Higher Healing: Medical Marijuana Revenue Statistics

You’ve probably encountered cannabis at least once in your life. You’ve certainly heard about the dangers of marijuana as a gateway drug to harder drugs.

But you’ve probably also heard about the benefits of marijuana, and how it can actually be used for medicinal purposes.

While some still argue on whether or not different weed strains should be available on pharmacy shelves, 41 states, together with Washington DC and four (out of five) US territories have already done it, and they're making a fine profit out of it.

So instead of focusing on the pros and cons of the plant itself, we turn our heads to the hard data and offer you some insight into how profitable the industry is and will become.

Key Medical Marijuana Statistics for 2025 - Editor's Choice

• 8 out of 10 Americans live in a county with at least one cannabis dispensary.
• The US cannabidoil industry is worth more than $5.39 billion in 2025.
• There are more than 4.1 million registered medical marijuana patients in the US.
• The cannabis industry in the United States employed more than 440,445 people in 2024.
• North America dominates the medical marijuana market with a 74% market share.

The medical marijuana industry revenue in 2024 was $14.97 billion.

(Statista)

The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.28%, and is expected to reach $15.75 billion by 2029.

74% of Americans had access to medical marijuana in 2024.

(Pew Research Center)

Additionally, some 79% of Americans now live in counties with at least one cannabis dispensary.

23% of all dispensaries in 2024 were in states that only legalized medical marijuana.

(Pew Research Center)

While the majority of dispensaries are in the states with legal recreational use of marjiuana, Oklahoma and Florida which only have legal medical marijuana are both in the top five states with the largest number of dispensaries.

There were more than 4.1 million registered medical marijuana patients in the United States in 2024.

(Marijuana Moment)

The number of users of medicinal cannabis is growing, with patient enrollment increasing by 610% since 2016.

The United States cannabidiol oil industry is worth $5.39 billion in 2025.

(Precedence Research)

The most recent data shows that the market is projected to at a 16.03% CAGR, reaching $23.02 billion by 2030.

Flower products in the US medical marijuana market will generate $5.4 billion in 2025.

(Statista)

This represents a massive increase compared to five years earlier, when these products accounted for $2.83 billion of all market sales.

The average cost to open a cannabis dispensary in the US was around $700,000 in 2024.

(Cova)

As medical marijuana revenues skyrocket, licenses, taxes, and other permits for opening a marijuana dispensary rise as well. On average, one must cash-in around $5,000 for the license, plus a non-refundable fee that can range from $1,000 to more than $10,000.

If you add another $2,000 per month for a banking fee, you realize how pricey this particular business can get. These expenses come regardless of whether it’s an adult-use shop or a medicinal marijuana dispensary.

In 2024, 440,445 people were employed in the cannabis industry.

(Vangst)

This represented a 5.4% increase compared to 2023, as the industry added 22,952 new jobs, showing significant growth.

North America holds a 74.0% of the global medical marijuana market share.

(Market.us)

The Asia-Pacific region is second with only a 10% market share, while Europe and Latin America both hold 7% of the market.

9% of the population of Oklahoma are medical cannabis patients.

(The Marijuana Policy Project)

This is the highest percentage across the US, followed by Maine at 7.66%.