The short answer. Psychic readings are a roughly $2.3 billion business in the United States (IBISWorld, 2025), and about 3 in 10 Americans (30%) consult astrology, tarot cards or a fortune teller at least once a year (Pew Research Center, 2025). Around 4 in 10 say psychics exist (YouGov, 2025), a share that has barely moved in two decades. Online, a reading typically costs $4.99 a minute: that’s the median listed rate across the 242 advisors we audited on Kasamba, Keen and Purple Garden in October 2026.
This page collects the most-cited numbers about psychic readings, with the original source, the survey date and sample for each, so you can quote them accurately. Where sources disagree or measure different things, we say so. Figures marked “EA audit” are our own original data.
Key Psychic Industry Statistics at a Glance
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. psychic services market size (2025) | ~$2.3 billion | IBISWorld, updated July 2025 |
| Market growth, 2020–2025 | 5.5% a year on average (2.2% in 2025) | IBISWorld |
| Psychic services businesses in the U.S. (2025) | ~103,340 | IBISWorld |
| Americans who consult astrology, tarot or a fortune teller at least yearly | 30% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| … astrology or horoscopes | 28% | Pew, 2025 |
| … tarot cards | 11% | Pew, 2025 |
| … a fortune teller | 6% | Pew, 2025 |
| Americans who have ever consulted a psychic or medium | 22% | YouGov, 2017 |
| Americans who say psychics exist | 41% | YouGov, October 2025 |
| Americans who believe in astrology | 27% (29% in 2017) | Pew, 2025 |
| Americans who believe in psychic or spiritual healing | 48% | Gallup, May 2025 |
| Americans “generally open” to paranormal ideas | 34% | Gallup, 2025 |
| Kasamba revenue, full year 2022 | ~$37.1 million | LivePerson SEC filings |
| Median per-minute rate for an online psychic | $4.99 | EA audit of 242 advisors, Oct 2026 |
| Online advisors charging $5/min or less | 52% | EA audit, Oct 2026 |
How Big Is the Psychic Industry?
The U.S. market: about $2.3 billion
The most-quoted market estimate comes from the research firm IBISWorld, which tracks “Psychic Services in the US” as its own industry. Its July 2025 update puts the market at about $2.3 billion in 2025, with revenue up 2.2% that year and an average growth rate of 5.5% a year from 2020 to 2025. IBISWorld counts roughly 103,340 businesses in the industry. That number is so high because most psychics, astrologers and tarot readers work as sole proprietors; a single person with a booking page is a “business” in this count.
Two things to keep in mind when quoting it:
- It’s an estimate, not a census. IBISWorld models the industry from tax, census and company data; the detailed report is paywalled, and its public pages round the figure.
- Growth figures depend on the window. An older IBISWorld page gives 1.3% a year for 2019–2024, which includes the 2020 dip; the 5.5% figure covers 2020–2025, starting from that low base.
One platform, in hard numbers: Kasamba
Private psychic platforms rarely publish revenue, so the clearest public benchmark is Kasamba, which spent years inside a listed company. LivePerson, the Nasdaq-listed software firm, owned Kasamba and reported it as its “Consumer” segment:
| Period | Kasamba revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full year 2022 | ~$37.1 million | LivePerson FY2022 results (total revenue $514.8M minus Business segment $477.7M) |
| Q4 2022 | $9.4 million | LivePerson Q4 2022 results |
| Q1 2022 | $9.1 million | LivePerson Q1 2023 results (prior-year comparison) |
| Jan 1 – Mar 20, 2023 | $7.2 million | LivePerson Q1 2023 results |
LivePerson sold Kasamba to Ingenio, LLC, a San Francisco company backed by Alpine Investors, in a deal that closed on March 20, 2023 and was announced on March 23. LivePerson’s CFO called Kasamba a “highly profitable” investment. The sale price wasn’t disclosed. Ingenio also runs Keen and Purple Garden, which makes it one of the largest operators of online psychic marketplaces in the U.S. (details in are Keen and Kasamba the same company?).
Tarot decks and other products
Physical tarot and oracle decks are a separate, smaller market. Commercial research firms put U.S. tarot card sales in the low hundreds of millions of dollars a year (one 2024 estimate: about $348 million), with global growth forecasts of 2.5–3% a year. These are modeled estimates from report vendors rather than retail sales data, so treat them as rough.
How Many People Get Psychic Readings?
Pew Research Center, 2025: 3 in 10 Americans
The most robust recent data comes from Pew Research Center’s report 3 in 10 Americans Consult Astrology, Tarot Cards or Fortune Tellers (May 21, 2025). Pew surveyed 9,593 U.S. adults on its American Trends Panel from October 21 to 27, 2024.
| Practice | Consult at least once a year |
|---|---|
| Any of the three | 30% |
| Astrology or horoscopes | 28% |
| Tarot cards | 11% |
| A fortune teller | 6% |
Frequency matters too: 14% of Americans use at least one of these practices monthly, and 6% do so weekly. Astrology is by far the most common entry point, largely because horoscopes are free and everywhere; tarot and personal readings are a smaller, more deliberate group.
Ever consulted a psychic or medium: about 1 in 5
Pew’s question asks about the past year. For lifetime experience, a YouGov Omnibus poll published on October 31, 2017 found that 22% of U.S. adults had consulted a psychic or medium at some point. A 2011 YouGov poll in Britain found almost the same share, 23%: 11% said they went for fun and 12% with serious intent, and women (32%) were far more likely than men (12%) to have been.
Who Gets Psychic Readings?
Pew’s 2025 data shows clear demographic patterns.
By age: younger adults lead
| Age | Use tarot at least yearly | Consult a fortune teller at least yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | ~25% | 14% |
| 50–64 | 6% | n/a |
| 65+ | 3% | 2% |
Adults under 30 are also the most likely to use what they learn: 13% say they rely on these practices at least a little when making major decisions.
By gender: women are about twice as likely to believe in astrology
- 35% of women believe in astrology, versus 18% of men (Pew, 2025).
- The gap is widest among younger adults: 43% of women aged 18–49, compared with 20% of men the same age.
- Gallup’s 2025 analysis finds the same pattern for paranormal beliefs generally: 40% of women are “generally open” to them, versus 28% of men.
- YouGov (2025): 47% of women and 36% of men say psychics exist.
LGBTQ adults: the most engaged group
Pew found that 54% of LGBT adults consult astrology at least yearly (vs 28% overall), 33% consult tarot (vs 11% overall), and 43% believe in astrology. LGBT women are the most engaged subgroup, with 63% consulting astrology.
By race, religion and income
- Asian Americans are the most likely to consult a fortune teller (15% at least yearly, versus 3% of White Americans), and Asian (12%), Black (11%) and Hispanic (9%) adults are more likely than White adults (4%) to rely on these practices for decisions.
- Religious affiliation makes little difference to astrology belief: 27% of religiously affiliated and 28% of unaffiliated adults believe in it. Hispanic Catholics (39%) and Black Protestants (33%) are among the groups most likely to consult astrology. Church attendance does matter in Gallup’s data: weekly attenders are the most skeptical of paranormal ideas.
- Income: 37% of lower-income adults believe in astrology, versus 16% of upper-income adults.
Why People Get Readings
Pew asked people who use astrology, tarot or fortune tellers why:
| Main reason | Share of all U.S. adults |
|---|---|
| Mostly just for fun | 20% |
| Mostly because they believe it gives helpful insight | 10% |
| Rely on what they learn at least a little for major decisions | ~7% (1% “a lot”) |
In other words, for most people a reading is a mix of enjoyment and reflection rather than a decision-making tool, and a smaller group treats it as real guidance. That matches what we see in the questions people bring to online readers: love and relationship questions dominate. Between 65% and 71% of the advisors we audited on each of Kasamba, Purple Garden and Keen list love or relationships as their main focus.
How Belief in Psychics Has Changed Over Time
Gallup, 2005 vs 2025
Gallup has asked Americans about paranormal phenomena since 1990. Its June 2005 poll (fieldwork June 6–8, 2005) is still the most complete single table:
| Phenomenon (Gallup, 2005) | % who believe |
|---|---|
| Extrasensory perception (ESP) | 41% |
| Haunted houses | 37% |
| Ghosts | 32% |
| Telepathy | 31% |
| Clairvoyance (knowing the past and predicting the future) | 26% |
| Astrology | 25% |
| Communicating with the dead | 21% |
| Witches | 21% |
| Reincarnation | 20% |
| Channeling | 9% |
In 2005, 73% of Americans believed in at least one of the ten.
Gallup repeated the question in May 2025 (1,003 adults, May 1–18, ±4 points). Its July 23, 2025 release found beliefs “largely unchanged” since 2001: 48% believe in psychic or spiritual healing, 39% in ghosts, and telepathy, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, astrology, reincarnation and witches each sit between 24% and 29%. The notable moves since 2001 were six-point declines for clairvoyance and psychic healing and a seven-point decline for telepathy. Gallup’s cluster analysis splits the country into 34% who are generally open to paranormal ideas (believing in five phenomena on average) and 66% who are generally skeptical, though a third of that skeptical group still believes in psychic or spiritual healing.
Astrology: remarkably stable for 35 years
| Year | Believe in astrology | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1990–2005 | 23%–28% | Gallup (several surveys) |
| 2017 | 29% | Pew |
| 2024 (published 2025) | 27% | Pew |
Pew notes the 2017-to-2024 difference isn’t statistically significant, and that Gallup’s older numbers used a different method, so they’re best read as “about a quarter of Americans, consistently”.
Do people think psychics can predict the future?
Different question wordings give different answers, which is why you’ll see figures from 17% to 41% quoted:
| Question | Yes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ”Psychics exist” | 41% | YouGov, Oct 2025 (1,136 adults) |
| Believe in clairvoyance | 26% (2005); mid-20s (2025) | Gallup |
| People exist who can see the future | 24% | YouGov, 2017 |
| Fortune tellers and psychics can foresee the future | 17.2% (2018); 19.4% (2017); 14.1% (2016) | Chapman University Survey of American Fears |
| Mediums (people who contact the dead) exist | 21% | YouGov, 2017 |
The pattern: general openness (“psychics exist”) is about twice as high as belief in a specific, testable claim (“fortune tellers can foresee the future”).
Personal psychic experiences are common
Many people report experiences of their own, which helps explain why the interest is so durable:
- 34% of Americans believe they have had a psychic episode, and 38% have felt the presence of a spirit (YouGov, 2017).
- 29% believe they personally have some paranormal ability; 23% say they can sense other people’s emotions or auras, and 10% say they can see future events (YouGov, 2025).
- 53% of U.S. adults say they have interacted with a dead relative in a dream or in another way (Pew Research Center, 2023). We cover what research says about this in are mediums real?
What Online Psychic Readings Cost: Our Audit of 242 Advisors
National surveys say how many people get readings, but not what readings cost. So here is our own data. Between September and October 2026 we audited 242 individual advisors, one profile at a time: 112 on Kasamba, 81 on Purple Garden and 49 on Keen, recording each advisor’s listed per-minute rate, specialties, formats and track record. (Method: methodology; machine-readable copy: psychic-platform-audit.json.)
Per-minute rates across all 242 advisors
| Measure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Median listed rate | $4.99/min |
| Middle half of advisors (25th–75th percentile) | $3.59 – $7.99/min |
| Advisors at $5/min or less | 52% |
| Advisors at $10/min or more | 14% |
| Lowest / highest listed rate | $1.99 / $39.99 per minute |
By platform
| Platform | Advisors audited | Median rate | 25th–75th percentile | At $5/min or less | Median advisor reading there since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasamba | 112 | $4.99 | $2.99 – $8.49 | 56% | 2007 |
| Purple Garden | 81 | $4.99 | $3.99 – $6.99 | 53% | 2018 |
| Keen | 49 | $6.53 | $3.99 – $8.99 | 39% | 2006 |
Data as of October 9, 2026. “Listed rate” is the lowest per-minute rate on the advisor’s profile; many advisors charge the same for chat and phone. “Reading there since” is the year the advisor joined that platform, where the profile shows it.
What a typical reading costs
At the median rate, a 20-minute reading (enough for one relationship question with follow-ups) costs about $100 at standard rates ($4.99 × 20 = $99.80). First readings usually cost less because every major platform has a welcome offer: at each platform’s typical rate, a 20-minute first reading works out to $42.42 on Kasamba, $69.80 on Purple Garden and $98.95 on Keen. Our psychic reading cost calculator works this out for any rate and length, and psychic reading prices breaks down what changes the price.
Formats and track records
- Chat and phone are offered by every advisor we audited; live video only by Purple Garden’s (all 81 of them).
- Tenure is long: the median audited advisor started on their platform in 2012, and on Keen and Kasamba the median is 2006 and 2007 respectively, meaning most established readers have close to two decades of public reviews.
- Tarot is the most common tool: 191 of 242 advisors (79%) list tarot, 31% astrology, 31% mediumship and 29% numerology.
How to Cite These Statistics
If you’re quoting this page, please cite the original source for survey figures (Pew, Gallup, YouGov, Chapman, IBISWorld, LivePerson) and Eastern Alignment for the audit figures, for example:
Eastern Alignment, “Psychic Reading Statistics 2026”, audit of 242 online psychic advisors on Kasamba, Keen and Purple Garden, October 2026. https://easternalignment.com/guides/psychic-industry-statistics/
We update the audit figures when we re-audit advisors and note the date at the top of each table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the psychic industry?
IBISWorld estimates the U.S. psychic services market at about $2.3 billion in 2025, after average growth of 5.5% a year from 2020 to 2025, with roughly 103,000 businesses (mostly sole practitioners). For a single platform, LivePerson’s filings show Kasamba earned about $37.1 million in 2022 before it was sold to Ingenio in March 2023.
How many Americans get psychic readings?
30% of U.S. adults consult astrology, tarot cards or a fortune teller at least once a year (Pew Research Center, 2025): 28% astrology, 11% tarot and 6% a fortune teller. 22% have consulted a psychic or medium at some point in their lives (YouGov, 2017).
What percentage of people believe in psychics?
About 41% of Americans say psychics exist (YouGov, October 2025). Belief in clairvoyance specifically is lower, around a quarter of adults (26% in Gallup’s 2005 poll and in the 24–29% range in 2025), while 48% believe in psychic or spiritual healing.
Who is most likely to get a psychic reading?
Younger adults, women and LGBTQ adults. About a quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds use tarot at least yearly, versus 3% of those 65 and older; women are about twice as likely as men to believe in astrology (35% vs 18%); and a third of LGBT adults consult tarot (Pew, 2025).
How much does an online psychic reading cost per minute?
The median listed rate in our October 2026 audit of 242 advisors was $4.99/min. Half of advisors charge between $3.59 and $7.99, 52% charge $5 or less and 14% charge $10 or more. A 20-minute reading at the median costs about $100 at standard rates, less with a first-reading offer.
Is belief in psychics growing or declining?
Mostly stable. Gallup found paranormal beliefs in 2025 “largely unchanged” from 2001, apart from small declines for clairvoyance, psychic healing and telepathy. Belief in astrology has stayed between about 23% and 29% since 1990.
Why do people get psychic readings?
Mainly for enjoyment and reflection: 20% of U.S. adults use astrology, tarot or fortune tellers mostly for fun and 10% mostly for insight. About 7% rely on what they learn at least a little for major decisions, and 13% of adults under 30 do (Pew, 2025).
Related Guides
- Psychic reading prices: what drives the per-minute rate
- How much does a psychic reading cost?: budgets by reading length
- Are psychics real? and are mediums real?: what the research says
- Is fortune telling legal?: the laws behind “for entertainment purposes only”
- Are Keen and Kasamba the same company?: who owns the big platforms
Sources
Surveys
- Pew Research Center (May 21, 2025). 3 in 10 Americans Consult Astrology, Tarot Cards or Fortune Tellers. Survey of 9,593 U.S. adults, October 21–27, 2024. pewresearch.org
- Gallup (July 23, 2025). Paranormal Phenomena Met With Skepticism in U.S. 1,003 adults, May 1–18, 2025. news.gallup.com
- Gallup (June 16, 2005). Three in Four Americans Believe in Paranormal. news.gallup.com
- YouGov (October 24, 2025). Most Americans say they have experienced at least one paranormal event. 1,136 U.S. adult citizens, October 1–6, 2025. yougov.com
- YouGov (October 31, 2017). 1 in 3 Americans feel they have experienced psychic moments. yougov.com
- YouGov (October 5, 2011). Do you believe in psychics? (Great Britain). yougov.com
- Chapman University. Survey of American Fears, paranormal results 2015–2018. blogs.chapman.edu
- Pew Research Center (August 23, 2023). Many Americans report interacting with dead relatives in dreams or other ways. pewresearch.org
Industry and company data
- IBISWorld (updated July 2025). Psychic Services in the US: Market Size; Number of Businesses. ibisworld.com
- LivePerson (March 23, 2023). LivePerson Divests Kasamba. pr.liveperson.com
- LivePerson (May 9, 2023). First Quarter 2023 Financial Results (Kasamba revenue and closing date). pr.liveperson.com
- LivePerson (2023). Fourth Quarter 2022 Financial Results and FY2022 Form 10-K (segment revenue). sec.gov
Original data
- Eastern Alignment (October 2026). Advisor audit: 242 profiles on Kasamba, Purple Garden and Keen. Methodology · JSON
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