TikTok says it supported $81 billion in US GDP and 410,000 jobs in 2025.
PF Global’s 2026 report for TikTok puts the app’s 2025 US impact at $81 billion in GDP and 410,000 jobs, with new figures on local discovery.
TikTok has published its 2026 US economic impact report, and the headline figures are $81 billion in US GDP and 410,000 American jobs supported in 2025.
The research is by PF Global, and the newsroom post from TikTok USDS Joint Venture, published on 1 October 2026, carries the summary. Every figure covers the United States only.
The numbers a social team will reach for are the local ones. PF Global estimates that 27 million Americans visited an independent shop, cafe or restaurant for the first time after seeing it on TikTok, generating an estimated $4.7 billion in local spending in 2025. It also says 47 million American adults found a local business after watching a TikTok video over the past year, and that 50 million Americans who visited a business after seeing it in a trending video said they came back.
What businesses told the researchers
The report’s business figures all describe businesses that already use TikTok:
- 93% said sales increased after promoting products or services on the platform.
- 84% said it lets them reach customers they otherwise could not.
- 80% said it has helped them scale their operations, and 76% called it critical to their continued existence.
- In restaurants and dining, 85% said they sold out of a product after promoting it on TikTok.
- In hospitality, travel and tourism, 83% reported increased sales.
Beyond the surveys, PF Global estimates that 1.8 million American entrepreneurs sold products or services through the platform in 2025. It puts additional US spending driven by exploration on TikTok at $14 billion across tourism, retail, hospitality and other services, with 19 million additional visits to US towns, cities and tourist attractions.
The post names Local Feed and TikTok GO as the features that turn discovery into a visit, a booking or a purchase.
What the post leaves out
The newsroom post gives no sample size, survey dates or method for any figure, and points to PF Global’s full report for the detail. It calls the research independent and does not say who paid for it. There are no figures for the UK or any other country.
What it means for brands
These figures will turn up in pitch decks and board papers within days, so know what they are before someone quotes them at you. They are estimates for the US, in a report TikTok is publishing about itself, and the percentages come from businesses already on the platform, not from businesses in general. When your boss asks whether TikTok drives footfall, the accurate answer is that TikTok’s own research estimates it does in the US, and that the method sits in the full report.
For a UK brand, do not present any of this as a UK number. This week, add a “how did you hear about us” question at the till, on the booking form or at checkout, with TikTok as a named option. A month of your own answers is worth more in a budget conversation than a borrowed national estimate.
Sources
The NBK Social briefing
Our TikTok coverage, and everything else we publish, by email.