77 Creator Economy Statistics 2021: Facts, Reports, and M...

Posted: November 14, 2021 | Last updated: April 4, 2024

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The rise of various digital and social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook paved the way for the creator economy. Not only celebrities are into this business these days, but we also see ordinary people becoming influencers in different niches. If you want to get a good view of how this community has expanded, check the creator economy statistics 2021 we’ve collected for you.

Creator Economy Statistics 2021 — It’s amazing how content creators can leverage one’s business through passion and creativity.

Social media influencers, videographers, bloggers, or so-called content creators have significant opportunities to create and share the content we see on the internet every day. Nowadays, we aren’t solely reliant on big media companies to serve us reliable (or fake) news and entertainment. The creator economy market has evolved to become a major force.

The development of high-end technology and gadgets have also encouraged people to produce more content. You don’t necessarily have to secure high-quality cameras and equipment to become a content creator. You can do the magic with your smartphone and with the help of content creation tools or software. Additionally, new career opportunities have emerged because of this digital advent. You can now make a living from different online work and endeavors.

To help you understand more about the creator economy, let’s look at relevant creator economy statistics 2021 below.

Creator Economy Population Statistics

As mentioned above, the influencer community is growing. If you’re asking, “how many people are in the creator economy,” these statistics will answer your question:

According to SignalFire, 50 million is the predicted number of people who would consider themselves creators.
Out of these 50 million creators, 46.7 million call themselves neophytes.
Meanwhile, around 2 million creators see themselves as professionals.
Around 30 million amateur creators share their content on Instagram, 12 million on YouTube, 2.7 million on Twitch, and 2 million on other social media platforms.
On the other hand, 1 million professional creators are on YouTube, 500,000 are on Instagram, 300,000 on Twitch, and 200,000 are on other social platforms.
As revealed by Forbes, there were approximately 60,000 creators on OnlyFans in 2019. The figure increased to 450,000 in September 2020, and in December 2020, it peaked at 1 million.
You may wonder: how many creators are in the US? According to a study by Re:create, about 17 million people in the United States are into content creation and influencer marketing.

The data above reflects the fact that indeed, it’s worth knowing the top content creators on platforms like YouTube.

Creator Economy Growth and Revenue Statistics

Now that you know how many content creators are there, let’s look at significant figures on the creator economy market growth and revenue.

According to creator economy statistics 2021, sponsored influencers are worth $8 billion.
Moreover, Mediakix reported that the sponsored influencers’ worth is expected to rise to $15 million by 2022.
46% of creators who have worked to build an audience for over 4 years earn $20,000 yearly on their monetized channels.
Meanwhile, 77% of content creators depend on brand deals for income.
When promoting content on YouTube, the platform takes 55% of the ad revenue and shares 45% to the creators.
In the US, 97.5% of YouTube creators don’t make enough money to reach the country’s poverty line of $12,140.
As per creator economy statistics 2021, creators’ ad revenue slumped by 33% during the pandemic.
Regarding creator companies, Substack’s biggest-paid publication is “The Dispatch,” with thousands of subscribers paying a $10 fee every month.
Following “The Dispatch” is “Letters from An American,” with thousands of subscribers paying $5 per month.
Stir, a company that allows creators to collaborate and split their revenue, received a seed funding of $4 million.
Since October 2020, there was an observed $800 million growth from 31 startup capital investments, which led to a significant rise in creator economy stocks.
So, how big is the creator economy market? According to a survey by NeoReach and Influencer Marketing Hub, the total market size of the creator economy is around $104.2 billion.

The creator economy has grown larger than ever, proof of which is the rise of the top Instagram superstars.

Here are the estimated total revenue earned by content creators on different digital marketing platforms:

Instagram: $5.6+ million
WordPress: $4.9+ million
Tumblr: $3.1+ million
YouTube: $2.1+ million
Etsy: $928,300+
Amazon Publishing: $177,000+
Shapeways: $24,500+
eBay: $24,000+
Twitch: $9,700+

Creators Social Media Performance and Usage Statistics

If you’re looking for the best platforms to connect with content creators, knowing where they work is essential. Otherwise, if you’re an aspiring influencer, understanding how your competition works would also be helpful. Check out these facts and figures to get started:

As per creator economy statistics 2021, 50% of viewers or content consumers use ad-block technology. Hence, creators need to find a way to promote products outside of ads.
According to Socialblade, there are roughly 37 million active YouTube channels in 2021.
Meanwhile, YouTube had 22,000 channels with over 1 million subscribers in November 2020.
The accounts with more than 1 million subscribers experienced a 65% growth in 2019.
On average, YouTube creators upload 500 hours of video every minute.
2.4% of Instagram users have 100K to 500K followers, and 52.35% have less than 1K followers.
In March 2020, Twitch had over 41.1K partners. This number grew to 300K in 2021.
The percentage of creators who prefer Instagram as their primary platform is 72%.
In 2020, TikTok burst into the scene and tailed behind Instagram, making it the 2nd platform for content creators.
Twitch streamer Seanstream broke the world record for the longest streaming hours when he streamed a total of 595 hours in November 2019. During the said period, he also had several streams that lasted for 30-36 hours.
According to IZEA, 52% of content creators devoted 0 to 39 hours of their month to content creation and influencer marketing.
Meanwhile, 22% spent 40 to 79 hours every month, 13% spent 80 to 124 hours per month, and 14% spent 125 hours every month.

Read this SharedCount review to learn how to monitor your social media performance and your audiences’ interests.

Creator Economy Platforms Statistics

Aside from social media sites, the creator economy has also expanded on other digital marketing platforms. See relevant data below:

Patreon

This website requires membership and provides a wide range of business tools to aid creators in monetizing their content through subscriptions.

In 2020, Patreon’s top 15 creators generated an income of over $200,000.
Chapo Trap House, the top earner in Patreon, has an average income of over $150,000 per month, as shown in creator economy statistics 2021.
According to Graphetron’s research, creators with the fewest Patrons generate approximately $9,000 per month. One of these creators is Cuddle Pit, with only 1,600 Patrons.
Based on the same data by Graphetron, Patreon’s top 1,000 creators earn at least $3,000 a month.

Medium

This platform is known as a better alternative to free blogging. Medium features neophytes and popular writers who are paid through the platform’s Partner Program.

In September 2020, the highest income generated by an author with a single story was over $16,600. The highest payment generated by an author across multiple articles was more than $49,700.
Medium gives bonuses to active writers who have published at least two articles.
Approximately 500 to 700 writers earn over $1,000 per month.

Creator Economy Platforms Statistics — In blogging, you shouldn’t just create. It’s important to share, connect, and inspire through your content.

Shopify

This subscription-based software gives any subscriber a free hand to set up their online store and sell their goods or services. With the use of Shopify POS, sellers may also sell in physical stores.

Shopify has more than a million stores.
Meanwhile, Shopify Plus has 53,000 stores.
Shopify’s top 65 stores generate revenue of at least $1 million.
After Amazon and eBay, Shopify is the 3rd biggest online retailer in the United States.
Between 2016 and 2019, businesses in the platform had contributed $319 billion to the entire world’s economy.

Gumroad

This e-commerce platform is widely known for helping creators in selling their products. Various artists and creators, including musicians, writers, filmmakers, and developers, sell their products and services directly to consumers in Gumroad.

In 2020, 46,000 Gumroad creators earned a total revenue of $142 million.
The top 1% of creators earned 60% of the total revenue, while the top 10% earned almost 92%.
Meanwhile, 7,945 creators generated an income of at least $1,000 annually.
179 creators earned at least $100,000 per year, and 8 creators generated an annual income of at least $1 million.

Substack

Make your life easier with Substack. This platform allows writers to publish a money-generating email newsletter via user subscription. It also provides publishing tools built on purpose for paid subscriptions. If you’re looking to monetize your content online, Substack is for you.

The platform’s top 10 writers generate a collective amount of over $15 million every year.
Meanwhile, the top 12 generate an average income of over $160,000 annually.
Following the year of its publishing, Blogging Guide reached $10,000 ARR.
Substack’s top-paid publication, “The Dispatch” earns more than $10,000 per month.
Meanwhile, “Sinocism by Bill Bishop” earns over $15,000 a month, and “HEATED by Emily Atkin” earns a little over $8,000 per month.

YouTube

This free video-sharing platform allows viewers to enjoy watching videos without limits. The YouTube Partner Program allows creators to monetize their videos. To qualify for the Partner Program, the creator needs to have a good standing with YouTube—at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours.

In 2020, YouTube’s top 10 highest-earning creators generated an income of over $15 million.
Thousands of YouTube channels earn over $100,000 from YouTube ads revenue.
As of June 2020, Ryan Kaji, popularly known as Ryan ToysReview, was YouTube’s top earner worldwide, with a total earning of approximately $29.5 million.
Ryan was followed by Mr. Beast with $24 million, Dude Perfect with $23 million, Rhett and Link with $20 million, and Markiplier with $19.5 million.

Want to know how to have a faster content publication? Check out this NapoleonCat review.

Teachable

This software helps users create and sell courses online. Teachable handles everything, including web hosting and payment processing.

One of the platform’s biggest milestones is $1 billion in creator revenue.
In 2020, Teachable creators launched over 154,000 brand-new courses and earned almost $400 million.
In June 2020, the platform launched its new coaching feature. With this new feature, Teachable was able to support creators launch of 15,000 new coaching products.
In the same period, 11,747 Teachable creators earned more than $1,000, 4,385 earned more than $10,000, 823 earned more than $100,000, and 56 creators earned more than $1,000,000.
At least 5,000 creators make a monthly revenue of more than $1,000 on Teachable.

Roblox

This platform is popular with both kids and adults because of its online gaming feature and storefront. Users go to Roblox to play various games made by game developers. To buy items on the platform, you must use its virtual currency called Robux. The developers earn a portion of every transaction still in the form of Robux.

In the past year, roughly 800 Roblox developers generated an income of over $30,000.
In the same period, 39 developers generated over $1 million.
For a single successful game, Roblox’s top developers earn $100,000 a month.
In 2020, the platform paid a sum of $250 million to its developers.

Join the Creator Economy

How Does the Creator Economy Work? — A quick overview of how the creator economy works. | *Source: SlideModel*

The facts and data above just proved how the creator economy has been successful over the years. As the world becomes more digital, the economy has nowhere else to go but up. You can leverage these statistics by following the trends that the creator economy has been going through.

Additionally, aspiring creators aren’t left hanging because some companies, such as creator economy a16z, are ready to assist them in making their way through the creator business community.

Read more about the creator economy: “How Fare the Creator Economy: Trends, Impact, and Analysis.”

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