AM radio is the talk of America, no pun intended. With Congress considering legislation that would require automakers to keep kHz-band access in all in-dash audio entertainment systems, Nielsen has released in-depth data that reflects what Westwood One is touting as “the vitality of AM radio in local markets.”
With the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act act gaining momentum and AM radio’s removal from automobiles a topic that many non-industry individuals are gaining awareness of, a new Nielsen report analyzing Fall 2022 radio ratings data depicts the % of the DMA audience that listens to AM radio in a month. AM listening for every state is also detailed. Download the PDF here.
These analyses are based on all radio stations in the U.S., not just Nielsen subscribers. (The section that reports AM listening by metro is based on Nielsen radio station subscribers. The state and DMA data is based on all stations.)
Top 31 states with the highest % of AM radio listening:
| State | Monthly AM/FM radio reach | Monthly AM reach | % of radio reach from AM radio stations licensed to the state |
| North Dakota | 741,700 | 391,200 | 52.7% |
| Montana | 941,900 | 358,800 | 38.1% |
| Illinois | 13,448,300 | 5,066,900 | 37.7% |
| Washington | 7,243,300 | 2,540,600 | 35.1% |
| Wisconsin | 5,872,800 | 2,025,600 | 34.5% |
| Nebraska | 1,936,700 | 664,700 | 34.3% |
| Alaska | 455,800 | 153,200 | 33.6% |
| Utah | 2,948,100 | 970,100 | 32.9% |
| California | 32,757,700 | 10,581,600 | 32.3% |
| Ohio | 10,805,600 | 3,383,400 | 31.3% |
| Colorado | 5,014,600 | 1,554,500 | 31.0% |
| Total | 266,409,800 | 82,347,100 | 30.9% |
| New York | 24,359,800 | 7,489,600 | 30.7% |
| New Mexico | 2,077,200 | 628,700 | 30.3% |
| Arizona | 6,419,100 | 1,934,300 | 30.1% |
| Georgia | 9,974,600 | 2,982,900 | 29.9% |
| South Dakota | 898,200 | 259,100 | 28.8% |
| Minnesota | 5,475,300 | 1,563,100 | 28.5% |
| Texas | 23,999,300 | 6,697,900 | 27.9% |
| Michigan | 8,578,500 | 2,371,600 | 27.6% |
| Iowa | 3,549,300 | 958,200 | 27.0% |
| Massachusetts | 7,937,900 | 2,022,300 | 25.5% |
| Florida | 18,768,700 | 4,714,200 | 25.1% |
| Oregon | 4,331,100 | 1,087,100 | 25.1% |
| Hawaii | 1,130,100 | 283,500 | 25.1% |
| Nevada | 2,918,900 | 726,100 | 24.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 14,986,200 | 3,685,700 | 24.6% |
| Idaho | 1,994,400 | 461,900 | 23.2% |
| Missouri | 7,273,500 | 1,634,700 | 22.5% |
| Tennessee | 7,247,200 | 1,587,100 | 21.9% |
| Kentucky | 5,564,100 | 1,095,600 | 19.7% |
| Louisiana | 4,267,500 | 831,100 | 19.5% |
Source: Nielsen Nationwide Fall 2022, Persons 12+, Monday – Sunday 12m-12m, 4-week reach, Nielsen data processed by Act1 Systems
The data follow the release of information previously reported by RBR+TVBR showing the DMAs with the highest proportion of AM radio listening. They are Glendive, Mont.; Juneau, Alaska; and Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y. No. 4 by AM listening is Milwaukee.
No. 8 among all markets, however, is the nation’s No. 3 market: Chicago. That’s followed by Nielsen Audio Market No. 36: Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, Westwood One, which distributed the Nielsen data on Friday, reiterated data showing 82,346,800 Americans listen to AM radio monthly. One out of three American AM/FM radio listeners are reached monthly by AM radio. Lastly, 57% of the AM radio audience listens to News/Talk stations.
