The United States is one of the world’s most connected markets, as shown by trusted data in the 2027 Global Digital Report: United States. As of October 2026, the country had 435 million cellular mobile connections. That’s an increase of 15 million connections from the previous year.
The United States also had 331 million internet users, up 1.6 million year over year, bringing internet penetration to 94.7%. Social media reached 268 million user identities, an increase of 14 million. These identities may not represent unique people.
That connectivity shows up in everyday routines: checking directions on a phone, comparing products before buying, catching up with friends on social media, or watching a quick video while waiting in line. People move between devices and platforms as they look for information, entertainment, and ideas.
For marketers, this means reaching audiences wherever they are. The 2027 Global Digital Report: United States explores how Americans use the internet, social media, mobile devices, and ecommerce, offering current data to inform marketing decisions. Read on to explore some of the report’s key highlights and headlines.
Table of contents
Data source
Population statistics in the United States
Internet usage statistics in the United States
Media and device usage in the United States
Social media usage statistics in the United States
Mobile usage statistics in the United States
Ecommerce statistics in the United States
Digital payment statistics in the United States
Digital advertising statistics in the United States
What the data means for U.S. marketers in 2027
Frequently asked questions
Data source
This article summarizes selected findings from DataReportal’s 2027 Global Digital Report: United States, published in November 2026. Meltwater and We Are Social supported the Global Digital Reports series. The figures below are reproduced or summarized from the report and retain its original definitions, reference periods, and methodological caveats.
The report brings together data from partners including:
- GWI
- Statista
- Similarweb
- Semrush
- GSMA Intelligence
- Ookla
- Skai
- Manochi
Most adoption figures describe October 2026. Survey findings largely come from Q2 2026, while ecommerce and advertising figures are estimates or projections for the full 2026 calendar year. Where the report notes changes in data sources or methods, figures from this edition should not be compared directly with numbers published in earlier editions.
Population statistics in the United States
What is the U.S. population?
The United States had approximately 349 million residents as of October 2026, up 1.7 million from a year earlier. Men accounted for 50.3% of the population and women for 49.7%. The median age was 38.7 years.
About 74.6% of the population lived in urban areas, according to the report’s measure of urbanization. That leaves a substantial audience outside major cities, a reminder that a single picture of “the American consumer” can hide considerable differences in access, routines, and local needs.
The report also estimates a life expectancy of 79.8 years, an average household size of 2.5 people, and an adult literacy rate of 99%.
What are the largest age groups in the United States?
People aged 35 to 39 formed the largest five-year age group, with 24.4 million residents, or 7.0% of the population. The 20–24 and 30–34 groups followed at 23.6 million and 23.5 million respectively. Another 23.3 million people were aged 40–44.
These groups are close in size, but their needs and media habits are unlikely to be identical. For brands, age is a useful starting point for audience research, not a substitute for understanding what people actually do online.
Internet usage statistics in the United States
How many internet users are there in the United States?
There were 331 million internet users in the United States in October 2026. That is 94.7% of the population, with the number of users increasing by 1.6 million over the previous year.
For many Americans, going online happens across several devices throughout the day. Among internet users aged 16 and older, 94.2% access the internet through a mobile phone, while 71.3% use a laptop or desktop computer. Phones lead in reach, but computers remain a significant part of how people work, research, and browse.
How much time do Americans spend online?
The report puts average weekly time spent using connected media at 44 hours and 6 minutes among internet users aged 16 and older.
A separate breakdown of weekly media time shows how that attention is distributed. Streaming television accounts for 10 hours and 11 minutes, while social media accounts for 8 hours and 44 minutes. Short-form online video adds 6 hours and 41 minutes; online press accounts for 3 hours and 5 minutes.
These categories can overlap. Someone might scroll through social media while watching television, for example, so the individual media figures should not be added together to calculate a person’s total time.
Why do Americans use the internet?
Finding information remains the leading reason Americans go online. 72.2% of internet users aged 16 and older cite it as a primary reason, followed by researching how to do things at 64.4%.
Those broad categories cover familiar moments: looking up a recipe, checking a weather forecast, or finding instructions for a home repair. Staying in touch with friends and family is also a major motivation at 63.6%. Another 59.6% go online to watch videos, television shows, or movies, while 55.5% use the internet to research products and brands.
For marketers, the range of motivations matters. A person looking for a quick answer may need something very different from someone comparing products before a purchase.
What types of websites and apps do Americans use?
Social networks have the broadest monthly reach of any digital property category in the report. 93.7% of internet users aged 16 and older visited or used one in the past month. Email followed at 89.1%, then search engines or web portals at 88.2%.
Chat and messaging services reached 83.2%, while shopping, auction, or classifieds sites reached 81.5%. Social feeds may take up a great deal of attention, but email, search, and shopping sites remain part of Americans’ regular digital routines.
Download the 2027 Global Digital Report: United States for the full breakdown of internet use, including devices, online activities, search behavior, and AI adoption.
Media and device usage in the United States
Which digital devices do Americans own?
Mobile phones are nearly universal among U.S. internet users aged 16 and older: 97.1% own one and 96.8% own a smartphone specifically.
Device ownership extends well beyond phones:
- 67.2% have a laptop or desktop computer
- 65.1% have a smart TV, and 47.7% own a tablet
- nearly a third, 31.1%, own a smartwatch
That variety helps explain why digital experiences rarely stay on one screen. Someone may discover a product on a phone, explore it on a computer, and watch related content on a television later that evening. A consistent experience across those devices makes it easier to continue where they left off.
Which types of media do most Americans consume?
Television has the broadest weekly reach: 90.2% of internet users aged 16 and older watch some form of TV. Online video reaches 86.1%, and social media reaches 85.7%.
Streaming TV alone reaches 81.3%, while 64.2% watch linear or broadcast television. Online press reaches 70.4% each week, compared with 37.3% for physical press.
Americans have added more ways to watch and read without settling on one format. For communicators, a story may reach someone through a news site, a social post, or a television screen, depending on the moment.
Social media usage statistics in the United States
How many people use social media in the United States?
The report identifies 268 million social media user identities in the United States as of October 2026, up 14 million, or 5.5%, from the previous year. That figure is equivalent to 76.7% of the population and 81.0% of internet users.
“User identities” is an important distinction. The figure does not necessarily represent 268 million unique people: individuals may have multiple accounts, and some accounts belong to businesses or other organizations.
How often do Americans use social media?
U.S. internet users aged 16 and older use social media an average of 4.49 days per week, more frequently than they watch streaming television or short-form video as separately measured media activities.
The report’s social media overview puts weekly time on social platforms, including video, at 20 hours and 53 minutes. That measure has a broader definition than the 8 hours and 44 minutes reported for social media in the weekly media-time chart, so the two figures should be presented with their labels rather than treated as interchangeable.
Americans also use an average of 6.5 social platforms each month. Reaching an audience on social media often means understanding the different jobs those platforms do in people’s lives.
Why do Americans use social media?
Keeping in touch with friends and family leads the list at 58.1% of social media users aged 16 and older. Another 41.0% use social platforms to fill spare time.
Content and news matter, too: 30.3% use social media to find articles or videos, and 29.0% use it to read news stories. Another 18.3% say finding products to purchase is a primary reason.
A person might open an app for a family update and stay to watch a product demonstration or read a local news story. Brands need to understand that surrounding context when deciding what will be useful in a feed.
Which social media platforms do Americans use most?
Facebook had the widest self-reported monthly use among U.S. internet users aged 16 and older at 74.7%. YouTube followed at 60.7%, Instagram at 59.5%, Messenger at 56.2%, and TikTok at 47.2%.
Reach tells only part of the story. Among active app users in August 2026, average daily time reached 2 hours and 2 minutes on TikTok, 1 hour and 37 minutes on YouTube, and 1 hour and 27 minutes on Instagram. TikTok users also opened the app an average of 15.2 times per day.
Those figures describe people who actively used each app, not the entire U.S. population. They show why platform choice should account for both audience reach and the kind of attention a platform receives.
Which social media platform has the largest reported ad audience?
LinkedIn reported the largest potential U.S. advertising audience at 300 million, followed by:
- Reddit at 285 million
- YouTube at 268 million
- Facebook at 198 million
- Instagram at 180 million
- and TikTok at 150 million
These numbers require care. LinkedIn bases its reach figure on registered members rather than active users, so it is not directly comparable with other platforms. The report also flags anomalies in Reddit’s reported audience data.
Potential ad reach should be used for planning alongside platform-specific audience research, not interpreted as a count of unique people who will see a campaign.
How long is the average social media session?
YouTube recorded the longest average session among the apps measured in August 2026, at 13 minutes and 1 second each time an active user opened it. TikTok followed at 8 minutes, then Instagram at 6 minutes and 22 seconds.
Session length offers another view of platform behavior. YouTube’s longer sessions may suit content that takes time to explore, while a shorter session can still contain several useful interactions. The right format depends on what the audience came to do.
How do Americans use social media to research brands?
55.2% of U.S. internet users aged 16 and older use at least one type of social media channel to find information about brands and products. Social networks are used for this purpose by 30.4%, while 17.2% use question-and-answer sites and 12.2% use forums or message boards.
That research can take many forms, from watching a demonstration to reading a discussion about how a product performs. For brands, the questions people ask in those spaces offer useful clues about what their own content should explain more clearly.
The 2027 Global Digital Report: United States includes more detail on platform audiences, social media habits, brand research, and traffic referrals.
Mobile usage statistics in the United States
How many cellular mobile connections are there in the United States?
The United States had 435 million cellular mobile connections in October 2026, up 15 million from the previous year. That is equivalent to 125% of the population.
The total includes connections used by devices other than phones and excludes cellular Internet of Things connections. It can exceed the population because one person may have more than one subscription or connected device.
All of the cellular connections included in this measure were classified as broadband connections using 3G, 4G, or 5G technology.
How do Americans access the internet?
Mobile phones are used to access the internet by 94.2% of internet users aged 16 and older. Laptops and desktops follow at 71.3%, while connected televisions reach 42.5% and tablets 41.3%.
Yet phones do not account for most U.S. web page traffic. In July 2026, mobile browsers generated 43.93% of web page requests, compared with 53.82% from laptop and desktop browsers. Device use and web traffic measure different things, and both are useful when planning a digital experience.
How fast are U.S. internet connections?
For the three-month period ending in August 2026, the median mobile download speed was 186.64 Mbps, up 21.2% year over year. Fixed connections had a median download speed of 307.16 Mbps, up 7.5%.
The faster speeds support richer digital experiences, but speed alone cannot make a confusing checkout or hard-to-read page useful. Clear information and dependable performance still matter across devices.
Ecommerce statistics in the United States
How many Americans shop online?
An estimated 299 million people purchased consumer goods through online channels in 2026, an increase of 11 million, or 4.0%, from the previous year.
Online shopping is also a frequent activity. 58.9% of internet users aged 16 and older said they purchased products or services online each week.
A purchase might begin with a search, continue through customer reviews, and finish in a retailer’s app. For shoppers, the route is flexible. For retailers, each step is a chance to answer a question or remove uncertainty.
How much do Americans spend on online shopping?
Estimated U.S. spending on consumer goods ecommerce reached $1.22 trillion in 2026, up 5.6%, or $64 billion, year over year. Average annual revenue per shopper was $4,061.
Purchases made via mobile phones accounted for 47.8% of consumer goods ecommerce spending. Online purchases represented 33.2% of consumer goods purchase value across all retail channels.
These are full-year estimates. The report also notes major changes to category definitions and underlying data, so these values should not be compared directly with figures published in previous editions.
What do Americans buy online?
Food was the largest consumer goods ecommerce category, with an estimated $247 billion in 2026 spending. Fashion followed closely at $241 billion, then DIY and hardware at $191 billion. Furniture reached $131 billion.
The categories reflect how established online shopping has become for both routine purchases and considered ones. A grocery order and a piece of furniture call for different information, delivery expectations, and levels of reassurance. Retailers need to make those details easy to find before checkout.
How popular is online grocery shopping?
An estimated 158 million Americans ordered groceries through online platforms in 2026, up 10 million, or 6.7%, year over year. The estimated value of online grocery orders reached $364 billion, an increase of 15.3%.
Average annual spending per online grocery shopper was approximately $2,300. This measure covers more than food: it also includes beverages, household and personal care items, meal kits, and some orders purchased online for pickup. It should therefore not be compared directly with the report’s food-only ecommerce category.
What encourages Americans to complete an online purchase?
Free delivery is the leading purchase driver, cited by 62.0% of internet users aged 16 and older. 47.1% point to coupons and discounts, while 39.1% value an easy returns policy.
Customer reviews matter to 37.7%, and 33.7% cite a simple online checkout. Together, those answers show the value of addressing practical questions like these before asking a shopper to buy:
- What will it cost to receive the order?
- Can it be returned?
- What have other customers experienced?
Digital payment statistics in the United States
How many people use digital payments?
The report estimates 283 million users making digital payments in 2026, up 10.3 million, or 3.8%, from the previous year. Its definition covers mobile point-of-sale payments and consumer digital commerce, but excludes business-to-business transactions. The user figure may not represent unique individuals.
The estimated annual value of these payments reached $10.9 trillion, up 4.7% year over year. Average annual payment value per user was approximately $38,300.
Which payment methods do Americans use for ecommerce?
Debit and credit cards accounted for 49% of U.S. consumer ecommerce transaction value in 2025. Mobile and digital wallets were close behind at 40%. Buy now, pay later services represented 6%, account-to-account transfers 4%, and other methods 1%.
Cards remain the leading payment method, but wallets are a substantial part of online spending. Offering familiar payment choices and a straightforward checkout can help shoppers complete a purchase in the way they prefer.
Digital advertising statistics in the United States
How much do advertisers spend in the United States?
Total U.S. advertising spending was projected to reach $511 billion in 2026, an increase of $35.6 billion, or 7.5%, over the previous year.
Digital advertising accounted for an estimated $408 billion, up 10.2% year over year. That puts digital at 79.8% of total advertising spending.
These investments span many formats and moments in the customer journey. Someone might encounter a brand in a search result while comparing options, then see its video later in a social feed.
How much is spent on search advertising?
U.S. online search advertising spending was projected to reach $172 billion in 2026, up 10.9% year over year. Search represented 42.1% of estimated digital advertising spending.
That investment reflects the continuing role of search in answering immediate questions. 88.2% of U.S. internet users aged 16 and older used a search engine or web portal in the past month, and 56.7% named search engines as a primary source when researching brands.
How much is spent on social media advertising?
Social media advertising spending was projected to reach $126 billion in 2026, up 17.8% from the previous year. It represented 30.9% of estimated digital advertising spending.
Brands have ample opportunity to reach audiences in social feeds, but attention depends on the content surrounding an ad. A useful demonstration, a clear answer to a common question, or creative that fits the platform can give people a reason to engage.
What other digital advertising formats are growing?
Programmatic advertising was projected to reach $346 billion, equivalent to 84.8% of estimated digital ad spending. In-app advertising reached a projected $177 billion, while advertising on online retail platforms reached $84.6 billion.
These figures describe different ways of buying and placing ads, so their totals overlap. They should not be added together. The common thread is that advertisers are investing across the places where people browse, research, and shop.
What the U.S. data means for marketers in 2027
Be visible across the full research journey
Word of mouth was the leading source of new brand discovery among U.S. internet users aged 16 and older, cited by 37.5%. Television ads followed at 35.8%, search engines at 33.9%, retail websites at 31.5%, and social media ads at 30.4%.
Once people begin researching a brand, the mix changes. Search engines are a primary information source for 56.7%, followed by consumer reviews at 38.7% and product or brand websites at 37.5%. A marketer should know which questions each of those sources can answer and where information may be missing.
Make brand information useful to people and AI tools
50.6% of U.S. internet users aged 16 and older used AI tools to search for information in the past month. 18.5% used AI to research brands and potential purchases.
Brand websites still have a significant role: 57.4% of internet users visited one in the past month. Clear product information, current FAQs, and consistent facts across trusted third-party sources can help people find accurate answers, wherever their research starts.
Give social content a purpose
More than half of internet users use some form of social media for brand research. Meanwhile, keeping in touch with people and filling spare time remain leading reasons for using social platforms.
That combination calls for content suited to the moment. A product demonstration can answer a practical question; a customer story can help someone assess a claim. The goal is to be useful within the experience people already came to the platform for.
Make purchasing easier
Americans are projected to spend $1.22 trillion on consumer goods online in 2026. Free delivery, discounts, easy returns, and customer reviews are among the strongest reasons people say they would complete a purchase.
Marketers and retailers can use those findings to review the full path to checkout. An appealing ad may bring someone to a product page, but a clear and smooth buying experience helps them reach the “Order Confirmed” one.
Frequently asked questions
How many people use social media in the United States?
According to the 2027 Global Digital Report: United States, there were 268 million social media user identities in October 2026. User identities may not represent unique people.
How much time do Americans spend on social media?
The 2027 Global Digital Report: United States’s social media overview records 20 hours and 53 minutes per week on social platforms, including video. A separate media-use chart records 8 hours and 44 minutes per week for its narrower social media measure.
What percentage of Americans own a smartphone?
96.8% of U.S. internet users aged 16 and older own a smartphone. This figure describes that surveyed group, rather than the total population.
How many mobile connections are there in the United States?
The 2027 Global Digital Report: United States identifies 435 million cellular mobile connections in October 2026, equivalent to 125% of the population. People may have more than one connection.
How many Americans shop online?
An estimated 299 million people purchased consumer goods online in 2026.
How much do Americans spend online?
Estimated annual U.S. spending on consumer goods ecommerce reached $1.22 trillion in 2026.
What is the largest U.S. ecommerce category?
Food was the largest consumer goods ecommerce category, with an estimated $247 billion in online spending in 2026. Fashion followed at $241 billion.
How much is spent on digital advertising in the United States?
Digital advertising spending was projected to reach $408 billion in 2026, or 79.8% of total U.S. advertising spending.
Download the 2027 Global Digital Report: United States
These findings offer a starting point for understanding how Americans connect, research, and buy. The full report provides additional charts on internet adoption, media habits, social platforms, AI use, ecommerce, and advertising.
Use it to explore the audiences you want to reach and the decisions they make across channels.
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