A look at wearable adoption trends and who's using 'smart' devices: Rock Health

Wearable ownership has risen 33% in the U.S. since 2015, according to a new analysis from Rock Health.

Forty-six percent of respondents in the 2025 Consumer Adoption of Digital Health Survey reported owning a wearable specifically, and 57% of respondents reported owning at least one wearable or other connected device. However, the report notes that first-time wearable user growth has slowed.

Smart watches remained the most popular device among the survey’s 8,000 respondents, with 43% reporting owning a device. Other popular devices are smart scales (13%), connected blood pressure cuffs (13%), continuous glucose monitors (9%) and smart rings (8%).

“The next chapter of wearable adoption will come down to whether wearables remain primarily tools for individualized self-optimization—an “N of 1” model—or evolve into infrastructure that improves population health,” the report authors wrote. 

Eighty-three percent of respondents report wearing devices five or more days per week, including 59% who wear theirs always or nearly always—aside from charging. Most wearable users track physical activity (35%), sleep (26%) and heart rate (21%). 

Moreover, 47% of respondents report using a wearable for three or more years, with the brand remaining consistent. Forty-eight percent of respondents say they still use the same wearable they began with, while 27% have upgraded to a newer model from the same brand. Only 23% of users report switching brands.

The leading wearable brands among respondents are Apple (63%), Fitbit (27%), Samsung (16%), Garmin (8%) and Oura (6%).

The survey found that wearable adoption still clusters around a fairly specific user profile. Compared to non-owners, device owners are generally younger, wealthier, more urban, healthier, and more likely to be commercially insured.

Device owners are more likely to describe their health as “excellent” (23%), while non-owners are more likely to report moderate, poor, or very poor health. "The paradox: populations that could potentially benefit most from passive monitoring and longitudinal tracking often remain the least likely to own these devices," the Rock Health researchers wrote.

"Whether wearables can extend beyond the relatively healthy and affluent may depend on regulatory support and price accessibility, more than feature roadmaps," the report authors wrote.

A growing number of wearable users are discussing their monitoring data with a healthcare provider, as 59% of respondents said they've spoken to their doctor about their wearable data, 30% do so regularly and 29% who have done so at least once. Twenty percent want to discuss data with a provider but have not yet. 

Wearable makers are building out more advanced health features to go beyond just activity tracking and function more like health monitoring devices. Last month, Google unveiled its new Fitbit Air, a screenless device that costs $100. Google said the Fitbit Air uses high-fidelity sensor technology that enables advanced health and fitness tracking like 24/7 heart rate, heart rhythm monitoring with Afib alerts, SpO2, resting heart rate, heart rate variability and sleep stages and duration.

In a blog post, Andy Abramson, head of product at Google Health, said the Fitbit Air is aimed at people who find wearable devices to be too bulky, too complicated or too expensive. "That’s where Fitbit Air comes in—it’s simple, affordable and comfortable enough to wear 24/7," Abramson wrote.

Fitbit Air users also get access to Google Health Coach, an AI-powered fitness trainer, sleep coach and health and wellness advisor.

Smart ring maker Oura launched a new device, which it dubs the “smallest smart ring in the world,” alongside a slew of new health insight capabilities. With Oura Ring 5, users can access new activity tracking, proactive health, connected health, metabolic health and more services. Oura’s new Health Radar, built on the 2024 Symptom Radar, continuously monitors biometric signals. 

The company is also partnering with Counsel Health to bring artificial intelligence-powered care directly into the app. It will be available to members in 43 U.S. states to start, according to the announcement.

Fitness wearable Whoop also recently announced a new service to offer on-demand video consultations with licensed clinicians through its app for U.S users, as CNBC reported.

“The question about wearables a decade ago was whether consumers would adopt wearables, and indeed, they have,” the Rock Health report said. “What remains unresolved is impact—in what these devices can generate and what can be done with this data to meaningfully improve health outcomes.”