Click here to download a PDF of the ranker.

Recently, Ford made a fast decision to recommit to AM radio in its vehicles. Now attention turns to other automakers who need to follow Ford’s lead on ensuring AM radio’s role in the car dashboard.

It was just a month ago that Nielsen revealed compelling insights on the power of the AM radio audience from their Fall 2022 survey:

• 82,346,800 Americans listen to AM radio monthly
• One out of three American AM/FM radio listeners are reached monthly by AM radio
• 57% of the AM radio audience listens to News/Talk stations, the very outlets that Americans turn to in times of crisis and breaking local news

Now, Nielsen is releasing a deeper dive on the vitality of AM radio in local metro markets.

Nielsen: The local radio markets with the largest proportion of AM radio listeners

Based on the Fall 2022 survey, the ranker below depicts the % of the metro radio audience that listens to AM radio in a month. The analysis is based upon radio stations that are Nielsen subscribers. Markets where AM radio represents at least 20% of radio listening are listed:

Metro market rank	Market	% of the radio audience that listens to AM radio among Nielsen subscribers
59	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY	56%
3	Chicago, IL [PPM]	48%
43	Milwaukee-Racine, WI [PPM]	48%
245	Sheboygan, WI	45%
253	Grand Forks, ND-MN	45%
241	Bismarck, ND	44%
39	San Jose, CA [PPM]	43%
33	Cincinnati, OH [PPM]	42%
11	Seattle-Tacoma, WA [PPM]	42%
192	Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN	41%
187	St. Cloud, MN	41%
160	Lincoln, NE	40%
130	Macon, GA	40%
196	Danbury, CT	39%
75	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	39%
4	San Francisco, CA [PPM]	39%
137	Youngstown-Warren, OH	38%
244	Sioux City, IA	38%
83	Boise, ID	38%
25	San Antonio, TX [PPM]	38%
7	Atlanta, GA [PPM]	38%
60	Rochester, NY	37%
186	Columbus, GA	36%
65	Dayton, OH	36%
176	Wausau-Stevens Pt (Centrl WI), WI	36%
114	Johnson City-Kingspt-Brstl, TN-VA	36%
62	Tucson, AZ	36%
159	Rockford, IL	36%
55	Louisville, KY	36%
27	Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo [PPM]	36%
202	Cedar Rapids, IA	35%
34	Kansas City, KS-MO [PPM]	35%
70	Albuquerque, NM	35%
88	Spokane, WA	35%
16	Puerto Rico	35%
67	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	34%
124	Morristown, NJ	34%
204	Duluth-Superior, MN-WI	34%
71	Des Moines, IA	34%
53	Richmond, VA	33%
145	Eugene-Springfield, OR	33%
252	Jackson, TN	33%
149	Shreveport, LA	33%
52	Monmouth-Ocean, NJ	33%
73	Metro Fairfield County, CT	33%
231	Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	32%
13	Phoenix, AZ [PPM]	32%
12	Miami-Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood [PPM]	32%
9	Philadelphia, PA [PPM]	32%
96	Reno, NV	32%
28	Sacramento, CA [PPM]	32%
209	Rochester, MN	32%
15	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN [PPM]	31%
178	Anchorage, AK	31%
199	Salina-Manhattan, KS	31%
2	Los Angeles, CA [PPM]	31%
89	Madison, WI	31%
5	Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX [PPM]	31%
68	Grand Rapids, MI	31%
223	Eau Claire, WI	30%
74	Allentown-Bethlehem, PA	30%
86	Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA	30%
20	Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) [PPM]	30%
249	Brunswick, GA	30%
139	Appleton-Oshkosh, WI	29%
14	Detroit, MI [PPM]	29%
239	Harrisonburg, VA	29%
30	Orlando, FL [PPM]	29%
10	Boston, MA [PPM]	29%
189	Bryan-College Station, TX	29%
106	Lexington-Fayette, KY	28%
154	Montgomery, AL	28%
136	Reading, PA	28%
18	Denver-Boulder, CO [PPM]	28%
188	Kalamazoo, MI	28%
41	Hudson Valley, NY	28%
17	Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater [PPM]	28%
228	Pueblo, CO	27%
230	Monroe, LA	27%
116	Ft. Wayne, IN	27%
35	Cleveland, OH [PPM]	27%
22	Portland, OR [PPM]	27%
183	Green Bay, WI	27%
227	Bloomington, IL	26%
190	Waco, TX	26%
6	Houston-Galveston, TX [PPM]	26%
193	Binghamton, NY	26%
201	Topeka, KS	26%
81	Stockton, CA	26%
54	Hartford-New Britain-Middletown [PPM]	26%
200	Tuscaloosa, AL	26%
175	Sioux Falls, SD	25%
100	Syracuse, NY	25%
44	Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket [PPM]	25%
195	Manchester, NH	25%
180	Lima-Van Wert, OH	25%
1	New York, NY [PPM]	25%
119	Corpus Christi, TX	25%
237	Grand Island-Kearney-Hastngs, NE	25%
51	Memphis, TN [PPM]	25%
142	Canton, OH	25%
151	Ann Arbor, MI	24%
90	Columbia, SC	24%
208	Las Cruces-Deming, NM	24%
178	Traverse City-Petoskey, MI	24%
111	York, PA	24%
87	Colorado Springs, CO	24%
218	Columbia, MO	24%
140	Savannah, GA	23%
163	Evansville, IN	23%
121	Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester, NH	23%
247	Williamsport, PA	23%
221	Joplin, MO	22%
197	Charleston, WV	22%
126	New Haven, CT	22%
120	Modesto, CA	22%
234	Sussex, NJ	22%
69	Sarasota-Bradenton, FL	22%
79	Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA	22%
29	Austin, TX [PPM]	22%
24	St. Louis, MO [PPM]	22%
23	Baltimore, MD [PPM]	22%
127	Jackson, MS	22%
77	Baton Rouge, LA	21%
66	Fresno, CA	21%
206	Chico, CA	21%
104	Huntsville, AL	21%
205	Santa Barbara, CA	21%
166	Poughkeepsie, NY	21%
157	Peoria, IL	21%
224	Muskegon, MI	20%
63	Honolulu, HI	20%
50	New Orleans, LA	20%
19	San Diego, CA [PPM]	20%
236	Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH	20%
32	Las Vegas, NV [PPM]	20%
37	Raleigh-Durham, NC [PPM]	20%
115	Worcester, MA	20%
207	Laurel-Hattiesburg, MS	20%
95	Akron, OH	20%
117	Lancaster, PA	20%
Source: Nielsen Nationwide Fall 2022 Metro, P12+, Monday – Sunday 12m-12m, analysis represents listening to Nielsen radio station subscribers

Key takeaways:

• Markets with the largest proportion of AM listening tend to be from the upper Midwest
• Among markets with large AM radio usage there is wide variety of market sizes and broad geographical diversity
• Markets with hilly terrain (San Jose/San Francisco/Sacramento), which are challenging for FM signals, tend to have large proportions of AM listening

Download a PDF of the ranker:

Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group^®.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.