Number of Twitter Users in the US (2010–2024)
Given that the United States ranks top in the list sorting the number of Twitter (now known as X) users by country, it’s evident that Twitter is a crucial platform for US businesses aiming to expand their reach.
But before you jump right into using Twitter (X) for your business, it’s important to understand key Twitter statistics to better guide your strategy. This starts with answering the question: What percentage of Americans use Twitter?
What percentage of Americans use Twitter (X): Table
|
Year |
Percentage of US population using Twitter (X) |
|
2010 |
7% |
|
2011 |
8% |
|
2012 |
10% |
|
2013 |
15% |
|
2014 |
16% |
|
2015 |
18% |
|
2016 |
21% |
|
2017 |
23% |
|
2018 |
21% |
|
2019 |
19% |
|
2020 |
21% |
|
2021 |
23% |
|
2022 |
27% |
|
2023 |
27% (77 million) |
|
2024 |
19% (22 million) |
How many Americans are on Twitter (X) in 2024?
According to a recent analysis, nearly one in five (19%) US consumers are active users of Twitter (X) in 2024, which translates to around 55 million people.
The number of Twitter users in the US this year marks a stark decline of 22 million, or 28.6% from the previous year. In 2023, it was estimated that 27% of the population, or around 77 million, were active users of the micro-blogging site.
2024 is the first time the number of Twitter users in the US has fallen in five years and represents a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers. In 2019, the percentage of Americans using Twitter was recorded at 19%. The social media boom during the pandemic saw the number of Twitter users increase, rising to make up 21% and 23% of the US population in 2020 and 2021, respectively. A four-percentage-point rise to 27% followed in 2022, which held steady in 2023.
The data shows that the percentage of Americans on Twitter had largely been growing before the pandemic. In fact, from 2010 to 2019, the metric fell just twice—in 2018 and 2019. Over this nine year period, Twitter’s penetration in the US rose from 7% to 19%.
What’s causing the falling number of Twitter users in the US?
Industry analysts attribute the decline in the number of Twitter users in the US in recent years to several factors. The first is news fatigue. According to experts, many users who had signed up for the platform in 2020 and 2021 had done so to stay up to date with the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US presidential election. But they are now said to be leaving to search for other content elsewhere.
Twitter’s shedding of users has also been attributed to the company’s takeover by Elon Musk, which has resulted in widespread offensive content and uncovered lingering technical difficulties.
Despite the decline in the number of Twitter users in the US, the micro-blogging site is still a powerful platform for brands to market on. Users spend an average of 34.1 minutes per day on Twitter, which remains one of the most popular social media sites in the US.