LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking platforms, with over 810 million users worldwide as of October 2022. But who exactly are LinkedIn users? In this comprehensive article, we will analyze LinkedIn’s user demographics and psychographics to understand the typical LinkedIn user.
LinkedIn User Demographics
Let’s first look at the key demographics of LinkedIn users worldwide:
Age
The majority of LinkedIn users are young professionals and college students:
- 18-24 years old: 13%
- 25-34 years old: 34%
- 35-54 years old: 35%
- 55-64 years old: 13%
- 65+ years old: 5%
This shows that LinkedIn attracts a working age audience mostly between 25-54 years old looking to network for job opportunities and professional development.
Gender
LinkedIn membership leans more heavily male:
- Male: 57%
- Female: 43%
However, the gender gap has been narrowing in recent years as more women join the platform.
Location
In terms of geographic distribution, LinkedIn members are concentrated in:
- North America: 50%
- Europe: 29%
- Asia Pacific: 16%
- Latin America: 3%
- Middle East and Africa: 2%
The top countries by membership are:
- United States: 172 million
- India: 76 million
- Brazil: 49 million
- United Kingdom: 25 million
- France: 23 million
This indicates LinkedIn has achieved significant penetration in North American and European markets, with emerging growth in Asia.
Education
LinkedIn members are highly educated overall:
- Secondary education: 14%
- Some college: 15%
- Bachelor’s degree: 42%
- Graduate degree: 29%
This user base has strong representation from university educated professionals.
Occupation
The top professional backgrounds on LinkedIn include:
- Technology: 17%
- Higher education: 14%
- Corporate services: 12%
- Manufacturing: 10%
- Finance: 9%
- Healthcare: 5%
- Media & entertainment: 4%
- Non-profit: 4%
- Government: 2%
Technology and education are especially well represented sectors, indicative of LinkedIn’s strong following among tech professionals and college students/faculty.
Income
LinkedIn members have above average incomes:
- Under $50K: 26%
- $50K – $100K: 36%
- Over $100K: 38%
Nearly 40% earn over $100K annually, reflective of the audience of working professionals.
LinkedIn User Psychographics
Looking beyond demographics, what are the core psychographic traits of LinkedIn users?
Career Focused
LinkedIn users are predominantly career oriented. The platform is built around professional networking and job seeking. Typical users include:
- Young professionals building their careers
- Mid-career employees looking to advance
- Older workers seeking a job change
- Recruiters and HR sourcing talent
Users are focused on long-term career growth more than short-term roles.
Achievement Driven
LinkedIn caters to ambitious, achievement-driven users. The “social” aspect involves showcasing achievements like:
- New jobs
- Work anniversaries
- Degrees and certifications
- Awards and honors
- Publications and patents
Users are motivated to demonstrate career success and progression.
Technologically Savvy
As a social network built around professional identity, LinkedIn attracts users who are comfortable with technology. They tend to be:
- Active internet and social media users
- Familiar with professional software/tools
- Quick to adopt new innovations
- Multi-device adopters: PC, mobile, tablet
This tech-savvy user base gives LinkedIn an audience receptive to digital products and services.
Continuous Learners
Education and continuous learning are priorities for many LinkedIn users. Popular platform features include:
- LinkedIn Learning online video courses
- Newsletters and content publishing
- Influencer posts
- LinkedIn Groups for discussion
The user base has an appetite for content that informs, educates, and inspires.
Thought Leaders
LinkedIn is a magnet for attracting thought leaders seeking to build professional authority, including:
- Influencers and industry analysts
- Public speakers and authors
- Academics and researchers
- Consultants and coaches
These niche groups publish frequently to LinkedIn’s large audience.
Conclusion
In summary, the typical LinkedIn user is career oriented, achievement driven, technologically savvy, eager to learn, and often a thought leader in their field. The platform’s dominance stems from effectively catering to these professional psychographic segments. Understanding the core LinkedIn user allows marketers to better target their employer branding, thought leadership, and recruitment advertising efforts.
Some key takeaways are:
- LinkedIn members are predominantly 25-54 years old
- The user base skews towards college educated professionals in white collar roles
- Technology and education sectors have an especially strong presence
- Users are motivated by career networking, advancement, and personal branding
- They are receptive to content that informs, educates, and builds professional skills
There are opportunities to further grow engagement among women, older demographics, blue collar vocations, and developing markets. But LinkedIn has cemented itself as the go-to platform for ambitious professionals.
