The Creator Economy is a class of businesses built by millions of global content creators and social media influencers that use software and finance tools to assist them with their growth and monetization. The rapid development of AI has introduced a new wave of faceless creators and automated social accounts, further increasing the size and value of the creator economy.

According to research from MiDiA, the global creator population is projected to surpass 1.1B by 2032 as AI lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring influencers, supporting content ideation, planning, and more.

To better understand this evolution, The Influencer Marketing Factory surveyed 1,000 U.S.-based creators between the ages of 18 and 65, gathering responses in January 2026. The survey captures insights directly from creators, examining how they develop content, which platforms they prioritize, audience demographics, monetization strategies, brand partnerships, and year-over-year revenue growth. The survey also explores how creators are adopting AI tools within their workflows and how they anticipate AI will shape the next phase of the creator economy.

After analyzing its results, The Influencer Marketing Factory narrowed down eight main findings. Which include:

1. 38.7% Of U.S. respondents have only 1-3 years of experience.
2. 84.7% of creators post new content more than once per week
3. Product/merch sales and affiliate marketing make up 21.2% of creator income, reflecting a move toward more diversified revenue streams.
4. 48.7% of creators earn under $10K annually, while 45.6% earn between $10K-$100K and 5.7% earn 100K+, signaling the emergence of a viable "middle class" in the creator economy who are successfully monetizing their content.
5. 44.9% of creators value stability, consistency, and deeper brand alignment over one-off campaigns.
6. 51.5% of creators achieved earnings growth year-over-year in 2025.
7. 56.1% of U.S. creators affirmed that they definitely believe that AI will significantly change how creators work over the next few years.
8. Creators' focus on video production (22.4%) and branding (20%) reveals a strategic pivot towards professionalization and tailored brand identities in 2026.

In addition to its proprietary survey, The Influencer Marketing Factory partnered with HypeAuditor to analyze 5 million creator accounts across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The dataset evaluated creator performance, engagement rates, demographics, and content trends among U.S.-focused creators who published content in 2025.

From this large-scale platform analysis, five major findings emerged:

1. While TikTok still attracts younger users (40.6% under 25), the largest audience segment across all platforms is now 25-34. This signals a maturing creator economy and makes this age group the primary target for cross-platform brand campaigns.
2. TikTok is the most democratized short-form video platform among competitors. TikTok manages to have a steady median engagement rate across audience sizes, while Instagram Reels' median engagement rates steadily drop as audiences increase.
3. Short-form video delivers the strongest engagement across platforms. TikTok maintains the most consistent and highest median engagement, while YouTube Shorts shows improving engagement as creators grow. In contrast, Instagram Reels engagement declines as follower counts increase.
4. The vast majority of U.S.-based creators struggle for visibility across all platforms. 46.2% of Instagram creators, 76% of TikTok creators, 59.1% of long-form YouTube creators, and 39.94% of YouTube Shorts creators receive fewer than 1K views per post, underscoring that building meaningful reach remains a primary challenge for most creators.
5. Instagram continues shifting toward video-first content. Reels volume grew by 3.8% from 2024 to 2025, while Instagram image posts declined by -6.41%, confirming that content creators who rely solely on static content are losing visibility.
    

Beyond survey and platform data, the report explores additional themes shaping the industry, including social media in 2026, top creator platforms, artificial intelligence usage trends, the future of the creator economy, IRL creator activations, and best practices for marketers in 2026.

The report also features expert commentary from leading voices across the industry, including:

1. Brooke Berry, Head of Creator Development, Snap Inc.
2. Omer Dahan, Head of Affiliates & Partnerships, Fiverr
3. Alex Zaccaria, Co-Founder & CEO, Linktree
4. Jared Carneson, Head of Global Social Media, Adobe

Learn more about the findings on the Creator Economy and more insight: Download The Creator Economy Report (60+ Pages) for free.