Ask ten marketers what a "good" engagement rate is and you'll get ten recycled guesses. So we measured it instead: 17,000+ real public creator profiles, engagement computed from each account's actual recent posts.
The headline numbers
- Median engagement rate: 1.87% — half of all creators sit below this.
- Middle 50% of creators: 0.72% – 5.55%. If you're anywhere in this band, you're normal.
- Top quartile starts at 5.55% — this is the zone brands actively hunt in.
- Median likes per post: 1,130. Median comments: 36.
If your rate is above 1.87%, you're beating half the field. Above 5.55%? You're in the top 25% — lead with that number in every brand pitch.
"Good" depends enormously on your niche
The spread between niches is bigger than most people expect:
| Niche | Median ER |
|---|---|
| Comedians | 6.32% |
| Athletes | 5.47% |
| Dancers | 4.35% |
| Musicians | 3.04% |
| Photographers | 2.53% |
| Artists | 2.47% |
| Actors | 2.39% |
| Digital creators | 1.72% |
| Bloggers | 1.38% |
| Makeup artists | 1.10% |
| Education | 0.69% |
A comedian at 3% is underperforming their niche. An education creator at 3% is a superstar. Comparing yourself to a global average without niche context is how creators misread their own accounts — check your niche's exact numbers in our benchmarks.
Follower count changes the math too
Engagement rate almost always falls as follower count rises — small accounts have tighter, more personal audiences. That's why we break every niche benchmark into four tiers (under 10K, 10K–50K, 50K–500K, 500K+). A 4% rate at 300K followers is far more impressive than 4% at 3K.
How we calculate it
Engagement rate = (average likes + average comments) ÷ followers × 100, from each account's recent posts. It's the same formula brands and agencies use for quick vetting, and the same one our free checker runs on any public handle in seconds.
What to do with your number
- Below your niche's 25th percentile — reach problem: fix hooks, first-3-seconds retention, and posting consistency before anything else.
- In the middle band — you're normal; growth now comes from format experiments and doubling down on your best-performing content type.
- Above the 75th percentile — you're sitting on leverage: pitch brands with your percentile ("top 25% engagement for my niche"), not just your rate.