Craft spans personal making, public events, online commerce, and the use and disposal of textile materials. The figures below separate those measures clearly, with U.S. survey estimates, Etsy company metrics, and EPA municipal-solid-waste estimates shown for their stated populations and periods.
Key Craft Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In the 12 months ending July 2022, 52% of U.S. adults reported making some form of art, a broad measure that is not craft-only.
- In 2022, 17.1% of U.S. adults attended a craft fair or visual-arts festival.
- U.S. craft-fair or visual-festival attendance was 23.8% in 2017, compared with 17.1% in 2022.
- In 2022, 20.4% of U.S. women and 13.7% of U.S. men attended a craft fair or visual-arts festival.
- Among U.S. adults ages 35–44, 20.9% attended a craft fair or visual-arts festival in 2022.
- San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos had 35.3% attendance among adults in 2022 in the report’s listed top-five metropolitan exhibit.
- In 2022, 17.2% of adults in metropolitan areas and 16.5% in nonmetropolitan areas attended a craft fair or visual-arts festival.
- In 2022, 34.6% of adults in the U.S. West reported learning an art form.
- Etsy’s consolidated marketplaces had 8.134 million active sellers on December 31, 2024.
- Etsy’s consolidated marketplaces had 95.459 million active buyers on December 31, 2024.
- Etsy marketplace alone recorded $10.9 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2024.
- Etsy marketplace active buyers declined 2.6% year over year to 89.6 million in 2024.
- Etsy marketplace GMS per active buyer declined 3.5% year over year to $121 in 2024.
- Repeat buyers represented approximately 48% of Etsy marketplace active buyers in 2024.
- Habitual buyers were 7% of Etsy marketplace active buyers but generated approximately 41% of 2024 GMS.
- U.S. textile municipal-solid-waste generation was 17.03 million tons in 2018.
- Textiles represented 5.8% of total U.S. municipal-solid-waste generation in 2018.
- U.S. textile recycling was 2.51 million tons, or 14.7%, in 2018.
- U.S. landfills received 11.30 million tons of textile municipal solid waste in 2018.
Contents
- U.S. craft participation and creative activity
- Craft fair attendance trends and demographics
- Regional craft and visual-arts data
- Craft marketplace scale, sellers and buyers
- Etsy buyer behavior and commerce trends
- Textile craft materials, waste and recycling
U.S. Craft Participation and Creative Activity
The National Endowment for the Arts’ 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts measured U.S. adults during the 12 months ending July 2022. Its art-making measure is broader than craft: it includes making art in any form, so it should not be read as a craft-only participation rate.
The survey reported that 52% of U.S. adults did some form of art making. The same report recorded 17.1% attendance at craft fairs or visual-arts festivals, a measure of visiting events rather than producing craft. National Endowment for the Arts, By All Means, the Arts: A Full Report of the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
The long-term event-attendance figures show a changing pattern rather than a steady increase:
| Year | Craft-fair or visual-festival attendance | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 33.4% | U.S. adults; the question used “art fair” |
| 2008 | 24.5% | U.S. adults |
| 2012 | 21.3% | U.S. adults |
| 2017 | 23.8% | U.S. adults |
| 2022 | 17.1% | U.S. adults |
These are survey estimates, and the report notes wording and survey-context considerations for trend comparisons. The 2022 period also fell within a pandemic-era measurement window, so the 6.7-percentage-point difference from 2017 should be interpreted with that context.
Craft Fair Attendance Trends and Demographics
Craft-fair and visual-festival attendance differed by the sex categories used in the NEA survey. In 2022, the rate was 13.7% among men and 20.4% among women; in 2017, it was 19.5% among men and 27.8% among women.
| U.S. adults | 2017 | 2022 | Reported change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 19.5% | 13.7% | Down 5.8 percentage points |
| Women | 27.8% | 20.4% | Down 7.4 percentage points |
Age differences were also visible in 2022. Attendance reached 18.5% among adults ages 18–24, 19.1% among those ages 25–34, and 20.9% among those ages 35–44.
Among older groups, attendance was 17.2% for ages 45–54, 14.0% for ages 55–64, 15.9% for ages 65–74, and 10.4% for adults 75 and older. These figures measure self-reported attendance, not craft production or the number of events attended. National Endowment for the Arts, By All Means, the Arts.
Regional Craft and Visual-Arts Participation Data
The NEA report’s listed metropolitan exhibit shows substantial variation among the five displayed metro areas in 2022. San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos recorded the highest listed rate at 35.3%, while Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington recorded 21.3%.
| Metropolitan area | Attendance in 2022 |
|---|---|
| San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos | 35.3% |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington | 29.4% |
| Boston–Cambridge–Newton | 25.9% |
| Denver–Aurora–Lakewood | 21.4% |
| Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington | 21.3% |
This is a top-five display from the report, not a ranking of every U.S. metro area. At the broader metro-status level, attendance was 17.2% in metropolitan areas and 16.5% in nonmetropolitan areas; the 0.7-point difference was not statistically significant at the report’s stated confidence level.
Learning an art form is another distinct measure. In 2022, the rate was 34.6% in the West, 31.8% in the Midwest, 31.5% in New England, 27.9% in the Mid-America Arts region, 25.9% in the Mid-Atlantic, and 23.5% in the South.
These are rates for learning any art form, not specifically learning craft. National Endowment for the Arts, By All Means, the Arts.
Craft Marketplace Scale, Sellers and Buyers
Online marketplace statistics provide a different view of craft-related commerce, but Etsy’s measures cover more than textile craft. The company’s consolidated marketplace figures include Etsy marketplace, Reverb, and Depop, and exclude divested Elo7.
At December 31, 2024, the consolidated marketplaces had 8.134 million active sellers and 95.459 million active buyers. Etsy marketplace alone had 5.6 million active sellers and 89.6 million active buyers.
| Etsy marketplace measure | 2024 value | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Active sellers | 8.134 million | Consolidated marketplaces, Dec. 31 |
| Active buyers | 95.459 million | Consolidated marketplaces, Dec. 31 |
| Active sellers | 5.6 million | Etsy marketplace, Dec. 31 |
| Active buyers | 89.6 million | Etsy marketplace, Dec. 31 |
| Gross merchandise sales | $12.6 billion | Consolidated marketplaces |
| Gross merchandise sales | $10.9 billion | Etsy marketplace |
| Gross merchandise sales | $917.9 million | Reverb |
| Gross merchandise sales | $788.9 million | Depop |
Etsy defines gross merchandise sales as item value excluding shipping and net of refunds; it is merchandise value, not Etsy revenue. Reverb is a music marketplace and Depop is a fashion-resale marketplace, so their figures provide platform context rather than direct measures of craft sales. Etsy, Inc., 2024 Form 10-K Annual Report.
Etsy Buyer Behavior and Commerce Trends
Etsy’s consolidated 2024 gross merchandise sales declined approximately 4% year over year. On Etsy marketplace, GMS per active buyer declined 3.5% year over year to $121, while active buyers declined 2.6% year over year to 89.6 million.
Approximately 46% of consolidated GMS was ex-U.S. domestic in 2024, compared with approximately 45% in 2023. The company notes that this geography definition changed in subsequent disclosure, so the two percentages should be treated as reported company metrics rather than a perfectly harmonized time series.
Repeat and habitual buyers describe different levels of engagement:
- Repeat buyers represented approximately 48% of Etsy marketplace active buyers in 2024; Etsy defines a repeat buyer as someone who purchased on two or more days during the prior 12 months.
- Etsy repeat buyers averaged 4.9 purchase days in 2024, compared with 5 purchase days in 2020; this measures purchase days, not the number of items bought.
- Habitual buyers were 7% of Etsy marketplace active buyers in 2024; the company defines them as buyers who spent at least $200 and purchased on six or more days during the prior 12 months.
- Habitual buyers accounted for approximately 41% of Etsy marketplace GMS in 2024.
- New buyers represented approximately 9% of Etsy marketplace GMS in 2024, and GMS from new buyers declined 17% year over year.
These are company-defined cohorts and marketplace measures. They do not isolate handmade craft, sewing, crochet, or other textile categories. Etsy, Inc., 2024 Form 10-K Annual Report.
Textile Craft Materials, Waste and Recycling Statistics
The Environmental Protection Agency’s textile figures describe textiles entering U.S. municipal solid waste, not all textile production, household fabric ownership, or craft-material use. Reused textiles are not included in generation until they enter the municipal-solid-waste stream, and the estimates are not craft-material-specific.
In 2018, U.S. textile municipal-solid-waste generation totaled 17.03 million tons, representing 5.8% of total U.S. municipal-solid-waste generation. Textile recycling was 2.51 million tons, equal to an overall textile recycling rate of 14.7%.
| Textile MSW measure | 2018 estimate | Share or category |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | 17.03 million tons | 5.8% of total U.S. MSW generation |
| Recycling | 2.51 million tons | 14.7% of textiles |
| Combustion with energy recovery | 3.22 million tons | 9.3% of all U.S. MSW combusted with energy recovery |
| Landfilled | 11.30 million tons | 7.7% of all U.S. MSW landfilled |
Category-level recycling estimates were 13% for clothing and footwear and 15.8% for sheets, pillowcases, and similar items. Those categories are useful context for textile disposal, but neither is a recycling rate for household craft fabric.
Historical EPA estimates show the scale of textile generation changing over time: 1.76 million tons in 1960, 9.48 million tons in 2000, and 16.06 million tons in 2015. Textile recycling was estimated at 50 thousand tons in 1960 and 2.46 million tons in 2015.
The EPA figures are estimates for textiles in U.S. municipal solid waste. They exclude significant quantities that remain in reuse markets until eventual disposal and should not be presented as a complete measure of textile-craft waste or the environmental effects of sewing and crochet. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data.