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YouTube Premium offers subscribers an ad-free YouTube experience, with features like background viewing, downloads, and access to YouTube Music. CivicScience has a fresh look at the Americans who use YouTube Premium and highlights why they make for a demographic that brands would be wise not to ignore.
YouTube Premium Usage Stagnates, But Music Offers a Path
The latest CivicScience data find roughly one-third of U.S. adults report they use YouTube Premium, whether through their own subscription or someone else’s login. After strong growth from 2020 to 2023—when the percentage of users jumped from 15% to 32%—that momentum has stalled into 2025, likely due to economic pressures forcing spending cuts. Its user base is nearly evenly split between men and women and skews heavily toward Gen Z (50%) and Millennials (37%), though even 19% of those 55+ report using Premium.
However, one area of continued growth stands out: music. Since 2021, the percentage of Americans who use YouTube to listen to music weekly has steadily increased from 54% to 61% in 2025. This trend is particularly notable given that YouTube Premium includes access to YouTube Music, suggesting a potential avenue to emphasize in order to renew interest.
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What Do Americans Use YouTube for Today?
Premium users are particularly likely to use YouTube for listening, whether it’s music or podcasts, but they also have several other key uses for the platform. Compared to the broader YouTube audience, Premium users over-index on using YouTube to watch Shorts and live streams. However, despite their high YouTube engagement, Premium users turn to YouTube for informational content at a notably lower rate than non-users.
Let us Knew: Have you ever used YouTube tutorials to learn a new skill?
Here’s What Sets YouTube Premium Users Apart
CivicScience data reveals key characteristics that distinguish those who say they use YouTube Premium from those who don’t:
Use this Data: CivicScience clients use real-time data like this to understand what differentiates both their customers and their competitors’ customers, helping them identify what may drive shifts in behavior that could impact retention and growth.
While YouTube Premium interest seems to have stagnated a bit recently, the data indicate users are a demographic that should be on brands’ radar. In addition to their optimism about their future income, they are more than twice as likely as non-Premium users to believe now is a good time to make a major purchase and they’re more optimistic about their future financial situation as well. With YouTube Premium providing an ad-free experience during YouTube videos for its users, reaching them requires a more creative approach. Strategies like targeting the content creators they watch, the publisher sites they subscribe to, or tailoring in-store advertising to align with their preferences appear to be great first steps.
