53% of parents report their kids listen to audiobooks, and 77% say audiobooks offer a break from screen time (Source: Audiobook Statistics By Sales, Listeners and Demographics (2025)).

We're cultivating a generation of audio-native readers. 61% of American parents' children listened to audiobooks in 2021 (Source: Fresh Audiobooks Statistics: Sales, Listeners, Demographics & Audible Stats (2025)), and that number is climbing. The implications? Today's 8-year-old listening to Harry Potter on a road trip is tomorrow's 25-year-old audiobook subscriber burning through your backlist.

Children's and YA audiobooks grew 26% year-over-year in 2024, one of the fastest-growing segments. If you write for younger audiences, audio isn't optional—it's essential.

Segmented Campaign Ideas: Marketing to Real People

Stop broadcasting. Start targeting.

The common thread? Audiobook listeners are multi-taskers. 73% of people listen to audiobooks during their daily commute (Source: Fresh Audiobooks Statistics: Sales, Listeners, Demographics & Audible Stats (2025)). They're at the gym, doing dishes, walking the dog. Your marketing should acknowledge their lifestyle and position your audiobook as the perfect companion to their existing routines.

The Distribution Advantage

Here's the thing about audiobook demographics: they're everywhere. Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, Spotify, library apps through Overdrive and Hoopla. 72% say it's important that audiobooks are available on their preferred listening platform, and 63% value access through their library app (Source: Research Surveys Press Release — Homepage).