Lead generation statistics: sourced figures on leads and performance marketing
These lead generation statistics come from public sources: government agencies, published surveys and an industry revenue report. Each figure links to its source, with the source name and date beside it. They cover digital advertising spend, how people respond to calls, telemarketing complaints and enforcement, and the MVA and home improvement markets.
Key points
- Every figure on this page links to the public source it came from, with the source name and date.
- Search held the largest share of U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2025, according to the IAB/PwC report.
- Most U.S. adults told Pew Research Center they do not generally answer calls from unknown numbers, which is one reason lead follow-up is planned in advance.
- FTC and FCC data show the scale of Do Not Call complaints and enforcement, including actions against lead generators that sold leads without valid consent.
- No cost per lead or conversion rate benchmarks are listed, because no primary public source for them was found.
About these figures
Checked October 6, 2026. Figures are as published by each source, on the date shown next to each one. Summit Leads has not adjusted, combined or projected them, and none of them come from Summit Leads’ own data. Sources update their data on their own schedules; follow the link to see the current version.
Lead generation is a small part of public statistics: no government agency counts leads bought and sold. The figures below describe the markets around it: advertising spend that pays for traffic, the consumers who fill in forms, the rules that govern calls and texts, and the two consumer markets Summit Leads works in.
Digital advertising and performance marketing statistics
Most consumer lead generation starts with paid or organic traffic from search, social and display. The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report measures U.S. internet advertising revenue each year.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Total U.S. internet advertising revenue, 2025 | $294.6 billion, a 13.9% increase over 2024 | IAB, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025 (with PwC), April 16, 2026 |
| Search advertising revenue, 2025 | $114.2 billion, up 11% year over year | IAB press release on the 2025 report, April 16, 2026 |
| Search share of total internet ad revenue, 2025 | 38.8% | IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025, April 2026 |
| Social media advertising revenue, 2025 | $117.7 billion, up 32.6% year over year | IAB press release on the 2025 report, April 16, 2026 |
| Display advertising revenue, 2025 | $81.6 billion, up 9.8% year over year | IAB press release on the 2025 report, April 16, 2026 |
| Digital video advertising revenue, 2025 | $78 billion, up 25.4% year over year | IAB press release on the 2025 report, April 16, 2026 |
The IAB categories relate to how lead sellers buy traffic but are not the same thing: they measure revenue to ad sellers, not spending on lead generation, and the categories can overlap (the report’s video figure includes social video). For how traffic is bought and paid for, see what is performance marketing.
Online buying and mobile statistics
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. retail e-commerce sales, second quarter of 2026 (seasonally adjusted) | $340.2 billion, 17.1% of total retail sales | U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, released August 18, 2026 |
| U.S. adults who own a smartphone | 91% | Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, November 20, 2025 (survey February 5 to June 18, 2025) |
Because most adults own a smartphone, lead forms and landing pages are usually built for small screens first. See lead generation landing pages.
Contact and follow-up statistics
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults who say they do not generally answer cellphone calls from unknown numbers | Eight in ten | Pew Research Center, December 14, 2020 (survey July 13 to 19, 2020) |
| U.S. adults whose general practice is to not answer an unknown number but to check a voicemail if one is left | 67% | Pew Research Center, December 14, 2020 (survey July 13 to 19, 2020) |
This survey is about calls in general, not calls from lead buyers. It is one reason buyers plan follow-up in advance: a caller ID the person recognizes, a voicemail and a text where consent allows. See speed to lead.
Telemarketing, Do Not Call and consent statistics
Leads are usually followed up by phone or text, so the rules on calls and the complaint data behind them apply to the whole lead generation industry.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Active registrations on the National Do Not Call Registry, September 30, 2025 | About 258.5 million | FTC press release on the FY 2025 Do Not Call Data Book, December 11, 2025 |
| Phone numbers added to the Registry in fiscal year 2025 | More than 4.7 million | FTC press release on the FY 2025 Do Not Call Data Book, December 11, 2025 |
| Do Not Call complaints received by the FTC in fiscal year 2025 | More than 2.6 million | FTC, National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2025, December 2025 |
| Change in unwanted call reports, fiscal year 2025 compared with fiscal year 2021 | About 48% lower | FTC press release on the FY 2025 Do Not Call Data Book, December 11, 2025 |
| FTC Do Not Call enforcement since 2003 | 173 lawsuits against 570 companies and 449 individuals, collecting nearly $400 million | FTC, Biennial Report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry, January 6, 2026 |
| Operation Stop Scam Calls (federal and state enforcement sweep) | More than 180 actions, more than 100 federal and state law enforcement partners; targets had sold more than 700 million telemarketing leads | FTC press release, July 18, 2023 |
| Largest robocall complaint category filed with the FCC, August 2026 | Loans/financing, 26% of robocall complaints; insurance/healthcare and credit/credit cards, 15% each | FCC, Top 5 Robocall Scam Complaints, data for August 2026 |
The FTC’s 2023 sweep named lead generators that collected phone numbers with misleading consent and sold them to robocallers; the FTC stated in that release that third-party lead generation for robocalls is illegal under the Telemarketing Sales Rule. For what valid consent looks like, see TCPA consent and express written consent. This is general information, not legal advice.
Marketing jobs statistics
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs held by advertising, promotions and marketing managers, 2025 | 454,800 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, page updated August 27, 2026 |
| Of those, jobs held by marketing managers, 2025 | 421,600 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, page updated August 27, 2026 |
| Projected employment growth, advertising, promotions and marketing managers, 2025 to 2035 | 6% | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, page updated August 27, 2026 |
| Jobs held by market research analysts, 2025 | 952,700 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, page updated August 27, 2026 |
| Projected employment growth, market research analysts, 2025 to 2035 | 7% | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, page updated August 27, 2026 |
Motor vehicle accident statistics
MVA leads come from people involved in vehicle accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) publishes the national counts.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes, 2024 (estimate) | 6,180,241 | NHTSA, Quick Facts 2024 (DOT HS 813 809), June 2026 |
| People injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 2024 (estimate) | 2,422,195 | NHTSA, Quick Facts 2024 (DOT HS 813 809), June 2026 |
| People killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 2024 | 39,254 | NHTSA, Quick Facts 2024 (DOT HS 813 809), June 2026 |
| Injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, 2024 | 74 | NHTSA, Quick Facts 2024 (DOT HS 813 809), June 2026 |
Not every injured person wants legal help, and not every request becomes a lead. For what an MVA lead is, see what are MVA leads.
Home improvement statistics
Home improvement leads come from homeowners planning projects. The Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) measure home improvement activity in the American Housing Survey.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Total spent by homeowners on home improvements, 2021 to 2023 | $827 billion | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Homeowners who made improvements | 51.6 million of 86.9 million homeowners (59%) | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Roofing projects: total spending and number of projects | $93.5 billion; 8.3 million projects | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Bathroom remodels: total spending and number of projects | $68.9 billion; 7.5 million projects | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Flooring, paneling and ceiling tiles: total spending and number of projects | $51.0 billion; 10.9 million projects | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Doors and windows: total spending and number of projects | $45.2 billion; 7.9 million projects | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
| Share of projects done by professionals vs do-it-yourself | 64% professionals, 36% do-it-yourself | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements, 2024 |
For how contractors find these homeowners, see home improvement lead generation.
How to use these lead generation statistics
Open the source
Check the figure on the source page before you repeat it, and note the date it was published.
Quote the figure with its source and date
Write the number, who published it and when, and link to it, as on this page.
Do not combine figures from different sources
Each source measures something different, over a different period. Adding or dividing them creates a number no source published.
Use your own data for prices and conversion
Cost per lead, sold rate and conversion rate depend on your vertical, states, traffic and buyers. Measure them in your own reports. See cost per lead and lead conversion rate.
What is not on this page
Many lists of lead generation statistics quote average cost per lead, conversion rates and lead gen market size. Those figures usually come from vendor surveys with unstated methods, or have no source at all. We left out every subtopic for which we could not find a primary public source: average cost per lead by industry, lead-to-customer conversion rates, response-time benchmarks and the size of the lead generation market. For the factors that set lead prices, see how lead pricing works.
Summit Leads buys and sells MVA and home improvement leads by real-time ping/post.
Frequently asked questions
Where do these lead generation statistics come from?
From public sources: the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, NHTSA, the FTC, the FCC, Pew Research Center and the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report. Each figure links to its source.
Why is there no average cost per lead on this page?
No primary public source publishes one that we could verify. Lead prices depend on vertical, state, exclusivity, timing and buyer demand. See how lead pricing works.
Is lead generation profitable?
No public source gives a figure that applies across the industry. Profit depends on traffic cost, sold rate and returns for sellers, and on contact rate, close rate and case or job value for buyers.
What is the biggest mistake in lead generation?
Treating a submitted form as the end of the job. What a lead is worth depends on consent, validation, how fast someone follows up and how many leads are returned.
Related guides
- The lead generation industry: How the whole industry fits together.
- What is lead generation: Meaning, types and how it works.
- Speed to lead: How buyers set up fast follow-up.
- Do Not Call list for businesses: Registry access and scrubbing.
- Fake leads and lead fraud: Types of fraud and how they are detected.
Sources
- Digital Ad Revenue Climbs to Nearly $300B as IAB Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary (April 16, 2026), IAB
- IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025 (April 2026), IAB
- Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026 (August 18, 2026), U.S. Census Bureau
- Mobile Fact Sheet (November 20, 2025), Pew Research Center
- Most Americans don’t answer cellphone calls from unknown numbers (December 14, 2020), Pew Research Center
- National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2025 (December 2025), Federal Trade Commission
- FTC Releases Annual Do Not Call Registry Data Book (December 11, 2025), Federal Trade Commission
- FTC Issues Biennial Report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry (January 6, 2026), Federal Trade Commission
- FTC, Law Enforcers Nationwide Announce Enforcement Sweep to Stem the Tide of Illegal Telemarketing Calls (July 18, 2023), Federal Trade Commission
- Top 5 Robocall Scam Complaints (August 2026 data), Federal Communications Commission
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers (updated August 27, 2026), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Market Research Analysts (updated August 27, 2026), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Quick Facts 2024, DOT HS 813 809 (June 2026), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- 2023 American Housing Survey: Home Improvements infographic (2024), U.S. Census Bureau and HUD
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