Most Popular Websites in the US 2025 | Statistics & Facts

Popular Sites in America 2025

The digital landscape of the United States has undergone a remarkable transformation in 2025, with website traffic patterns revealing significant shifts in how Americans consume online content, conduct commerce, and engage with digital platforms. The internet has become an indispensable part of daily life for 322 million individuals using the internet at the start of 2025, representing 93.1 percent of the total US population. This unprecedented level of connectivity has created a competitive ecosystem where major tech giants, social media platforms, ecommerce retailers, and streaming services vie for user attention and engagement.

The dominance of certain platforms has become increasingly concentrated, with search engines, social media networks, and video platforms commanding billions of monthly visits. Understanding these traffic patterns provides crucial insights into consumer behavior, technological adoption trends, and the evolving nature of digital engagement. From Google’s continued supremacy in search to the meteoric rise of AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT, and from Amazon’s ecommerce dominance to the streaming wars between Netflix and its competitors, the landscape of popular sites in America 2025 reflects both stability in established platforms and disruption from emerging technologies that are reshaping how people discover information, shop, and entertain themselves online.

Interesting Facts About Most Popular Sites in the US 2025

Data source: Semrush Traffic Analytics, DataReportal Digital 2025, Pew Research Center, Similarweb

The data reveals several compelling trends that define the American digital experience in 2025. With 322 million internet users representing an impressive 93.1 percent penetration rate, the United States has achieved near-universal internet access among its population. This widespread connectivity has enabled platforms like Google to amass an extraordinary 23.83 billion monthly visits, cementing its position as the undisputed leader in online traffic. YouTube follows as the second most popular destination with 6.15 billion visits, demonstrating the dominance of video content in modern internet consumption patterns.

A particularly noteworthy development is the rapid ascent of ChatGPT, which has surged to become the 10th most visited website in America, experiencing robust 8.9 percent monthly growth as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday online activities. Social media maintains its stronghold on American attention, with 253 million users spending an average of 2 hours and 8 minutes daily on these platforms. The mobile revolution continues unabated, with over 50 percent of ecommerce traffic originating from smartphones and tablets. Streaming services have effectively replaced traditional television for many households, with 83 percent of US adults now watching content through these platforms. Google’s search dominance remains formidable at 85.3 percent market share, while Amazon has captured an impressive 40.4 percent of all retail ecommerce sales, highlighting the consolidation of power among major technology platforms in shaping how Americans access information, shop, and entertain themselves online.

Most Popular Sites in the US 2025

Data source: Semrush Traffic Analytics October 2025, Visual Capitalist

The hierarchy of most popular websites in the United States for 2025 demonstrates the continued dominance of established technology giants while highlighting the emergence of new categories of digital services. Google maintains its unassailable position at the top with 23.83 billion monthly visits, experiencing steady 3.0 percent month-over-month growth that reinforces its centrality to American internet use. YouTube’s 6.15 billion visits and 2.1 percent growth confirm video content’s critical role in online engagement. Reddit has emerged as the third most visited platform with 2.41 billion visits and impressive 4.2 percent growth, reflecting the growing importance of community-driven content and discussion forums.

Amazon’s fourth-place ranking with 2.08 billion visits and robust 9.7 percent monthly growth underscores the accelerating shift toward online shopping, while Facebook’s 1.89 billion visits maintain its relevance despite increasing competition from newer social platforms. The presence of Yahoo at 1.24 billion visits shows the staying power of legacy web portals. Wikipedia’s 1.18 billion visits highlight the continued demand for free, accessible information. Bing has secured 987 million visits with 2.3 percent growth, benefiting from Microsoft ecosystem integration. Instagram captures 856 million visits with 3.1 percent growth, demonstrating strong visual content appeal. Most remarkably, ChatGPT has rapidly ascended to 742 million visits with extraordinary 8.9 percent monthly growth, representing a fundamental shift as artificial intelligence becomes mainstream. The Weather Network saw the fastest single-month growth at 20.1 percent due to extreme weather events, while the New York Times experienced a 2.6 percent decline, potentially impacted by AI-powered search summaries reducing direct website traffic.

Social Media Platform Usage in the US 2025

Data source: Pew Research Center 2025, DataReportal, SOAX Research

Social media has become deeply embedded in American daily life, with 253 million people actively using these platforms, representing 73 percent of the total population. YouTube leads with the broadest reach, engaging 84 percent of US adults or approximately 239 million users, with 50 percent visiting the platform daily and spending an average of 26.21 hours monthly. Facebook maintains its position as the second most used platform with 71 percent adoption among adults, translating to 211 million users, though daily usage at 37 percent reflects the platform’s maturation. Instagram has achieved 50 percent penetration with 172 million users and **31 percent daily active usage, demonstrating its appeal particularly among younger demographics.

TikTok represents a significant force with 37 percent of adults using the platform, equivalent to 150 million users, and remarkably leads in engagement time with users spending an astounding 43 hours 53 minutes monthly, nearly double YouTube’s figure, with 24 percent accessing it daily. This extraordinary engagement time reflects the platform’s algorithm-driven, highly addictive content delivery system. X, formerly Twitter, reaches 23 percent of adults with 105 million users and **10 percent daily usage. WhatsApp has 32 percent adoption with 98 million users, while Snapchat maintains 27 percent reach with 91 million users and relatively strong 18 percent daily engagement. Reddit attracts 22 percent of adults with 88 million users, LinkedIn serves 30 percent with 86 million professional users, and Pinterest reaches 31 percent with 76 million users. The average American spends 2 hours and 8 minutes daily on social media, with 78.5 percent of internet users accessing at least one social platform. Notably, 253 million social media users experienced a sharp 6.32 percent increase between July and October 2024, jumping from 238 million to 253 million, indicating renewed growth after a period of stagnation.

Ecommerce Website Traffic in the US 2025

Data source: Semrush Traffic Analytics, Statista, SellersCommerce

The ecommerce landscape in the United States is heavily concentrated among a few dominant players, with Amazon commanding an overwhelming 40.4 percent market share and attracting 2.08 billion monthly visits. The company’s retail ecommerce sales reached an impressive $491.65 billion in 2024, representing more than five times the revenue of its nearest competitor. Amazon’s ecosystem extends beyond traditional retail to include cloud services, advertising, and entertainment, creating multiple touchpoints that drive consistent traffic to its platform. The site experiences particularly strong growth of 9.7 percent month-over-month, indicating continued expansion despite its already massive scale.

Walmart has established itself as the second-largest ecommerce player with 500.66 million monthly visits and 6.4 percent market share, generating $83.18 billion in annual sales through its digital operations. The company leverages its extensive network of 4,700 plus physical stores for rapid pickup and delivery services. eBay maintains 393.71 million monthly visits with 4.1 percent market share and $10.3 billion revenue, offering a unique marketplace model for new, used, and collectible items. Target captures 187.12 million visits with 3.2 percent share, appealing to younger demographics with curated products and influencer collaborations. Etsy serves 156 million monthly visitors with 2.8 percent share, specializing in handmade and vintage goods. Apple.com attracts 95 million visits from search engines alone, primarily for electronics. Home Depot draws 88 million visits with 2.1 percent share in home improvement. Costco generates 72 million visits with 1.9 percent share through its wholesale model. Shein has rapidly grown to 68 million visits with annual revenue of $33.4 billion in fast fashion. Best Buy rounds out the top ten with 54 million visits and 1.5 percent share. The US ecommerce market is projected to reach $1.3 trillion in revenue for 2025, with mobile devices driving over 50 percent of all traffic and 66 percent of orders placed via smartphones.

Streaming Service Subscribers in the US 2025

Data source: Pew Research Center, Cloudwards, Nielsen Gauge Report

The streaming landscape in America has reached maturity, with 83 percent of US adults now watching programming on streaming services, far exceeding the 36 percent who currently subscribe to cable or satellite TV. Netflix maintains its leadership position with approximately 82 million US subscribers and 21 percent market share, having accumulated 301.6 million subscribers globally. The platform commands the highest total viewing time and has successfully transitioned to an advertising-supported tier alongside premium subscriptions. Amazon Prime Video serves an estimated 75 million US subscribers with 19 percent market share, benefiting from its bundling with Prime membership and expanding live sports offerings.

Disney Plus has captured 48 million subscribers with 12 percent share, leveraging its portfolio of beloved franchises including Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar content. Max, formerly HBO Max, boasts 45 million subscribers with 11 percent share, offering premium HBO programming alongside Warner Bros. content. Hulu maintains 52 million subscribers with 13 percent market share, positioning itself as a destination for current TV episodes and original programming. Paramount Plus has grown to 39 million subscribers with 10 percent share, while Peacock reached 41 million paid subscribers with 10 percent share, up significantly from 33 million at the end of 2023. Apple TV Plus has approximately 25 million subscribers with 6 percent share, focusing on high-quality original content. ESPN Plus serves 21 million subscribers with 5 percent share, primarily for live sports. Discovery Plus rounds out the major services with 18 million subscribers and 4 percent share.

The average American household subscribes to approximately 4 streaming services, spending around $48 per month on subscriptions, though 62 percent of users believe there are too many streaming options available. Streaming accounted for 44 percent of total TV viewing time in March 2025, surpassing cable at 24 percent and broadcast at 21 percent for the first time in history. Free, ad-supported streaming television services have seen explosive growth, with 66 percent of American TV viewers using FAST services monthly, up dramatically from 18 percent in 2021. Content quality remains the primary driver, with 40 percent of consumers stating they would subscribe to a bundle if it offers premium shows and movies, while 49 percent would sign up if it were cheaper than individual subscriptions.

Search Engine Market Share in the US 2025

Data source: StatCounter Global Stats, Bing Statistics 2025, Search Engine Market Share 2025

Google maintains overwhelming dominance in the US search market with 85.3 percent overall market share, processing approximately 8.5 billion searches daily, though this represents a decline from above 92 percent in 2021. The company’s share varies significantly by device, commanding 94.64 percent of mobile searches where Android integration and default settings create structural advantages, while holding 82.23 percent of desktop searches where users exercise more choice in browser and search engine selection. Google’s search advertising revenue continues to drive parent company Alphabet’s financial performance, with the platform remaining the primary gateway for commercial intent queries and product discovery.

Microsoft Bing has solidified its position as the clear second-place search engine with 8.16 percent overall market share in the United States, experiencing steady growth to reach 8.5 percent by September 2025. Bing’s performance differs dramatically across devices, capturing 10.57 percent of desktop searches but only 1.2 percent of mobile searches. The platform processes approximately 1.2 billion searches daily, or 13 to 14 billion monthly searches, benefiting from integration with Windows operating system, Microsoft Edge browser, and Office suite products. Bing’s integration of ChatGPT-powered AI features has driven a 19 percent year-over-year growth in search volume, with AI-powered responses now used in 34 percent of all Bing queries. The platform’s average click-through rate of 2.9 percent exceeds Google’s 1.96 percent, making it 48 percent more efficient for ad visibility, while maintaining lower cost-per-click at approximately $1.55, about 30 percent less than Google Ads.

Yahoo retains 3.1 percent market share with 2.79 percent on desktop and 2.1 percent on mobile, maintaining relevance primarily through its web portal and email services. DuckDuckGo has captured 1.5 percent share, appealing to privacy-conscious users with 2.1 percent desktop adoption and 0.8 percent mobile usage. Yandex holds 0.8 percent with stronger desktop presence at 1.2 percent. Ecosia attracts 0.4 percent of users with its environmentally-focused mission. Brave Search has achieved 0.3 percent share. The search landscape is experiencing gradual fragmentation as AI-powered alternatives, privacy concerns, and regulatory scrutiny create opportunities for competitors, though Google’s structural advantages through Android, Chrome browser with 64 percent market share, and default search agreements continue to provide formidable barriers to entry for would-be challengers.

News and Media Website Traffic in the US 2025

Data source: Newzdash, Semrush Website Analytics, Press Gazette

The news and media landscape in America continues to evolve, with traditional outlets adapting to digital-first consumption patterns while facing challenges from social media platforms and AI-powered news aggregation. CNN maintains substantial traffic with 396.29 million monthly visits, though experiencing a 5.05 percent decline from the previous month, with an average session duration of 7 minutes 34 seconds and direct traffic accounting for 64.52 percent of visits. Fox News generates approximately 285 million visits with 1.2 percent growth, maintaining strong audience loyalty. The New York Times attracts 180 million visits but experienced a 2.6 percent traffic decline, potentially impacted by AI-powered search overviews reducing referral traffic from search engines, a phenomenon affecting many premium news sites.

USA Today leads in homepage news site rankings with 24.25 million monthly visits, followed closely by Yahoo News at 22.58 million visits with 0.8 percent growth, benefiting from its aggregation model and integrated web portal presence. ESPN dominates sports news with 18.62 million visits and 2.1 percent growth, while CBS Sports captures 95 million visits with stronger 3.2 percent growth, highlighting the continued strong demand for sports content. The Washington Post serves 145 million visitors but faced a 1.8 percent decline, reflecting broader challenges in the digital news business model. NBC News attracts 120 million visits with modest 0.5 percent growth, while BBC News draws 88 million visits with 1.1 percent growth from American audiences seeking international perspectives.

The news consumption patterns reveal that 38 percent of US adults regularly get news from Facebook, while 35 percent use YouTube for news, 20 percent rely on Instagram, 20 percent use TikTok, and 12 percent turn to X for news updates. This represents a fundamental shift as social platforms increasingly serve as primary news sources, particularly for younger demographics. Notably, 57 percent of X users get news there regularly, as do 55 percent of Truth Social users and 55 percent of TikTok users, indicating these platforms have become news destinations for significant portions of their user bases. The average number of pages per visit for news sites is 3.07 pages, with CBS Sports leading at 6.47 pages per visit, suggesting strong engagement with sports content. News websites face mounting pressure from declining referral traffic as search engines implement AI-generated summaries that answer queries directly without requiring users to click through to original sources, fundamentally disrupting the traditional advertising-driven business model that has sustained digital journalism.

Video Platform and Content Consumption in the US 2025

Data source: Nielsen Gauge, Pew Research Center, Cloudwards

Video content dominates American internet usage in 2025, with YouTube achieving unparalleled reach among 84 percent of US adults, equivalent to approximately 239 million users, making it the most widely used online platform. Remarkably, 50 percent of adults visit YouTube daily, spending an average of 26.21 hours monthly on the platform, with 93 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 using the service. YouTube’s dominance extends beyond entertainment to education, news, and product research, with 35 percent of Americans regularly getting news from the platform, making it the second most popular news source after Facebook.

The shift from traditional television to streaming has reached a historic milestone, with 83 percent of US adults now watching programming on streaming services, dramatically exceeding the 36 percent who maintain cable or satellite subscriptions. Streaming captured 44 percent of total TV viewing time in March 2025, surpassing the combined viewership of cable at 24 percent and broadcast at 21 percent for the first time ever. This represents a 71 percent increase in streaming usage compared to May 2021, while cable viewing declined 39 percent and broadcast fell 21 percent during the same period.

The average American household subscribes to approximately 4 streaming services, spending around 48 dollars monthly on subscriptions, though 62 percent of users report feeling overwhelmed by too many streaming options. Netflix leads in total usage time, having experienced 27 percent viewership growth since May 2021, while maintaining the largest subscriber base. Free, ad-supported streaming television services have exploded in popularity, with 66 percent of American TV viewers using FAST services monthly, a dramatic increase from only 18 percent in 2021, as viewers seek alternatives to rising subscription costs.

TikTok represents perhaps the most remarkable engagement story, with users spending an extraordinary 43 hours 53 minutes monthly on the platform, nearly double YouTube’s already substantial figure. This exceptional engagement time, combined with 37 percent adult adoption and 150 million users, demonstrates the platform’s algorithmic effectiveness at capturing and retaining user attention. The platform’s 24 percent daily active user rate and the fact that teens spend more time on TikTok than on Instagram and YouTube combined highlights its particular appeal to younger demographics. Mobile devices have become the dominant video consumption method, with 66 percent of online orders placed via smartphones and 71 percent of shoppers preferring mobile-optimized websites. Voice search has gained significant traction, comprising 27 percent of Google searches and 9 percent of Bing searches. Live sports streaming continues to grow, with cricket tournaments attracting nearly 10 million unique viewers across platforms and the Women’s World Cup 2025 drawing over 5 million daily viewers worldwide, demonstrating sports’ power as a streaming driver.

AI-Powered Platforms and Emerging Technologies in the US 2025

Data source: Visual Capitalist, Bing Statistics, OpenAI

Artificial intelligence has emerged as perhaps the most transformative force in the digital landscape of 2025, with ChatGPT’s meteoric rise exemplifying this shift. The platform has rapidly ascended to become the 10th most visited website in America with 742 million monthly visits and remarkable 8.9 percent month-over-month growth, representing one of the fastest adoption rates for any new technology platform in internet history. ChatGPT surpassed 1 million users within just 5 days of launch, ultimately growing to 4.57 billion monthly visits globally, with the United States representing a significant portion of this traffic. The platform’s usage patterns reveal that 30 percent of queries globally are work-related, highlighting AI’s expanding role in professional environments, while 62 percent of social media traffic to ChatGPT originates from YouTube.

The AI revolution extends beyond standalone chatbots to deep integration within existing platforms. Bing has incorporated ChatGPT-powered features throughout its search experience, with AI-powered responses now used in 34 percent of all Bing queries, significantly higher than Google’s Search Generative Experience which accounts for 19 percent of Google searches as of April 2025. This AI integration has driven Bing’s search volume up 19 percent year-over-year, with daily active users quadrupling from 1 million to over 4 million between 2023 and 2025. Microsoft recorded 45 million chats in Bing’s early weeks following AI launch, with over 1 million users joining the waitlist within 48 hours of announcement.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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