Crochet is usually measured inside wider textile-craft or any-craft survey categories rather than as a standalone activity. The figures below therefore describe the stated survey measures and populations, not a count of active crocheters, yarn sales or market revenue.
Key Crochet Statistics
The most useful figures in the supplied evidence are:
- In 2002, 16.0% of U.S. adults participated in a combined textile-craft category covering weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlework, knitting or sewing.
- In 2008, 7.1% of U.S. adults were recorded in the combined textile-craft category.
- In 2012, 12.7% of U.S. adults were recorded in the combined textile-craft category.
- In 2017, 11.7% of U.S. adults were recorded in the combined textile-craft category.
- In 2022, 11.7% of U.S. adults were recorded in the combined textile-craft category.
- Across 2002–2022, the U.S. combined textile-craft measure changed by −4.3 percentage points.
- In 2018, 15.7% of U.S. adults, or 39.1 million people, reported craft arts including crocheting, knitting, sewing and related forms.
- In 2017/18, 15.9% of English adults aged 16–24 participated in any craft.
- In 2017/18, 31.3% of English adults aged 65–74 participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 12.8% of English men participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 29.9% of English women participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 24.6% of English adults in the upper socioeconomic group participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 17.6% of English adults in the lower socioeconomic group participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 22.9% of White English adults participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 14.2% of Asian English adults participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 25.3% of adults in England’s South East participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 29.2% of adults in England’s South West participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 27.5% of rural English adults participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 25.4% of English adults with a degree-level qualification participated in any craft.
- In 2018/19, 26.5% of English adults with a long-standing illness or disability participated in any craft.
Contents
- Key Crochet Statistics
- U.S. Crochet and Textile-Craft Participation Data
- Age Patterns in England Craft Participation
- Sex, Socioeconomic and Ethnicity Statistics
- Regional, Urban-Rural and Education Patterns
U.S. Crochet and Textile-Craft Participation Data
The U.S. National Endowment for the Arts reports a combined category covering weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlework, knitting and sewing. It is broader than crochet alone, so the values should not be presented as crochet-only prevalence.
| Year | Combined textile-craft participation | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 16.0% | U.S. adults |
| 2008 | 7.1% | U.S. adults |
| 2012 | 12.7% | U.S. adults |
| 2017 | 11.7% | U.S. adults |
| 2022 | 11.7% | U.S. adults |
Source: By All Means, the Arts: A Full Report of the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
Across 2002–2022, the reported change for this combined measure was −4.3 percentage points; it does not isolate crochet. A separate 2018 Arts Basic Survey reported craft arts—including crocheting, knitting, sewing and related forms—for 15.7% of U.S. adults, or 39.1 million people.
Source: Background: Arts Data Profile Series 26.
Age Patterns in England Craft Participation
England’s craft table measures any craft activity in the previous 12 months, including textile and non-textile crafts. The age profile was highest among 65–74-year-olds in both supplied years.
| Age | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | 15.9% | 12.2% |
| 25–44 | 21.1% | 19.8% |
| 45–64 | 24.2% | 24.4% |
| 65–74 | 31.3% | 29.0% |
| 75+ | 24.9% | 21.3% |
Sex, Socioeconomic and Ethnicity Statistics
Women recorded higher any-craft participation than men in both supplied English survey years, while the upper socioeconomic group recorded higher participation than the lower group.
| Group | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 13.5% | 12.8% |
| Women | 32.1% | 29.9% |
| Upper socioeconomic group | 26.6% | 24.6% |
| Lower socioeconomic group | 19.8% | 17.6% |
For 2018/19, the table reports 22.9% participation among White English adults, 17.1% among Black English adults, 14.2% among Asian English adults and 13.4% among combined BAME English adults. These are any-craft measures rather than crochet-only estimates; the Black subgroup estimate is based on a small respondent count, and BAME is the table’s historical label.
Regional, Urban-Rural and Education Patterns
The 2018/19 regional figures show variation across England, with the supplied highest value in the South West and the lowest in London.
| Area | Any-craft participation |
|---|---|
| North East | 18.6% |
| North West | 19.1% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 21.8% |
| East Midlands | 23.2% |
| West Midlands | 21.1% |
| East of England | 24.6% |
| London | 12.6% |
| South East | 25.3% |
| South West | 29.2% |
Urban English adults recorded 20.1% participation in 2018/19, compared with 27.5% for rural English adults. By qualification, participation was 25.4% among adults with a degree-level qualification, 21.1% among those with another kind of qualification and 13.8% among those with no qualification.
The same 2018/19 table reports any-craft participation of 26.5% among English adults with a long-standing illness or disability and 19.3% among those with no long-standing illness or disability. These figures describe survey groups and do not establish why the rates differ or identify crochet-specific participation.