Social Media Benchmarks by Industry, 2027 Report
How 54k brand profiles performed on 10 networks, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Google Business Profile, with benchmarks for 20 industries
Data from August 1 to October 31, 2026. Published .
- Data window
- Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026
- Sample
- 54k brand profiles
- Coverage
- 10 networks, 20 industries
- Published
- November 2026
- Next update
- February 2027
On this page
2.8%
The median brand on Instagram has an engagement rate of 2.8% of impressions, and the top 10% of brands reach 7.0%.
- 02
5.8%
LinkedIn has the highest median engagement rate of the major networks, at 5.8% of impressions for brand pages. Facebook has the lowest, at 0.7%.
- 03
4.0%
Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations have the highest median Instagram engagement rate of the 20 industries measured, at 4.0% of impressions, about 1.4 times the median for all brands.
- 04
0.8%
Car dealers have the lowest median Instagram engagement rate of the 20 industries measured, at 0.8% of impressions.
- 05
4.3
Brands are not posting more than a year ago: the same brands posted on Instagram a median of 4.3 times a week in both August to October 2025 and August to October 2026.
- 06
17%
The median brand engagement rate on YouTube fell 17% between August to October 2025 and the same months of 2026, measured on the same profiles. It fell 15% on TikTok, 11% on Facebook and 5% on LinkedIn.
- 07
3.0%
Posting often does not lower engagement: Instagram brands that post 7 or more times a week have a median engagement rate of 3.0% of impressions, against 2.8% for brands that post less than once a week.
- 08
893
The 10% of Facebook pages with the highest engagement rates have a median of 893 followers, about half as many as the typical brand page (1,687).
- 09
42%
42% of brand profiles on X lost followers between August and October 2026, against one in five Facebook pages and about one in a hundred LinkedIn pages.
About this report
Most social media benchmarks come from a few hundred large brands, or from surveys of what marketers say they do. This report measures what 54k brand profiles actually published and how their audiences responded, using anonymized, aggregate data from Vista Social, a social media management platform used by agencies, multi-location businesses and in-house teams.
Every number here is a median or a percentile across many profiles. No figure describes a single customer, and no segment is published unless it includes at least 50 profiles managed from at least 10 different Vista Social accounts.
Use this report to answer two questions:
- Is our engagement rate, posting frequency or follower growth normal for our industry and network?
- What does good look like? The top 10% column shows what the best-performing brands in each industry reach.
Terms used in this report
- Engagement rate (by impressions): engagements divided by impressions. Engagements are the interactions each network reports, such as reactions, comments, shares and saves. This is the engagement rate used throughout, unless a table says otherwise.
- Engagement rate by followers: average engagements per post divided by followers. Many public benchmarks use this measure.
- Brand profile: one account on one network, such as a company's Instagram account or its LinkedIn page.
- Median: the typical brand profile. Half do better and half do worse.
- Top 10%: the 90th percentile. One brand profile in ten does better.
- Action rate: on Google Business Profile, calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages, bookings and orders per 100 views in Google Search.
Engagements divided by impressions, per profile, over the three months.
Figure 1
Median engagement rate by impressions, by network
- LinkedIn5.8%
- Pinterest3.5%
- Threads3.5%
- X3.1%
- TikTok2.9%
- Instagram2.8%
- YouTube1.6%
- Facebook0.7%
Table 1.1 Engagement rate by impressions, by network
| Network | Profiles | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,238 | 2.6% | 5.8% | 11.0% | 18.9% | |
| 193 | 2.5% | 3.5% | 5.0% | 6.4% | |
| Threads | 904 | 1.5% | 3.5% | 7.2% | 12.5% |
| X | 1,148 | 1.6% | 3.1% | 5.2% | 8.2% |
| TikTok | 4,987 | 1.6% | 2.9% | 5.1% | 7.9% |
| 15,661 | 1.5% | 2.8% | 4.5% | 7.0% | |
| YouTube | 3,742 | 0.9% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 4.2% |
| 16,563 | 0.2% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 2.9% |
Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
LinkedIn stands out in both directions: the median company page earns more engagement per impression than on any other network, and the top 10% reach almost 19%. Facebook is the opposite. Half of pages earn fewer than 7 engagements per 1,000 impressions, and even the top 10% stay under 3%.
Average engagements per post divided by followers. This is the measure many public benchmarks use, so it is the one to compare with other reports.
Table 1.2 Engagement rate by followers, by network
| Network | Profiles | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 4,987 | 0.7% | 2.4% | 7.4% | 20.9% |
| YouTube | 3,746 | 0.5% | 1.3% | 3.7% | 9.5% |
| 15,674 | 0.4% | 1.2% | 3.5% | 9.5% | |
| 7,238 | 0.3% | 1.0% | 3.4% | 9.2% | |
| 16,565 | 0.1% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 4.2% | |
| Bluesky | 234 | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 1.8% |
| Threads | 905 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 5.5% |
| X | 1,148 | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 1.9% |
Pinterest is left out because reach on Pinterest is not tied to followers. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
TikTok's spread is the widest of any network: the top 10% earn almost nine times the median per post, because a single post that reaches the For You feed can bring engagement far beyond the account's followers.
Posts per week.
Table 1.3 Posts per week, by network
| Network | Profiles | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,674 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 9.4 | 19.5 | |
| X | 1,148 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 8.1 | 15.3 |
| 16,565 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 6.8 | 13.2 | |
| Threads | 905 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 6.8 | 13.0 |
| TikTok | 4,987 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 9.5 |
| YouTube | 3,746 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 7.1 |
| Bluesky | 234 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 6.1 | 15.6 |
| 7,238 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 6.0 | |
| Google Business Profile | 3,775 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 3.9 |
Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
Change in followers from August 1 to October 31, as a percentage of the starting count.
Table 1.4 Follower growth over three months, by network
| Network | Profiles | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Top 10% | Lost followers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 4,457 | 1.1% | 6.1% | 24.8% | 100.6% | 13% |
| 13,486 | 1.5% | 4.2% | 10.6% | 29.3% | 8% | |
| 7,091 | 1.7% | 3.8% | 8.1% | 18.0% | 1% | |
| YouTube | 3,638 | 1.0% | 3.4% | 10.4% | 36.4% | 8% |
| Bluesky | 224 | 1.7% | 3.2% | 7.3% | 21.8% | 1% |
| 15,709 | 0.0% | 1.2% | 5.2% | 23.6% | 21% | |
| Threads | 743 | 0.0% | 0.9% | 3.9% | 12.6% | 23% |
| X | 1,039 | -0.3% | 0.1% | 1.6% | 6.6% | 42% |
Lost followers: share of profiles that ended the period with fewer followers than they started with. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
Growth is slow for most brands. On Instagram, about a quarter of profiles grew by more than 10% in three months. On X, the median profile barely moved and 42% of profiles shrank.
Google Business Profile does not have engagement in the sense other networks do. Instead it reports what people did after finding the business in search: calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages, bookings and food orders. We report those actions as a share of search views.
Table 1.5 Google Business Profile actions per 100 search views
| Network | Profiles | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | 3,770 | 11.3% | 20.1% | 37.0% | 67.3% |
Actions: calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages, bookings and food orders. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
The median business listing turns about one in five search views into a call, a visit to the website or a request for directions.
Median engagement rate by impressions, by how often brands posted.
Table 1.6 Median engagement rate by posting frequency
| Network | under 1 | 1 to 3 | 3 to 7 | 7 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 3.0% | |
| TikTok | 2.5% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| YouTube | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| 4.9% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 3.9% | |
| 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
Posts per week. Highest band for each network shown in blue. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
On Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, brands that post more often keep the same engagement per impression, so each extra post adds reach without diluting it. LinkedIn and Facebook behave differently: engagement peaks at 1 to 3 posts a week and falls for brands that post every day.
Part 2
Tables 2.1 to 2.21Benchmarks by industry
Industries follow the US Standard Industrial Classification (SIC). Each brand is placed in one industry from its public profile name and bio. See the methodology for how.
Each table shows, per network, the median engagement rate by impressions, the top 10%, the median posts per week and the median follower growth over three months. Networks with fewer than 50 profiles in an industry, or fewer than 10 Vista Social accounts, are left out of that industry's table.
For comparison, the cross-industry medians are 2.8% on Instagram, 0.7% on Facebook and 5.8% on LinkedIn.
Figure 2
Median engagement rate by impressions, by industry
- Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations4.0%971 profiles · median 4.0% · top 10% 8.0%
- Publishing and media3.9%421 profiles · median 3.9% · top 10% 9.7%
- Professional services3.5%666 profiles · median 3.5% · top 10% 8.7%
- Legal services3.3%197 profiles · median 3.3% · top 10% 7.8%
- Agencies, software and business services3.1%1,648 profiles · median 3.1% · top 10% 8.3%
- Food and beverage brands2.9%251 profiles · median 2.9% · top 10% 6.2%
- Sports, fitness and entertainment2.9%1,143 profiles · median 2.9% · top 10% 6.5%
- Education2.7%733 profiles · median 2.7% · top 10% 6.8%
- Finance and insurance2.7%355 profiles · median 2.7% · top 10% 6.8%
- Real estate2.6%764 profiles · median 2.6% · top 10% 6.1%
- Wholesale and distribution2.5%290 profiles · median 2.5% · top 10% 6.3%
- Restaurants, cafes and bars2.4%840 profiles · median 2.4% · top 10% 5.2%
- Health care2.4%1,082 profiles · median 2.4% · top 10% 6.7%
- Hotels and lodging2.4%271 profiles · median 2.4% · top 10% 5.7%
- Specialty retail2.3%551 profiles · median 2.3% · top 10% 6.3%
- Grocery and food stores2.1%164 profiles · median 2.1% · top 10% 5.2%
- Apparel and fashion retail2.1%272 profiles · median 2.1% · top 10% 3.9%
- Salons, spas and personal services1.9%573 profiles · median 1.9% · top 10% 5.1%
- Construction and contractors1.8%465 profiles · median 1.8% · top 10% 5.0%
- Car dealers0.8%200 profiles · median 0.8% · top 10% 4.3%
- Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations1.7%1,114 profiles · median 1.7% · top 10% 3.8%
- Professional services0.8%493 profiles · median 0.8% · top 10% 3.7%
- Education0.8%699 profiles · median 0.8% · top 10% 2.3%
- Sports, fitness and entertainment0.7%1,120 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.6%
- Publishing and media0.7%509 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.8%
- Legal services0.7%223 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.7%
- Agencies, software and business services0.7%1,571 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 3.5%
- Health care0.7%1,077 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.5%
- Restaurants, cafes and bars0.7%930 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.0%
- Finance and insurance0.6%404 profiles · median 0.6% · top 10% 3.2%
- Grocery and food stores0.6%306 profiles · median 0.6% · top 10% 1.6%
- Specialty retail0.6%534 profiles · median 0.6% · top 10% 2.3%
- Food and beverage brands0.6%239 profiles · median 0.6% · top 10% 2.6%
- Hotels and lodging0.5%310 profiles · median 0.5% · top 10% 2.0%
- Wholesale and distribution0.5%329 profiles · median 0.5% · top 10% 2.4%
- Construction and contractors0.5%579 profiles · median 0.5% · top 10% 2.4%
- Real estate0.5%651 profiles · median 0.5% · top 10% 2.2%
- Salons, spas and personal services0.4%452 profiles · median 0.4% · top 10% 2.6%
- Apparel and fashion retail0.3%111 profiles · median 0.3% · top 10% 1.8%
- Car dealers0.1%283 profiles · median 0.1% · top 10% 1.1%
- Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations9.4%306 profiles · median 9.4% · top 10% 23.4%
- Construction and contractors8.9%187 profiles · median 8.9% · top 10% 24.4%
- Food and beverage brands8.7%51 profiles · median 8.7% · top 10% 25.7%
- Wholesale and distribution8.5%162 profiles · median 8.5% · top 10% 22.5%
- Education8.1%357 profiles · median 8.1% · top 10% 23.5%
- Sports, fitness and entertainment8.0%107 profiles · median 8.0% · top 10% 27.2%
- Specialty retail7.0%52 profiles · median 7.0% · top 10% 18.7%
- Health care5.9%302 profiles · median 5.9% · top 10% 15.8%
- Agencies, software and business services5.7%1,703 profiles · median 5.7% · top 10% 18.6%
- Publishing and media5.3%142 profiles · median 5.3% · top 10% 14.0%
- Real estate4.7%269 profiles · median 4.7% · top 10% 18.4%
- Legal services4.3%168 profiles · median 4.3% · top 10% 12.1%
- Finance and insurance4.3%366 profiles · median 4.3% · top 10% 16.3%
- Professional services3.5%1,084 profiles · median 3.5% · top 10% 14.6%
- Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations6.3%250 profiles · median 6.3% · top 10% 11.8%
- Sports, fitness and entertainment4.0%338 profiles · median 4.0% · top 10% 10.2%
- Publishing and media3.3%190 profiles · median 3.3% · top 10% 8.5%
- Education3.0%210 profiles · median 3.0% · top 10% 7.0%
- Legal services3.0%82 profiles · median 3.0% · top 10% 7.0%
- Restaurants, cafes and bars2.9%233 profiles · median 2.9% · top 10% 7.1%
- Salons, spas and personal services2.9%115 profiles · median 2.9% · top 10% 8.2%
- Professional services2.8%166 profiles · median 2.8% · top 10% 6.3%
- Agencies, software and business services2.6%397 profiles · median 2.6% · top 10% 6.3%
- Real estate2.4%165 profiles · median 2.4% · top 10% 5.7%
- Car dealers2.4%87 profiles · median 2.4% · top 10% 4.7%
- Finance and insurance2.3%107 profiles · median 2.3% · top 10% 5.2%
- Construction and contractors2.3%100 profiles · median 2.3% · top 10% 3.8%
- Food and beverage brands2.3%69 profiles · median 2.3% · top 10% 7.0%
- Grocery and food stores2.2%59 profiles · median 2.2% · top 10% 5.2%
- Health care2.2%263 profiles · median 2.2% · top 10% 5.8%
- Wholesale and distribution2.1%58 profiles · median 2.1% · top 10% 4.3%
- Specialty retail2.0%179 profiles · median 2.0% · top 10% 5.6%
- Apparel and fashion retail1.8%50 profiles · median 1.8% · top 10% 4.7%
- Nonprofits, associations and religious organizations3.6%481 profiles · median 3.6% · top 10% 6.1%
- Education2.0%290 profiles · median 2.0% · top 10% 4.0%
- Professional services1.8%232 profiles · median 1.8% · top 10% 5.0%
- Publishing and media1.6%94 profiles · median 1.6% · top 10% 3.5%
- Sports, fitness and entertainment1.6%299 profiles · median 1.6% · top 10% 3.5%
- Agencies, software and business services1.5%447 profiles · median 1.5% · top 10% 3.4%
- Health care1.4%209 profiles · median 1.4% · top 10% 4.4%
- Real estate1.3%106 profiles · median 1.3% · top 10% 2.8%
- Legal services1.2%64 profiles · median 1.2% · top 10% 3.4%
- Salons, spas and personal services1.2%53 profiles · median 1.2% · top 10% 4.1%
- Finance and insurance1.1%106 profiles · median 1.1% · top 10% 2.8%
- Specialty retail1.1%96 profiles · median 1.1% · top 10% 4.2%
- Construction and contractors0.8%53 profiles · median 0.8% · top 10% 1.7%
- Wholesale and distribution0.7%51 profiles · median 0.7% · top 10% 2.0%
Advertising and marketing agencies, software companies, staffing firms and other business services.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,703 | 5.7% | 18.6% | 1.4 | 3.8% | |
| 1,648 | 3.1% | 8.3% | 2.8 | 3.0% | |
| 1,571 | 0.7% | 3.5% | 2.4 | 0.4% | |
| YouTube | 447 | 1.5% | 3.4% | 1.5 | 2.6% |
| TikTok | 397 | 2.6% | 6.3% | 2.3 | 4.3% |
| X | 170 | 3.1% | 7.8% | 2.1 | 0.1% |
Table 2.1. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
The largest industry in the data, and one of three, with professional services and finance, that has more LinkedIn profiles than Instagram profiles. Business services brands post less than most industries on Instagram and Facebook, and their Facebook pages barely grow.
Eating and drinking places.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 930 | 0.7% | 2.0% | 3.6 | 1.2% | |
| 840 | 2.4% | 5.2% | 5.2 | 3.8% | |
| TikTok | 233 | 2.9% | 7.1% | 1.8 | 9.9% |
Table 2.2. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Restaurants are among the most frequent posters on Instagram, at more than five times a week, but their engagement rate sits below the cross-industry median, and the top 10% reach only 5.2% against 7.0% across all industries. On Google Business Profile, the median restaurant turns 14 of every 100 search views into an action.
Doctors, dentists, clinics, hospitals and other health services.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,082 | 2.4% | 6.7% | 4.0 | 4.4% | |
| 1,077 | 0.7% | 2.5% | 3.1 | 1.5% | |
| 302 | 5.9% | 15.8% | 2.0 | 3.8% | |
| TikTok | 263 | 2.2% | 5.8% | 2.8 | 6.7% |
| YouTube | 209 | 1.4% | 4.4% | 3.1 | 3.8% |
Table 2.3. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Health care sits close to the overall median on every network. On Google Business Profile, the median practice turns 23 of every 100 search views into an action, one of the highest rates of any industry.
Schools, colleges, universities and training providers.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 733 | 2.7% | 6.8% | 5.0 | 5.8% | |
| 699 | 0.8% | 2.3% | 4.0 | 1.2% | |
| 357 | 8.1% | 23.5% | 2.0 | 4.3% | |
| YouTube | 290 | 2.0% | 4.0% | 2.2 | 3.1% |
| TikTok | 210 | 3.0% | 7.0% | 3.2 | 7.1% |
| X | 61 | 3.1% | 6.6% | 3.5 | 0.0% |
Table 2.4. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Education has the second-fastest Instagram follower growth of the 20 industries, after law firms, helped by the start of the school year inside the data window. On LinkedIn, schools and universities earn 8.1% at the median, well above the 5.8% cross-industry median.
Membership organizations, including churches, charities, trade associations and civic groups.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,114 | 1.7% | 3.8% | 4.2 | 1.5% | |
| 971 | 4.0% | 8.0% | 5.2 | 4.6% | |
| YouTube | 481 | 3.6% | 6.1% | 3.6 | 3.8% |
| 306 | 9.4% | 23.4% | 1.9 | 4.4% | |
| TikTok | 250 | 6.3% | 11.8% | 2.4 | 6.1% |
| X | 132 | 4.0% | 9.0% | 3.4 | 0.0% |
Table 2.5. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
The strongest industry in the report. Of the 20 industries, nonprofits have the highest median engagement rate on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok. Their Facebook median of 1.7% is more than twice the cross-industry figure, a sign of audiences that follow because they belong, not because they were advertised to.
Gyms, sports clubs, golf courses, amusement parks and other recreation.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,143 | 2.9% | 6.5% | 5.9 | 4.7% | |
| 1,120 | 0.7% | 2.6% | 3.5 | 1.3% | |
| TikTok | 338 | 4.0% | 10.2% | 2.2 | 4.0% |
| YouTube | 299 | 1.6% | 3.5% | 1.8 | 2.5% |
| X | 109 | 2.8% | 7.3% | 4.9 | 0.1% |
| 107 | 8.0% | 27.2% | 1.1 | 4.8% |
Table 2.6. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Among the most active Instagram posters in the report, at almost six posts a week, second only to publishers. On Google Business Profile, recreation businesses have the highest action rate of the 20 industries, with 32 actions per 100 search views.
Agents, brokers, property managers and developers.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 764 | 2.6% | 6.1% | 5.1 | 3.7% | |
| 651 | 0.5% | 2.2% | 3.4 | 1.0% | |
| 269 | 4.7% | 18.4% | 1.7 | 2.2% | |
| TikTok | 165 | 2.4% | 5.7% | 2.5 | 8.6% |
| YouTube | 106 | 1.3% | 2.8% | 1.7 | 2.5% |
Table 2.7. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Real estate posts often but earns below-median engagement on Facebook and LinkedIn. The gap between the median and the top 10% on LinkedIn is one of the widest in the report, so the best agents and brokers are doing something most of the industry is not.
Specialty and online stores, including jewelry, gift, sporting goods, florists and e-commerce.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 551 | 2.3% | 6.3% | 5.2 | 3.6% | |
| 534 | 0.6% | 2.3% | 3.4 | 1.1% | |
| TikTok | 179 | 2.0% | 5.6% | 3.1 | 7.0% |
| YouTube | 96 | 1.1% | 4.2% | 2.3 | 2.8% |
| 52 | 7.0% | 18.7% | 0.9 | n/a |
Table 2.8. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Specialty retail sits below the cross-industry median on Instagram and Facebook, and its median YouTube engagement rate is among the lowest we measured, at 1.1%. Its top 10% on YouTube reach 4.2%, almost four times the median.
Engineering, accounting, consulting and research firms.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,084 | 3.5% | 14.6% | 1.8 | 3.7% | |
| 666 | 3.5% | 8.7% | 4.2 | 4.3% | |
| 493 | 0.8% | 3.7% | 3.0 | 0.9% | |
| YouTube | 232 | 1.8% | 5.0% | 2.5 | 3.2% |
| TikTok | 166 | 2.8% | 6.3% | 3.2 | 4.8% |
| X | 54 | 2.5% | 6.9% | 3.4 | -0.1% |
Table 2.9. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Professional services firms have the lowest LinkedIn engagement rate of the 20 industries, at 3.5% against a 5.8% network median, even though LinkedIn is where most of them focus. Their Instagram accounts, by contrast, beat the cross-industry median.
Salons, barbers, spas, photographers and other personal services.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 573 | 1.9% | 5.1% | 3.7 | 3.1% | |
| 452 | 0.4% | 2.6% | 2.8 | 0.6% | |
| TikTok | 115 | 2.9% | 8.2% | 2.2 | 5.9% |
| YouTube | 53 | 1.2% | 4.1% | 2.3 | 2.8% |
Table 2.10. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Among the lowest median engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram of the 20 industries. Google Business Profile does better: the median business turns 21 of every 100 search views into an action, which is where most new bookings for these businesses start.
Hotels, resorts, campgrounds and other lodging.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 310 | 0.5% | 2.0% | 2.5 | 1.4% | |
| 271 | 2.4% | 5.7% | 3.0 | 4.1% |
Table 2.11. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Hotels post less than most consumer-facing industries, two and a half to three times a week.
Law firms.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 223 | 0.7% | 2.7% | 3.4 | 2.1% | |
| 197 | 3.3% | 7.8% | 4.3 | 7.8% | |
| 168 | 4.3% | 12.1% | 1.8 | 3.4% | |
| TikTok | 82 | 3.0% | 7.0% | 4.8 | 10.9% |
| YouTube | 64 | 1.2% | 3.4% | 3.4 | 3.9% |
Table 2.12. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Law firms have the fastest Instagram follower growth of the 20 industries, at 7.8% in three months, almost twice the cross-industry median.
New and used car dealers, and other automotive dealers and service stations.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283 | 0.1% | 1.1% | 3.4 | 1.1% | |
| 200 | 0.8% | 4.3% | 3.6 | 3.6% | |
| TikTok | 87 | 2.4% | 4.7% | 2.4 | 7.0% |
Table 2.13. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
The lowest median engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram of any industry we measured. Dealers post as often as most industries, but much of it is inventory, and the median Facebook page earns about one engagement per 1,000 impressions. Search is where they do well: on Google Business Profile, the median dealer turns 25 of every 100 search views into an action, among the highest of any industry.
Newspapers, magazines, book publishers and printers.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 509 | 0.7% | 2.8% | 6.8 | 0.9% | |
| 421 | 3.9% | 9.7% | 6.5 | 4.4% | |
| TikTok | 190 | 3.3% | 8.5% | 5.0 | 5.5% |
| 142 | 5.3% | 14.0% | 3.8 | 4.7% | |
| X | 95 | 2.8% | 5.1% | 12.6 | 0.3% |
| YouTube | 94 | 1.6% | 3.5% | 3.5 | 3.4% |
Table 2.14. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
The most prolific posters in the report: publishers post 6.5 times a week on Instagram, 6.8 on Facebook and more than 12 on X. On Instagram it pays off, with the second-highest median engagement rate of the 20 industries, after nonprofits.
General contractors, home builders, and specialty trades such as roofing, plumbing, electrical and HVAC.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 579 | 0.5% | 2.4% | 2.7 | 2.0% | |
| 465 | 1.8% | 5.0% | 3.0 | 5.3% | |
| 187 | 8.9% | 24.4% | 1.4 | 4.0% | |
| TikTok | 100 | 2.3% | 3.8% | 2.4 | 11.7% |
| YouTube | 53 | 0.8% | 1.7% | 3.3 | 5.0% |
Table 2.15. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Contractors sit below the median on Instagram and Facebook, but LinkedIn works unusually well for them: an 8.9% median, second only to nonprofits among the 20 industries. Their Instagram followings grow quickly, 5.3% in three months, the third-fastest in the report. On Google Business Profile, the median contractor turns 16 of every 100 search views into an action.
Banks, credit unions, lenders, mortgage brokers, investment firms and insurance agencies.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 404 | 0.6% | 3.2% | 3.0 | 0.9% | |
| 366 | 4.3% | 16.3% | 1.8 | 3.2% | |
| 355 | 2.7% | 6.8% | 4.0 | 4.0% | |
| TikTok | 107 | 2.3% | 5.2% | 2.5 | 3.3% |
| YouTube | 106 | 1.1% | 2.8% | 2.7 | 3.5% |
Table 2.16. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Finance brands sit below the median on every network, and LinkedIn is no exception: at 4.3%, the second-lowest of the 20 industries. The gap to the top 10% is wide, though. The best financial brands earn almost four times the median on LinkedIn, and on Google Business Profile the top 10% turn 90 of every 100 search views into an action.
Food and drink producers, including packaged food, bakeries, breweries, wineries and distilleries.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251 | 2.9% | 6.2% | 4.6 | 3.4% | |
| 239 | 0.6% | 2.6% | 3.2 | 0.7% | |
| TikTok | 69 | 2.3% | 7.0% | 1.6 | 5.4% |
| 51 | 8.7% | 25.7% | 1.1 | 4.0% |
Table 2.17. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Food and drink brands land right at the cross-industry median on Instagram, at 2.9%, posting about four and a half times a week. Facebook is harder: pages grew only 0.7% in three months, among the slowest in the report.
Supermarkets, grocery stores, specialty food shops and convenience stores.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 306 | 0.6% | 1.6% | 4.0 | 1.6% | |
| 164 | 2.1% | 5.2% | 4.6 | 3.4% | |
| TikTok | 59 | 2.2% | 5.2% | 2.4 | 6.2% |
Table 2.18. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Grocers lean on Facebook, with almost twice as many Facebook pages as Instagram accounts, and post there four times a week. The top 10% on Facebook reach only 1.6%, one of the lowest ceilings in the report: weekly specials get seen, but rarely engaged with. On Google Business Profile, the median store turns 18 of every 100 search views into an action.
Wholesalers and distributors of equipment, parts, building supplies, food and other goods.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 329 | 0.5% | 2.4% | 2.6 | 1.2% | |
| 290 | 2.5% | 6.3% | 2.5 | 3.1% | |
| 162 | 8.5% | 22.5% | 1.8 | 3.4% | |
| TikTok | 58 | 2.1% | 4.3% | 2.5 | 7.9% |
| YouTube | 51 | 0.7% | 2.0% | 2.6 | 5.2% |
Table 2.19. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Wholesalers post less on Instagram than any other industry, about two and a half times a week, yet earn a LinkedIn median of 8.5%, the fourth-highest of the 20 industries. Business buyers on LinkedIn respond even to companies that post rarely.
Clothing, shoe and accessory stores.
| Network | Profiles | Median ER | Top 10% | Posts / week | Follower growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | 2.1% | 3.9% | 3.5 | 5.2% | |
| 111 | 0.3% | 1.8% | 5.9 | 0.5% | |
| TikTok | 50 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 2.8 | n/a |
Table 2.20. ER: engagement rate by impressions. Follower growth: median change over three months.
Fashion retailers grow quickly on Instagram, 5.2% in three months, but have the lowest ceiling in the report there: the top 10% reach only 3.8%, less than twice the median. On Facebook they post almost six times a week for the second-lowest median engagement rate of the 20 industries, after car dealers.
Actions per 100 search views, median.
| Industry | Profiles | Median | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports, fitness and entertainment | 77 | 31.6 | 67.8 |
| Agencies, software and business services | 253 | 26.0 | 89.9 |
| Car dealers | 107 | 25.0 | 49.5 |
| Health care | 463 | 23.3 | 53.4 |
| Salons, spas and personal services | 190 | 21.3 | 43.8 |
| Finance and insurance | 163 | 20.1 | 89.5 |
| Real estate | 107 | 17.9 | 67.7 |
| Grocery and food stores | 50 | 17.7 | 52.5 |
| Construction and contractors | 342 | 16.2 | 38.4 |
| Specialty retail | 98 | 16.1 | 42.3 |
| Legal services | 112 | 14.2 | 40.7 |
| Restaurants, cafes and bars | 178 | 14.1 | 37.8 |
| Education | 95 | 11.7 | 31.2 |
Table 2.21. Actions per 100 search views, median. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026.
Part 3
Figures 3 and 4What the top 10% do differently
We compared the profiles in the top 10% for engagement rate on each network with the median profile.
They do not post more. Median posts per week for the top 10% against all profiles: Instagram 4.3 against 4.2, LinkedIn 1.5 against 1.6, TikTok 2.5 against 2.5, Facebook 2.8 against 3.3. Only on YouTube do top performers post noticeably more, 3.2 times a week against 2.4.
They do not have bigger audiences. On Facebook, the top 10% have a median of 893 followers, about half the 1,687 of all pages. On Instagram and LinkedIn the two groups are almost the same size. High engagement rates come from what a brand posts and who follows it, not from scale.
Figure 3
Median posts per week, top 10% and all profiles
- Instagram
4.3
4.2
- LinkedIn
1.5
1.6
- TikTok
2.5
2.5
- Facebook
2.8
3.3
- YouTube
3.2
2.4
Figure 4
Median Facebook followers
- 893Top 10%
- 1,687All pages
Part 4
Table 4.1What changed since 2025
We compared the same profiles in August to October 2025 and August to October 2026. Profiles had to qualify in both periods.
Table 4.1 Median engagement rate and posting frequency, 2025 and 2026, same profiles
| Network | Profiles | Median ER 2025 | Median ER 2026 | Change | Posts / wk 2025 | Posts / wk 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,176 | 0.9% | 0.8% | down 11% | 3.6 | 3.3 | |
| TikTok | 1,433 | 3.2% | 2.7% | down 15% | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| YouTube | 1,610 | 2.0% | 1.7% | down 17% | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| 2,832 | 7.0% | 6.7% | down 5% | 2.0 | 1.8 | |
| 6,884 | not comparable, see methodology | 4.3 | 4.3 | |||
ER: engagement rate by impressions. Source: Vista Social Research, Aug to Oct 2025 and 2026.
Engagement per impression fell on all four of these networks. Brands did not post more to make up for it: posting held steady on TikTok and YouTube and fell slightly on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Year over year figures cover only profiles that qualified in both years, a smaller and more established group than in Part 1, so their medians differ from the Part 1 figures.
Instagram engagement is not compared because the way engagement is counted changed during the year (see the methodology).
Questions this report answers
The median brand on Instagram has an engagement rate of 2.8% of impressions, based on 15.7k brand profiles analyzed by Vista Social from August to October 2026. A rate above 4.5% puts a brand in the top quarter, and above 7.0% in the top 10%. Measured by followers instead, the median is 1.2%.
The median brand page on Facebook has an engagement rate of 0.7% of impressions, based on 16.6k pages. Above 1.6% is in the top quarter, and above 2.9% in the top 10%. Facebook has the lowest engagement rate of the major networks.
The median brand page on LinkedIn has an engagement rate of 5.8% of impressions, based on 7.2k pages, the highest of the major networks. Above 11.0% is in the top quarter, and above 18.9% in the top 10%.
The median brand on TikTok has an engagement rate of 2.9% of impressions, based on 5k profiles. Above 5.1% is in the top quarter, and above 7.9% in the top 10%. Measured by followers, the median is 2.4%, the highest of any network.
The median brand channel on YouTube has an engagement rate of 1.6% of impressions, based on 3.7k channels. Above 2.7% is in the top quarter, and above 4.2% in the top 10%.
The median brand posts on Instagram 4.2 times a week. Posting more does not lower engagement: brands that post 7 or more times a week have a median engagement rate of 3.0% of impressions, against 2.8% for brands that post less than once a week.
The median brand page posts on LinkedIn 1.6 times a week. Engagement rate peaks for pages that post 1 to 3 times a week, at a median of 7.1% of impressions, and falls to 3.9% for pages that post 7 or more times a week.
Over three months, the median brand profile grew its followers by 6.1% on TikTok, 4.2% on Instagram, 3.8% on LinkedIn and 1.2% on Facebook. On X, the median profile grew by 0.1%, and 42% of profiles lost followers.
Data source
The data comes from social media profiles that Vista Social customers connected to the platform to publish and report on their own accounts. It covers 54k profiles managed from more than 12k Vista Social accounts. Agencies manage many brands from one account, so the number of brands is higher than the number of accounts.
A profile is included when, between August 1 and October 31, 2026, it had at least 60 days of data, published at least one post, and ended the period with at least 100 followers. Google Business Profile listings have no followers, so the follower rule does not apply to them. Profiles that customers track only as competitors are excluded.
All metrics come from each network's official API, as recorded daily by Vista Social.
Metrics
- Engagement rate by impressions:
- total engagements divided by total impressions over the period, per profile, times 100. Engagements are the interactions each network reports, such as reactions, likes, comments, shares and saves. Bluesky does not report impressions and is left out of this measure.
- Engagement rate by followers:
- average engagements per post divided by followers at the end of the period, times 100. Pinterest is left out, because reach on Pinterest is not tied to followers.
- Action rate (Google Business Profile):
- calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages, bookings and food orders, divided by views in Google Search, times 100.
- Posts per week:
- posts published in the period, divided by 13.1 weeks. Ads that never appeared on the page (dark posts on Facebook and LinkedIn) are not counted.
- Follower growth:
- followers at the end of the period minus followers at the start, divided by followers at the start, times 100.
Each profile counts once per network. Tables report the median and the 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles across profiles. The 90th percentile is shown as "top 10%".
Year over year
The 2025 comparison uses only profiles that qualify in both August to October 2025 and August to October 2026, so each change is measured on the same brands. Brands that joined Vista Social after 2025, or left it, are not part of the comparison. Because the same profiles are a year older, follower growth naturally slows between the two periods, so we do not report it as a trend.
Instagram and X engagement are not compared. Vista Social changed how it counts Instagram engagement in November 2025 to match Meta's interaction totals, and moved to X's analytics endpoint in September 2026, so the 2025 and 2026 figures measure different things.
Industry classification
Each profile was assigned a four-digit code from the 1987 US Standard Industrial Classification, using its public name and bio, by an AI classifier. The classifier is instructed to classify the business or organization that owns the account, not the topics it posts about, so a marketing agency that posts about restaurants is classified as an agency. Profiles of individuals and creators without a clear business, and profiles with too little information, are left unclassified and excluded from part 2. Of the 54k profiles in the report, about 48k (88%) have an industry, and the 20 industries in part 2 cover about 39k of them.
Industries are reported at the SIC major group level (two digits), which is broad enough to give reliable samples. Three industries pool closely related major groups: construction (15 and 17), finance and insurance (60 to 64), and wholesale (50 and 51).
To check the classifier, we ran it on a sample of 400 profiles alongside two other leading AI models. On the 308 profiles where the other two models agreed, the classifier gave the same major group on 87% of them.
Privacy
The report contains only aggregate figures. No segment is published unless it has at least 50 profiles managed from at least 10 different Vista Social accounts, so no figure can be traced to a single customer. No customer, brand or profile is named.
Limitations
- Vista Social customers are not a random sample of all businesses on social media. Agencies, multi-location businesses and small and mid-sized companies are well represented. The largest global brands are less so.
- Networks define engagements and impressions differently, so compare each network with itself across industries, rather than networks with each other.
- Industry codes are assigned automatically from public profile text. Some profiles will be misclassified, which tends to pull industry medians toward the overall median.
- TikTok has few industry figures, because most TikTok profiles have no bio for the classifier to read.
- Three months of data reflects one season. Retail, hospitality and education are especially seasonal.
How to cite this report
Vista Social. Social Media Benchmarks by Industry, 2027 Report. November 2026. https://vistasocial.com/research/social-media-benchmarks/
This report is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0). Charts, tables and figures may be reused with credit to Vista Social and a link to this page.
For press questions or custom cuts of the data, contact the Vista Social team at research@vistasocial.com.