US App Market Statistics (2023)

The United States is one of the most lucrative markets for mobile applications, with its large user base and high smartphone saturation. Around four in five members of the US population possess a smartphone and that has remained relatively steady for the last five years.

As stay-at-home orders were issued in many US states in 2020, the public’s use of mobile apps grew. While this has slowed down or reversed in the years since, the app market remains above pre-pandemic levels. Users in the United States spent an average of 4.4 hours a day on mobile in 2022 – a rise of over an hour compared to before the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite a fall in disposable income from early 2021, app spend continues to rise.  The US is third in terms of overall downloads behind China and India and second only to China in consumer spend on mobile.

[WEBINAR] Scaling subscriptions from web to mobile

Join us for an exclusive webinar to discover how harnessing subscriber data, creating personalized experiences at scale, and implementing retention strategies can make your brand an industry giant.

Register here

The apps American users are downloading cover personal finance, gaming, shopping, social media, entertainment and more. The gaming sector has had particular success in adapting to mobile and generating revenue.

Some commentators predict a growing demand for app personalisation. More and more apps are utilising AI technology to target marketing messages and tailored content.

Data.ai reports that Gen Z users are disproportionately likely to spend time on photo and video editing apps, where AI has also managed to make waves with filters and special effects. 18 to 24-year-olds are also the most likely age group to have short video apps such as TikTok. TikTok was the most downloaded app in the US last year, beating Instagram.

We have collected data and statistics on the US mobile app market. Read on below to find out more.

Key US App Market Statistics

• The US app market generated $42.2 billion in 2022. This was a slight fall from $43 billion the year before
• There were 12.2 billion downloads of apps in the United States in 2022
• Smartphone users spent 208 billion hours on mobile apps last year
• Candy Crush generated the most revenue in the US at $606 million
• Google One was the top grossing non-game of 2022 at $510 million revenue

US App Market Revenue

The US app market revenue was estimated at $42.2 billion in 2022, a significant increase from $32.6 billion two years previous. Consumers spend $152 on average.

US app market annual revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)

US annual consumer spend per user 2017 to 2022 ($)

US App Market Revenue by App

In 2022, Candy Crush was the top app by revenue at $606 million. Storage app Google One also earned more than half a billion dollars.

US revenue by app 2022 ($mm)

Sources: AppMagic, Sensor Tower

US Smartphone Users

There were 276.1 million US smartphone users in 2022. This is a rise of 2.3 million users from the previous year but a slight fall proportionately.

US smartphone users 2017 to 2022 (mm)

US Smartphone Population

In 2022, 81.6% of the US population used a smartphone. This has been relatively stable since 2018.

US population smartphone usage 2017 to 2022 (%)

Time Spent on Apps in the US

American users spent more than 200 billion hours on mobile apps in 2022, a rise from 179.9 billion hours two years before.

Hours spent on mobile apps by US users 2020 to 2022 (bn)

US App Market Downloads

Annual downloads of apps in the United States have stayed relatively stable at around 12 billion. There was a pandemic peak in 2020 at 13.4 billion. Each user downloaded around 44 apps on average.

US annual app downloads 2016 to 2022 (bn)

US annual app downloads per user 2017 to 2022

US Downloads by App

TikTok was the most downloaded app in the United States in 2022, with 99 million downloads. Instagram and Cash App completed the top three.

US downloads by app 2022 (mm)

Source: Apptopia