41 Mind-Blowing Creator Economy Stats That Marketers Can Learn From

Having found success on TikTok, Thomas Petrou co-founded The Hype House, a collaborative content house where TikTokers lived together, created videos, and grew their following with Petrou’s guidance and support.

He is one of the many content creators making a name for themselves in the creator economy — a relatively new concept but, as anyone can become a content creator, the potential for significant growth is clear. 

In this post, we’ll explain exactly what the creator economy is, and go over key stats that marketers should know. 

Table of Contents

What is the creator economy?

The creator economy is where creators, from YouTubers to bloggers, share content with audiences and generate revenue from monetization opportunities. It also includes the businesses that creators launch to further grow their content. 

Businesses have a place in the creator economy as well; specifically those that create tools for creators to build their impact, reach, and audience. For example, Patreon helps creators launch premium membership programs and Virtual Dining Concept helps creators launch restaurants in ghost kitchens. Creators will also continue to look to businesses to offer the tools they need to meet their goals, requiring businesses to be on top of the trends. 

Marketers are also impacted by the creator economy, as social media users put more trust in their favorite influencers and creators than the brands they follow. As a result, creating an impactful ad for social media can require partnering with influencers that have an engaged audience that trusts their recommendations.

The creator economy is only set to grow. Given this, it’s important to stay on top of the current state of the creator economy — below we’ve compiled a list of stats that demonstrate this. 

Creator Economy Stats For Marketers To Know

General Creator Economy Stats

• 58% of creators create 2-4 types of content. (Linktree)
• Full-time creators’ most common content types are social media posts, emails or newsletters, and articles or blogs. (ConvertKit)
• 52% of marketers lean on creators to strengthen their social community, and 41% say they want to work with content creators to promote their brand values. (Sprout Social)
• Marketers most often hire creators to make educational content, unboxing or reveals, and testimonials. (Sprout Social)
• A majority of content creators share between 0 and 10 sponsored posts per year. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Creator Economy Statistics by Platform

• There are 30M+ creators on Instagram, 3M on Twitch, 13M on YouTube, and 2M+ on other social platforms. (SignalFire)

• There are 2.6M average concurrent viewers on Twitch and 93K average concurrent streamers. (Twitch Tracker)

• Full time creators use an average of 3.4 channels for audience engagement. (ConvertKit)
• Khaby Lame is the most followed TikTok creator with 149.7 million followers, followed by Charli D’Amelio with 147.1 million and Bella Poarch with 91.7 million. (Statista)
• There are 200M content creators globally. (Linktree)

Creator Economy Statistics by Content Creators 

• 30% of 18-24 year olds and 40% of 25-35 year olds call themselves content creators. (HubSpot Blog)
• Creators are most likely to be young (63% Gen Z) and female (48%). (Global Web Index) 
• 46.7% of creators are full-time creators. (ConvertKit)
• Educational creators, bloggers, coaches, writers, and artists are the most common types of creators. (ConvertKit)
• The top earning creators are educational creators, coaches, podcasters, influencers, and marketers. (ConvertKit)
• 37% of niche creators have engaged in a brand collaboration at least once. (Linktree)
• The average amount of time spent creating content each week is 1 – 5 hours. (Linktree)
• A majority of content creators say that brand deals are their highest earning revenue source. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• Content creators prefer to monetize their content on Instagram and TikTok. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

• 61% of content creators say they post content for fun, 34% post because they’re passionate about the content they share, and 31% post content to explore a new potential hobby. (Global Web Index) 
• 15% of consumers are subscribed to a creator’s membership site. (Uscreen)

Who are the biggest creators in the creator economy?

• According to Forbes, the biggest content creators in the creator economy are Mr. Beast, Charlie D’Amelio, Alexandra Cooper, Elliot Table, Emma Chamberlain, and Huda Kattan. (Forbes)

How much do the biggest content creators make?

The top-earning TikTokers in 2022 are Charli and Dixie D’Amelio (17.5 million and 10 million respectively), Addison Rae (8.5 million), and Bella Poarch (5 million). (Forbes)

• The top-earning YouTubers in 2021 were Mr. Beast ($54 million), Jake Paul ($45 million), and Markiplier ($38 million). (Forbes)
• Full time creators leverage 2.7 income streams on average. (ConvertKit)
• 35.2% of content creators earn money from their creator business but not enough to support themselves. (The Tilt)
• 48.49% of influencers say they do earn money from their accounts. (HypeAuditor)
• The average salary for content creators in 2022 is $44,192 per year, which translates to over $22 per hour or $3,680 per month. (HubSpot Blog)

How much do beginner content creators make in the creator economy?

• 59% of beginning creators haven’t monetized their content yet. (Linktree)
• It takes content creators an average of six and a half months to earn their first dollar. (The Tilt)
• Creators less than a year into content creators have an income level of less than 50k. (Convert Kit)

Creator Economy Trends and Projections

• It’s estimated that the total creator economy market size is around $104.2 billion and is set to grow on par with the trajectory of the Gig Economy. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

• The next creator economy influencers might emerge straight out of high school, as 29% of high schoolers in America selected content creators as part of their preferred career choice. (Antler) 

• The most important benefit to being a content creator is independence and being their own boss 32.4%. (Convert Kit)
• 23M creators are part of the creator economy for recreational purposes.  (Convert Kit)

 

Estimated Worth of the Global Creator Economy

• The entire creator economy’s estimated to be worth around $104.2 billion. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• The creator economy currently consists of over 300 startups. (Influencers Club)
• Creator platforms that achieved unicorn status in 2021 raised an average of $13.2M at series A funding. (Antler)
• Creator companies Spotter, Linktree, and Domestika reached unicorn status in 2022. (Antler)
• The creator economy saw a record of $1.3B in funding in 2021 alone. (CB Insights)
• The most common creator launchpad in 2021 was Instagram. (ConvertKit)