DIY craft spans personal leisure, handmade commerce, craft supplies and textile reuse. The statistics below separate U.S. time-use measures, global Etsy platform metrics, U.S. municipal-waste data and UK craft-market research so that participation, business activity and material outcomes are not treated as the same thing.
Key DIY Craft Statistics
These highlights capture the most useful quantified measures across the available participation, marketplace, materials and market-research data:
- In 2024, U.S. arts-and-crafts participants age 15 and older spent an average of 125 minutes on a participation day.
- In 2024, U.S. people age 15 and older spent 5.1 hours per day in leisure and sports on average.
- In 2024, nearly 94% of the U.S. population age 15 and older engaged in leisure or sports on an average day.
- In 2024, the Etsy marketplace recorded $10.9 billion in gross merchandise sales worldwide.
- At December 31, 2024, Etsy had 5.6 million active sellers worldwide.
- At December 31, 2024, Etsy had 89.6 million active buyers worldwide.
- In 2024, Etsy, Reverb and Depop together recorded $12.6 billion in gross merchandise sales.
- In 2024, Etsy represented 86.4% of the consolidated GMS of Etsy, Reverb and Depop.
- In 2024, Etsy’s six largest retail categories represented approximately $9 billion of marketplace GMS.
- In 2024, the six largest Etsy retail categories represented approximately 87% of Etsy marketplace GMS.
- In 2018, U.S. municipal-solid-waste textiles generated 17.0 million short tons.
- In 2018, 14.7% of U.S. textile municipal solid waste was recycled.
- In 2018, 66.1% of U.S. textile municipal solid waste was landfilled.
- From 2000 to 2018, U.S. textile municipal-solid-waste generation increased from 12.3 million to 17.0 million short tons.
- From 2000 to 2018, U.S. textile municipal-solid-waste recycling increased from 0.3 million to 2.5 million short tons.
- In the Crafts Council’s 2020 report, consumer research covered more than 2,000 UK adults.
Contents
- DIY craft participation and time-use statistics
- Craft-market size and handmade-business activity
- Etsy handmade and craft-supply marketplace data
- Textile DIY materials, waste and recycling statistics
- Craft employment, businesses and economic contribution
- DIY craft trends across years and consumer segments
DIY Craft Participation and Time-Use Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey measures primary activities reported in diaries. Its arts-and-crafts figures describe people who participated and the duration on days they did the activity, not the share of all adults who craft every day.
In 2024, arts and crafts as a hobby took an average of 125 minutes, or 2.08 hours, per participation day among U.S. civilian population age 15 and older participants. The same BLS source reports 151 minutes for other hobbies excluding arts, crafts and collecting, 119 minutes for taking a class for personal interest, 96 minutes for personal-interest research or homework, and 95 minutes for writing for personal interest; each comparison category is broader than DIY craft.
Source: Baubles, bangles, and beads: time spent on hobbies, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024.
The broader 2024 American Time Use Survey provides context rather than a craft prevalence rate:
- Nearly 94% of U.S. people age 15 and older engaged in some leisure or sports activity on an average day.
- U.S. people age 15 and older spent 5.1 hours per day in leisure and sports on average.
- U.S. men age 15 and older spent 5.5 hours per day in leisure and sports activities.
- U.S. women age 15 and older spent 4.7 hours per day in leisure and sports activities.
These leisure-and-sports measures include many activities unrelated to crafts, so they should not be read as DIY craft participation. Source: American Time Use Survey—2024 Results, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Craft-Market Size and Handmade-Business Activity
Marketplace figures show the scale of a commercial platform, not the complete DIY craft economy. Etsy’s 2024 marketplace GMS was $10.9 billion worldwide for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The wider Etsy group reported $12.6 billion in 2024 GMS across Etsy, Reverb and Depop. Etsy represented 86.4% of that consolidated GMS, while Reverb contributed $917.9 million and Depop approximately $788.9 million; Reverb is a music-instrument marketplace and Depop is a fashion-resale marketplace.
| 2024 platform measure | Reported value | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy marketplace GMS | $10.9 billion | Etsy worldwide |
| Consolidated GMS | $12.6 billion | Etsy, Reverb and Depop |
| Etsy share of consolidated GMS | 86.4% | Company-reported group denominator |
| Reverb GMS | $917.9 million | Music instruments |
| Depop GMS | Approximately $788.9 million | Fashion resale |
Source: Etsy 2024 Current Report, operating highlights and Etsy, Inc. 2024 Form 10-K.
At December 31, 2024, Etsy marketplace had 5.6 million active sellers and 89.6 million active buyers worldwide. Etsy defines “active” through its company measurement, so these counts do not mean that every seller makes craft goods or every buyer purchases handmade products.
The consolidated Etsy, Reverb and Depop measure was 8.134 million active sellers and 95.459 million active buyers at the same date. That broader platform count excludes Elo7 in the 2024 scope.
Etsy Handmade and Craft-Supply Marketplace Data
Etsy’s category data places craft supplies inside a much larger marketplace basket. In 2024, the company’s six largest retail categories—homewares, jewelry, apparel, craft supplies, paper and party, and toys—represented approximately $9 billion of Etsy marketplace GMS, or approximately 87% of marketplace GMS.
Craft supplies were one of those six largest retail categories, but the cited filing does not provide craft-supplies-only GMS. The category basket therefore supports a measure of marketplace scale and category presence, not a standalone estimate for DIY craft spending.
Etsy reported more than 100 million unique items available on its marketplace in its 2024 transparency report. This is a marketplace inventory description, not a count of DIY craft items.
| Etsy marketplace indicator | 2024 value | Definition or caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Six largest retail categories | Approximately $9 billion GMS | Includes craft supplies and non-craft categories |
| Share represented by six categories | Approximately 87% | Etsy marketplace GMS |
| Unique items available | More than 100 million | Transparency-report description |
| Craft supplies | Included in six largest categories | Craft-supplies-only GMS not stated |
Source: Etsy, Inc. 2024 Form 10-K.
The marketplace data is useful for understanding the commercial environment surrounding handmade and DIY goods, but it should not be described as the entire craft market or as a direct measure of household participation.
Textile DIY Materials, Waste and Recycling Statistics
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s textile series covers textiles entering the municipal solid-waste stream. It includes clothing and other textile materials broadly, not only fabric, yarn or scraps used in DIY craft.
In 2018, U.S. municipal solid-waste textiles generated 17.0 million short tons. Of that stream, 2.5 million tons were recycled, 3.8 million tons were combusted with energy recovery and 11.3 million tons were landfilled.
| 2018 U.S. textile MSW outcome | Amount | Rate of generation |
|---|---|---|
| Generated | 17.0 million short tons | 100% |
| Recycled | 2.5 million short tons | 14.7% |
| Combusted with energy recovery | 3.8 million short tons | 22.2% |
| Landfilled | 11.3 million short tons | 66.1% |
Source: Textiles: Material-Specific Data, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA historical series shows how the stream changed between 2000 and 2018:
- Textile municipal-solid-waste generation rose from 12.3 million short tons in 2000 to 17.0 million in 2018.
- Textile municipal-solid-waste recycling rose from 0.3 million short tons in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2018.
- Textile municipal-solid-waste landfilling rose from 10.2 million short tons in 2000 to 11.3 million in 2018.
- Combustion with energy recovery rose from 1.8 million short tons in 2000 to 3.8 million in 2018.
- The EPA series recorded 1.7 million short tons of material recovery in 2018, rounded to one decimal place.
These figures describe the national textile-waste system, not the disposal choices of DIY crafters. The material-recovery category follows the EPA table’s definition and is not a craft-supply reuse estimate.
Craft Employment, Businesses and Economic Contribution Data
The Crafts Council’s The Market for Craft report provides a structured view of consumer research rather than a single global employment total. Its market report measures craft purchasing across 12 craft categories.
The underlying consumer research covered more than 2,000 UK adults, with the report published in 2020. It compared craft markets in three geographies: the UK, New York and Los Angeles.
The report’s classification framework also identifies six broad purchasing motivations in its consumer analysis and presents craft-market data across four consumer age bands. Those counts describe the report’s analytical structure, not population totals, employment levels or participation rates.
Because the report uses report-specific category definitions, separate samples and market definitions, its UK, New York and Los Angeles comparisons should remain within their original table context. They are useful for segmenting craft purchasing, but they do not establish a directly comparable worldwide DIY-craft market size.
Source: The Market for Craft, Crafts Council, report 2020.
DIY Craft Trends Across Years and Consumer Segments
Etsy’s consolidated platform series provides descriptive year-to-year observations. The company’s active-buyer count was 95.076 million in 2022, 96.483 million in 2023 and 95.459 million in 2024.
| Year-end | Active buyers | Active sellers | Scope note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 95.076 million | 7.470 million | Etsy, Reverb, Depop and Elo7 |
| 2023 | 96.483 million | 9.035 million | Etsy, Reverb, Depop and Elo7 as then reported |
| 2024 | 95.459 million | 8.134 million | Etsy, Reverb and Depop; Elo7 excluded |
The corresponding active-seller counts were 7.470 million in 2022, 9.035 million in 2023 and 8.134 million in 2024. The filing notes that Elo7 treatment differs across the comparison, and Elo7 was divested; the values should therefore be compared only with the stated scope and reconciliation.
These descriptive changes do not establish why buyer or seller counts moved. They also should not be interpreted as a causal trend in DIY craft participation, because the platform includes non-craft goods and multiple marketplaces.
In 2024, craft supplies remained one of Etsy’s six largest retail categories, while the complete six-category basket accounted for approximately $9 billion of marketplace GMS. The category evidence indicates commercial visibility for craft supplies without supplying a craft-supplies-only spending total.
Source: Etsy, Inc. 2024 Form 10-K.