Last updated on August 10th, 2017

Today, Edison Research published their annual The Podcast Consumer report which documents the growth of the podcast industry, awareness, and listener behaviors. Maybe more importantly, it sets a benchmark on the podcast audience, their demographics, and listening habits which is the bread and butter for advertisers.

Do you enjoy listening to high-quality podcasts for free? Of course you do.

A good chunk of these are made possible by advertising dollars who only invest if they think they’ll see a good return. Studies like this one help advertisers predict how far their ad dollars will go and if they’ll go to the right people. That’s why this study is absolutely crucial for the podcast industry as a whole. Even if you hate listening to Blue Apron, Audible, and Simply Safe commercials, they and others make the podcasts possible.

Luckily for us, podcast listeners, podcasters, and advertisers, this years’ report furthered the cause. It found the majority of listeners are in the coveted 18-34 age demographic, are highly educated, and skew on the affluent side.

Even better, Edison Research study found podcaster listeners are highly engaged, quick to act, and listen basically all the way through. What does this mean for advertisers? They get their word out to the rich consumers who are more likely to make purchases.

Related reading: 25 of the Best Podcast Microphones

See the full study findings below and let me know your thoughts in the comments.