Billboard Advertising Statistics 2026: 40 Sourced Facts

US out of home ad revenue reached a record $9.46 billion in 2025, up 3.6% (OAAA). Billboards earned $6.72 billion of that, or 71.1%. Digital made up 36.3% of all out of home revenue. Growth sped up in 2026. Second quarter revenue was $3.16 billion, up 10.7%.

Below are 40 statistics about billboard and out of home advertising in the US. Each row names its source and date. We favor primary sources: the OAAA, federal agencies and company filings. A note on method sits at the end.

Key billboard statistics at a glance

• $9.46 billion: US out of home ad revenue in 2025.
• $6.72 billion: billboard revenue in 2025, 71.1% of the total.
• 36.3%: digital's share of out of home revenue in 2025.
• About 25,000: digital billboards in the US at the end of 2025.
• 2.3%: out of home's share of all US media spend in 2025.
• 4 states: ban billboards, and more than 700 communities do too (Scenic America). The OAAA finds no bulletins in Alaska, Hawaii, Maine or Vermont.

How big is billboard and out of home revenue?

The OAAA is the trade group for US out of home media. It reports industry revenue each quarter. Out of home includes billboards, transit and street furniture like bus shelters. It also includes place-based screens, like those in malls and airports.

Billboards are the largest part of out of home, but not the fastest growing. Billboard revenue rose 2.3% in 2025. Transit and digital grew faster. Even so, billboards brought in more than twice as much as every other format combined.

The long trend is up, with one big dip. OAAA's history shows $5.9 billion in 2009 and $8.6 billion in 2019. Revenue fell to $6.1 billion in 2020, when people stayed home. It was back to $8.6 billion by 2022. It has set a new high each year since (OAAA Facts & Figures).

Local buyers matter most. Nearly two of every three out of home dollars came from local sales in 2025. That is good news for small operators who sell to businesses near their boards.

How fast is digital billboard advertising growing?

Digital out of home, or DOOH, covers any screen that shows ads. That includes digital billboards, screens in transit and screens in stores. It is the fastest-growing part of the industry.

Digital earns more per board because one screen carries many ads. A static face holds one ad at a time. A digital face often runs six to eight in a loop. That is also why a digital board costs more to build and run. See digital billboard cost for the math.

Programmatic means ads bought by software, often a play at a time. It was 30% of digital out of home in 2025. The other 70% was bought other ways.

How much of the ad market goes to billboards?

Out of home is a small slice of total ad spend. Clear Channel Outdoor's annual report says print, TV and radio spend is falling while out of home grows. Here is where it stands and who buys it.

CPM is the cost to reach 1,000 people. Bulletins are among the cheapest media per impression. In the same Solomon Partners chart, streaming video ran $23 to $34. Newspapers ran $40 to $54. See how much a billboard costs for prices by market.

The two forecasts differ a little. OAAA's comes from its own 2025 report. Omnicom's comes from its winter 2025 model, quoted in Clear Channel Outdoor's annual report. Both see steady growth near 4% a year.

How many billboards are in the US?

The OAAA counts displays by format each year. Company counts come from the three public operators' annual reports. The Census counts businesses, not boards.

Added up, OAAA's billboard formats come to about 420,500 displays. The three public operators report about 232,000 billboard displays between them, some in Canada. So the big three hold a large share of US billboards, but far from all of them. Lamar alone runs about 159,300 displays. Many of the rest belong to small, local operators. Most display ad businesses in the Census count have fewer than five people.

Note that the Census group also covers indoor display ads. So it is a rough count of the industry, not of billboard owners alone.

Do people notice billboards?

Audience research for out of home is often paid for by the industry. We list who ran each study and when, so you can judge it yourself.

The April 2024 Harris Poll surveyed 1,023 US adults aged 18 to 64. It counts many kinds of action, so check the release before you quote it. The recall ranges are wide. Read them as a band, not a single number.

What rules govern billboards?

Federal law, the Highway Beautification Act, sets the frame. States and cities add their own rules on top. A state that fails to control signs along federal-aid roads can lose 10% of its federal highway money. These are the key numbers.

A legal nonconforming sign was legal when built but could not be built under today's rules. Most can stay, but they are hard to move, rebuild or convert to digital. That makes existing boards scarce and valuable. Scenic America works to limit billboards, so read its count with that in mind.

Each state runs its own permit program. Our state guides cover the rules, such as Tennessee and Texas. This is a summary, not legal advice. Check with the agency before you build or sign.

What do these numbers mean for billboard operators?

Four points stand out for the people who own and sell the boards.

1. Local sales carry the business. About 65% of out of home money is local. A small operator who knows the dentists, lawyers and car dealers in town is in the right market.
2. Digital is where growth is. Digital grew 10.5% in 2025, far faster than billboards as a whole. A strong site that can go digital is worth a close look.
3. Boards are scarce. Federal and local rules limit new builds. Most of OUTFRONT's structures could not be built today. An existing permit is a real asset.
4. The cost per impression is low. Bulletins cost $3 to $10 per thousand impressions. That is a strong pitch when a buyer compares you with TV or newspapers.

For what this means in dollars per board, see how much billboard owners make. For sizes and formats, see billboard sizes.

How we gathered these statistics

We used primary sources wherever we could: OAAA reports, federal agencies, the Census and SEC filings. Every row links to its source. We read each source on October 8, 2026.

A few notes on method:

• OAAA revenue. OAAA publishes the industry total each quarter. We use OAAA's numbers for the total. Other trackers, like MAGNA, use different methods and can show different totals.
• Where sources disagree, we say so. OAAA's press release gives transit growth in 2025 as 9.2%. Its Facts & Figures report says 9.8%.
• Company figures come from each company's annual report for 2025, as of December 31, 2025.
• Studies paid for by the industry are marked with who ran them and when. One deck did not give study dates, and we say so.
• The Census group (NAICS 541850) includes indoor display ads, so it is broader than billboards.

We plan to update this page when new OAAA quarterly data comes out. If you spot an error, tell us and we will fix it.

To cite a figure, name the original source in its row. You can link to this page as the place you found it.

Questions people ask

How big is the billboard advertising industry?

US out of home ad revenue was $9.46 billion in 2025, per the OAAA. Billboards earned $6.72 billion of that, or 71.1%.

How many billboards are there in the US?

The OAAA counted about 210,000 bulletins, 160,000 posters, 18,500 junior posters and 25,000 digital billboards at the end of 2025.

How many digital billboards are in the US?

About 25,000 at the end of 2025. That count is from the OAAA's April 2026 Facts & Figures report.

What share of ad spending goes to billboards and out of home?

Out of home was 2.3% of total US media spend in 2025, per OAAA and MAGNA data. Billboards were 71.1% of out of home revenue.

Which states ban billboards?

Four states ban billboards, and more than 700 communities do too (Scenic America). The OAAA finds no bulletins in Alaska, Hawaii, Maine or Vermont.

Can I cite these statistics?

Yes. Please cite the original source in each row, and link to this page as the place you found it.

Sources

1. 01Out of Home Advertising Revenue Reaches Record $9.46 Billion (March 17, 2026) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
2. 022025 OOH Facts & Figures: Ad Spend Performance (April 2026) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
3. 03Out of Home Advertising Revenue Surpasses $9 Billion (March 6, 2025) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
4. 04Out of Home Advertising Continues on Growth Trajectory, Up 2.1% in 2023 (March 18, 2024) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
5. 05OOH Hits New First Quarter High as Revenue Reaches $2.12 Billion (June 3, 2026) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
6. 06From Coca-Cola to OpenAI, Brands Are Betting Bigger on OOH (Q2 2026 revenue, August 18, 2026) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
7. 07Maximizing OOH in Today's Marketplace: 2026 Key Trends and Consumer Insights (February 2026) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
8. 08Political Primer: OOH Delivers Value and Effectiveness 2026 (Solomon Partners data, December 2025) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
9. 09New Study Finds Digital Out of Home Advertising Surpasses Other Media in Driving Favorability and Action (April 30, 2024) · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
10. 10Bulletins · OAAA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
11. 11Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · Lamar Advertising Company (SEC filing) · accessed Oct 8, 2026
12. 12Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · OUTFRONT Media (SEC filing) · accessed Oct 8, 2026
13. 13Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (SEC filing) · accessed Oct 8, 2026
14. 14County Business Patterns 2023, U.S. detail file (NAICS 541850, Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising) · U.S. Census Bureau · accessed Oct 8, 2026
15. 15Federal Outdoor Advertising Control Program · Federal Highway Administration · accessed Oct 8, 2026
16. 16Guidance on Off-Premise Changeable Message Signs (September 25, 2007) · Federal Highway Administration · accessed Oct 8, 2026
17. 17Billboards and Sign Control · Scenic America · accessed Oct 8, 2026

Gabie Research

Billboard operations and sales research

The Gabie team studies how billboard companies price, sell and run their boards. Every number we publish links to its source.

Published Oct 8, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · How we check facts