TikTok has released a new economic impact report this month estimating that activity on the platform generated $81 billion in economic value for U.S. businesses in 2025, supporting 410,000 jobs and $13 billion in federal tax revenue. The figures come from research TikTok commissioned from PF Global, a policy and economic consultancy, and are based on economic modeling alongside surveys of 11,123 U.S. adults and 5,101 U.S. businesses conducted between May and June 2026.

Small Businesses and TikTok Shop

PF Global attributes $35 billion of the total economic value, and 230,000 of the jobs, to small and medium-sized businesses specifically. The firm also reports that 93% of businesses using TikTok said their sales increased after promoting products on the platform, and 75% said they had paid creators for promotional work.

On TikTok Shop, which launched in the U.S. in 2023, PF Global’s survey found 85% of business users said the feature helped grow sales and revenue, 82% said it let them start selling faster than setting up an independent online store, and 81% said it reached customers they could not access through a physical or online store. Among all businesses on TikTok, 85% reported selling out of a product because of the platform, rising to 96% among those selling through TikTok Shop specifically.

Creator Economy Figures

PF Global estimates 26 million Americans earned money from content they created on TikTok in 2025, and that creators and the wider production activity they support added $9.7 billion to U.S. creative sectors. The firm projects that by 2030, platforms like TikTok will drive the addition of 14 million streamers, artists and creators, generating $30 billion in industry earnings.

On TikTok LIVE specifically, the company told PF Global that roughly 12 million U.S. creators earned money through LIVE content in 2025. PF Global’s report separately states that 15 million North American creators went LIVE that year, reaching more than 70 million monthly U.S. viewers and generating over $1 billion in creator payouts. The firm also estimates LIVE generates an average of $2,500 in additional revenue for small and medium-sized businesses that use it regularly.

The report introduces a category it calls “Casual Creators,” everyday users who post about products, restaurants, or local experiences without pursuing creator income. PF Global estimates 41% of U.S. TikTok users, or 43 million people, fall into this group.

AI Tools and Music

PF Global found 68% of businesses on TikTok use the platform’s built-in AI tools, and 95% of that group said the tools are now important to their ability to compete. Among small businesses specifically using the AI tools, 32% said the tools helped them compete with larger companies. The top cited benefits were improving content quality (46%), improving advertising performance (41%), and increasing creativity (40%).

On music, PF Global estimates TikTok-driven streaming, ticket sales, and merchandise activity generated $2.1 billion in additional revenue for U.S. artists in 2025. The firm’s survey found 71% of users say TikTok helps them discover new music, 57% have started listening to an artist after seeing them on the platform, and 59% have added a TikTok-discovered track to a personal playlist.

International Reach

PF Global reports that 26% of professional TikTok creators have an audience extending beyond the U.S., and that 73% of businesses using the platform said they had received interest or inquiries from overseas users. The firm estimates this exposure supported $6 billion in U.S. exports in 2025.

Methodology: PF Global’s economic modeling draws on third-party data sources including NielsenIQ, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, eMarketer, Statista, RIAA, Luminate and Pew Research, combined with TikTok’s own platform data and the firm’s surveys. State-level figures were derived using multilevel regression and poststratification rather than direct state-by-state polling. The report does not disclose what PF Global was paid for the research.

Image source: TikTok
The full report can be found here

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