54 million Americans sing in choruses, the estimate Chorus America reported in its most recent Chorus Impact Study, which also found choral participation rising to 17% of Americans from 14% a decade earlier (Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime, 2019). Yet broad personal singing is sliding: the share of U.S. adults who sang at all fell from 25.4% in 2017 to 20.2% in 2022, a decline of about 21% (National Endowment for the Arts, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 2022). Singing is also a job for roughly 169,800 people, who earned a median 42.45 dollars per hour in May 2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). And the health case keeps building: a single 70-minute choir rehearsal was tied to a significant drop in cortisol across 193 cancer patients and carers (Fancourt et al., ecancermedicalscience, 2016). This analysis consolidates data from Chorus America, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and 4 other primary sources to map where singing stands in 2026.
TL;DR
- 54 million Americans sing in choruses, up from 42.6 million a decade earlier (Chorus America, 2019 and 2009 Chorus Impact Studies).
- Choral participation reached 17% of Americans in 2019, up from 14% in 2008 (Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime).
- There were about 270,000 choruses in the U.S., and choral singing is the most popular performing-art activity for adults and children (Chorus America, 2009).
- The share of U.S. adults who sang at all fell from 25.4% in 2017 to 20.2% in 2022, down about 21% (NEA, SPPA 2022).
- Playing a musical instrument held steady at 10.9% to 11.4% of adults from 2017 to 2022 (NEA, SPPA 2022).
- Choir singing at the main worship service fell from 53.9% of U.S. congregations in 1998 to 41.9% in 2018-19 (National Congregations Study).
- Weighted by attendance, choir singing at worship fell from 72.3% to 53.8% over the same period (National Congregations Study).
- A single 70-minute choir rehearsal was linked to a significant cortisol drop and improved mood across 193 participants (Fancourt et al., 2016).
- Musicians and singers held about 169,800 jobs in 2024 at a median 42.45 dollars per hour, with 47% self-employed (BLS, May 2024).
- Smule reported about 52 million monthly active users and 101 million dollars in revenue in 2017 (Smule company figures).
- American Idol was the number one U.S. TV program for eight straight seasons, 2003-04 through 2010-11 (Nielsen).
1. How Many People Sing
Start with the headline that anchors every discussion of American singing. Chorus America’s Chorus Impact Study estimates 54 million Americans sing in choruses, the number in its 2019 report Singing for a Lifetime, and it puts choral participation at 17% of Americans, up from 14% in 2008. Choral singing is the single most popular form of participation in the performing arts for both adults and children, ahead of instrumental music and dance. The 2009 edition of the study set the earlier baseline: 42.6 million singers, roughly 270,000 choruses nationwide, and more than one in five households with at least one choral singer.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Americans who sing in choruses (2019) | 54 million | Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime (2019) |
| Americans who sing in choruses (2009) | 42.6 million | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study (2009) |
| Choral participation rate (2019 vs 2008) | 17% vs 14% | Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime (2019) |
| Choruses in the U.S. (2009) | ~270,000 | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study (2009) |
| Households with at least one choral singer | more than 1 in 5 | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study (2009) |
| U.S. adults who sang in the past year (2022) | 20.2% | NEA, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (2022) |
| Choral singing rank among performing arts | most popular (adults and children) | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study (2009) |
The two vantage points differ because they count different things: Chorus America measures organized choral singing, while the NEA measures any singing, including singing alone. For the wider instrument side of music-making, see our musical instruments statistics.
2. Singing Participation Trends
Broad singing is losing ground even as choirs hold steady. The NEA’s Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted with the U.S. Census Bureau, found the share of adults who sang alone, in a social gathering, or in a group or choir dropped from 25.4% in 2017 to 20.2% in 2022. That 5.2 percentage point slide, about a 21% relative decline, was the steepest fall among the personal music-making activities the survey tracks. Instrument playing told a different story, holding roughly flat, while singing with a band or larger music group also slipped.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults who sang, 2017 vs 2022 | 25.4% to 20.2% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Change in singing participation | -5.2 pp (about -21%) | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Adults who played a musical instrument (2022) | 11.4% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Instrument playing, 2017 vs 2022 | 10.9% to 11.4% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Adults who played in a band, orchestra, or music group | 3.9% to 3.0% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Adults who took vocal or instrumental music classes or lessons | just under 4% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
| Social dancing (most popular personal performing art) | 22% | NEA, SPPA (2022) |
The pattern points to a shift from casual, everyday singing toward more organized settings. Learning a voice or an instrument remains a small slice of adult behavior, which is part of why beginner-friendly practice tools matter for keeping people singing.
3. Church and Community Choirs
Congregations were long the backbone of amateur singing, and that base is thinning. The National Congregations Study, the largest survey of U.S. religious congregations, found that the share of congregations whose most recent main service included choir singing fell from 53.9% in 1998 to 41.9% in 2018-19. Weighted by attendance, so counting the choirs most people actually experience, the drop was sharper: from 72.3% to 53.8%. Whole-congregation singing did not decline at all, holding near 96% to 97%, which isolates the loss to organized choirs specifically rather than singing in worship overall.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations with choir singing at main service (1998) | 53.9% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregations with choir singing at main service (2018-19) | 41.9% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Choir singing at main service, attendance-weighted (1998) | 72.3% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Choir singing at main service, attendance-weighted (2018-19) | 53.8% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Choir-singing decline, summer months excluded | 54.4% to 46.2% (still significant) | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregational (whole-assembly) singing at main service | ~96% to 97% (stable) | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
The contrast is the story: everyone still sings together in worship, but the trained choir that leads them is disappearing from a growing share of services. Community choirs, glee clubs, and barbershop groups absorb some of that energy outside religious settings.
4. Singing and Wellbeing
The health argument for singing has moved from anecdote to measured biology. In a 2016 study published in ecancermedicalscience, researchers tracked 193 cancer patients, current carers, and bereaved carers across five choirs before and after a single 70-minute rehearsal. Singing was associated with a statistically significant drop in the stress hormone cortisol, a rise in positive mood, a fall in negative mood, and changes in immune-signaling proteins, all at p less than 0.001. Group singing also acts as social glue: studies of adult singing classes describe an ice-breaker effect in which groups of singers feel connected to one another faster than groups doing other creative activities.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Participants in the choir biology study (2016) | 193 (patients and carers) | Fancourt et al., ecancermedicalscience (2016) |
| Choirs / centres studied | 5 | Fancourt et al. (2016) |
| Rehearsal length measured | 70 minutes | Fancourt et al. (2016) |
| Cortisol change after singing | significant decrease (p less than 0.001) | Fancourt et al. (2016) |
| Mood change after singing | positive up, negative down (p less than 0.001) | Fancourt et al. (2016) |
| Immune-signaling protein changes | significant (p less than 0.001) | Fancourt et al. (2016) |
These are acute, single-session effects rather than proof of long-term cure, and the researchers are careful to say so. Still, the direction is consistent across the wellbeing literature. For the clinical use of singing and music in treatment, see our music therapy statistics.
5. The Singing Economy: Jobs and Pay
Singing is also a paying occupation, though a precarious one. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups musicians and singers into a single category totaling about 169,800 jobs in 2024, with a median wage of 42.45 dollars per hour in May 2024. The spread is wide: the lowest-paid 10% earned under 18.68 dollars an hour while the top 10% earned more than 105.44 dollars, and 47% of the workforce is self-employed, the largest single employment category for the occupation. Job growth is projected at just 1% from 2024 to 2034, slower than the average across occupations, even though about 19,400 openings are expected each year as workers move on.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Musicians and singers, total jobs (2024) | ~169,800 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Median wage (May 2024) | 42.45 dollars per hour | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Lowest 10% vs highest 10% (hourly) | under 18.68 vs over 105.44 dollars | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Self-employed share | 47% | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Projected employment change, 2024-2034 | +1% (about 1,800 jobs) | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Projected annual openings | ~19,400 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
The economics explain why so much singing is unpaid and amateur: the professional tier is small, competitive, and mostly freelance. For the money flowing through recordings, streaming, and live performance around those singers, see our music industry statistics. And because heavy vocal use carries physical risk, the occupational health angle overlaps with our voice disorders statistics.
6. Apps, Screens, and Competitions
Most casual singing now happens with a phone or a screen, not a hymnal. Smule, maker of the Sing! Karaoke app launched in 2012, reported about 52 million monthly active users and 101 million dollars in revenue in 2017, and it has raised 156.5 million dollars in total funding, including a 74 million dollar round from Tencent and Times Bridge in 2018. Television built the other mass singing audience: American Idol was the number one U.S. TV program for eight consecutive seasons, from 2003-04 through 2010-11, per Nielsen. Idol’s 2003 finale drew more than 38 million viewers, and its Season 10 alone collected nearly 750 million votes.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Smule monthly active users (2017) | ~52 million | Smule (company figures) |
| Smule revenue (2017) | 101 million dollars | Smule (company figures) |
| Smule total funding raised | 156.5 million dollars | Smule (company figures) |
| American Idol as number one U.S. TV show | 8 consecutive seasons (2003-04 to 2010-11) | American Idol viewership, Nielsen |
| American Idol 2003 finale audience | over 38 million viewers | American Idol viewership, Nielsen |
| American Idol Season 10 votes | nearly 750 million | American Idol viewership, Nielsen |
| The Voice seasons aired since 2011 | 29 | The Voice (U.S.) |
Karaoke apps and TV formats convert passive listeners into occasional singers, a much larger and more casual pool than formal choruses. The dedicated karaoke market, hardware and venues included, is covered in our karaoke industry statistics.
Summary: Singing by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Americans who sing in choruses (2019) | 54 million | Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime |
| Americans who sing in choruses (2009) | 42.6 million | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study |
| Choral participation rate (2019) | 17% (up from 14% in 2008) | Chorus America, Singing for a Lifetime |
| Choruses in the U.S. (2009) | ~270,000 | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study |
| Households with a choral singer | more than 1 in 5 | Chorus America, Chorus Impact Study |
| U.S. adults who sang, 2017 vs 2022 | 25.4% to 20.2% | NEA, SPPA 2022 |
| Singing participation change | -5.2 pp (about -21%) | NEA, SPPA 2022 |
| Adults playing an instrument (2022) | 11.4% | NEA, SPPA 2022 |
| Adults in a band, orchestra, or music group | 3.0% | NEA, SPPA 2022 |
| Congregations with choir singing (1998 vs 2018-19) | 53.9% to 41.9% | National Congregations Study |
| Choir singing, attendance-weighted (1998 vs 2018-19) | 72.3% to 53.8% | National Congregations Study |
| Whole-congregation singing at worship | ~96% to 97% (stable) | National Congregations Study |
| Choir biology study participants (2016) | 193 | Fancourt et al., ecancermedicalscience |
| Cortisol after a 70-minute rehearsal | significant decrease (p less than 0.001) | Fancourt et al. |
| Musicians and singers, total jobs (2024) | ~169,800 | BLS |
| Median wage (May 2024) | 42.45 dollars per hour | BLS |
| Self-employed share of the occupation | 47% | BLS |
| Projected job growth, 2024-2034 | +1% | BLS |
| Smule monthly active users (2017) | ~52 million | Smule |
| American Idol as number one U.S. TV show | 8 consecutive seasons | Nielsen |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating figures directly from primary reports, government datasets, peer-reviewed research, and named company disclosures, cross-referencing overlapping metrics where two or more sources report the same measure and flagging older baselines against the most recent figures available.
- Chorus America, The Chorus Impact Study: Singing for a Lifetime (2019)
- Chorus America, The Chorus Impact Study (How Children, Adults, and Communities Benefit from Choruses) (2009)
- National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Participation Patterns in 2022 (Survey of Public Participation in the Arts) (2023)
- NEA, SPPA 2022 full report (PDF)
- National Congregations Study (Wave IV), Duke University (2018-19)
- Fancourt, Williamon, Carvalho, Steptoe, Dow and Lewis, Singing modulates mood, stress, cortisol, cytokine and neuropeptide activity in cancer patients and carers, ecancermedicalscience (2016)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Musicians and Singers (May 2024 wage data)
- Smule (company overview and funding figures)
- American Idol (viewership and Nielsen ranking figures)
- The Voice, U.S. series (season counts)
Data watch: Chorus America updates the Chorus Impact Study on a multi-year cycle, with the next edition expected to refresh the 54 million estimate; the NEA fields the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts periodically with the U.S. Census Bureau, so a post-2022 wave will follow; the National Congregations Study runs roughly every six years, placing a next wave around the mid-2020s; and the BLS refreshes Occupational Outlook Handbook wage and employment figures annually.
Last updated: July 20, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.