US creator survey finds nearly half earn under $10,000 a year

The US may be the largest creator economy, but nearly half of influencers are earning under $10,000 annually, according to data from The Influencer Marketing Factory.

The agency surveyed 1,000 US creators and found 48.7% earn under $10,000 a year, 45.6% earn between $10,000 and $100,000, and just 5.7% bring in more than $100,000 annually.

It’s a sobering snapshot for an industry projected to approach $480 billion by 2027, yet increasingly dominated by micro-influencers with small followings – widening the gap between top earners and the emerging “middle class”.

Of those surveyed, micro-influencers with 10,000 to 50,000 followers made up approximately 31.4%. Respondents also said they generate the majority of their income from TikTok, followed by YouTube and Instagram, with ad revenue providing the largest single source of earnings.

Income diversification appeared to be front of mind, with 27% of creators planning to launch a digital product or brand within the next three years, while 20% plan to launch a physical product.

Notably, while more than 56% of creators said they believe AI will significantly change the way they work over the next few years, fewer than 10% cited AI tools or automation as a skill they plan to invest in for the future of their business.

The findings come as US lawmakers look for ways to formalise protections for digital workers, with California representative Ro Khanna last month floating a proposed “Creator Bill of Rights” aimed at strengthening safeguards for content creators.

The proposals focus on greater transparency around how platforms calculate and distribute revenue, fairer appeal processes when monetisation is suspended, and improved access to healthcare and retirement support for creators whose income depends on fluctuating platform payouts.

Meanwhile, monetisation remains far more uneven outside the US.

In Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest creator markets, TikTok’s exclusion of the country from its Creator Rewards Programme has left creators “locked out of monetisation even when they are driving culture on the platform”, according to digital policy experts.

India faces a different imbalance. Creator-led consumption is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030, with an estimated 2 to 2.5 million active creators – yet only a small proportion earn consistent income.

The result is a global creator economy growing in size and ambition, but still struggling to deliver sustainable earnings to the majority.