How Much Do YouTubers Make? (2026 Earnings)

How much do YouTubers make is often discussed, thanks to the growing number of YouTube creators worldwide.

Quick answer: The global median average CPM of YouTube is ~$2.91. However, the YouTube CPM is higher in developed countries, with Australia ranking the highest with $36.21 (approximately) and the USA following it at $11.95 – $32.75. It’s crucial to note that average YouTube pay and earnings vary based on niche, seasonality, and country.

In this article, I’ll walk you through all the data and numbers I found on how much YouTubers earn, take a look into their multiple sources of earnings, YouTube pay rates, how you can start earning through YouTube, etc. 

Average YouTuber Earnings in 2026

YouTube has over 2.5 billion active users, out of which 69 million are creators. Here’s a taste of how much YouTube can make you. An average small YouTuber earns $50 to $100 per month, which makes it up to $1200 per year. 

But this figure is highly dependent on multiple other factors. The highest-paid YouTuber–Mr. Beast, with over 23.9 billion views, earned $54 Million as his YouTube earnings (more on this further).

On average, YouTube earnings per view are between $0.002 $0.025 in ad revenue. On average, YouTube pays $18 per 1000 ad views.
According to Business Insider, members of the YouTube Partner Program earn $1.61-$29.30 per 1,000 views depending on the niche.
Google, which owns YouTube, takes a 45% cut from what advertisers pay, leaving 55% to YouTube creators.

How Much Do YouTubers Earn Per View?

Number of views	YouTube Partner Earning	Other earnings
1,000 to 10,000	$18 to $180	$50 to $500
10,000 to 100,000	$180 to $1800	$500 to $5,000
100,000 to 1,000,000	$1,800 to $18,000	$5,000 to $50,000

Note: These earnings are our estimates and may vary depending on the YouTuber and their niche. 

Difference Between CPM and RPM on YouTube

CPM refers to cost per mile/thousand. CPM is what YouTube pays to advertisers per 1,000 views before YouTube takes its portion of the cut from your earnings.

RMP, on the other hand, refers to the actual earnings you get per thousand views after YouTube takes a cut. This includes money from ads, memberships, etc.

Generally, CPM is higher than RPM. In addition, CPM is considered for ad impressions, whereas RPM is taken for non-monetized and monetized videos.

Here is a video that we found helpful that’s worth checking out!

How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel?

To get paid on YouTube, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year. 

You can also have 1000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views within the past 90 days. 

Once you have achieved either of the above, you can apply to YouTube’s Partner Program and monetize your channel. 

Source: YouTube Creators.

How Much Do Small YouTubers Make?

YouTube pays creators based on cost per mile (CPM). 

A small YouTuber can earn between $50 to $100 per month. 

However, the earning rates may vary from a few cents, depending on multiple factors. In fact, the earnings of every YouTuber are different. Let’s take a quick walkthrough of the factors that affect YouTube earnings.

Let’s take a quick walkthrough of the factors that affect YouTube earnings.

Factors Affecting Earnings From YouTube

The reason why the earnings for a YouTuber might differ depends on many factors. Among which the most important ones are:

• Niche

The niche selected by a YouTuber may impact his or her earnings. For example, some of the most profitable niches on YouTube are gaming, funny and entertaining videos, music, ASMR, lifehacks, education, personal finance, Lifestyle, and much more. 

• Number of views

On average, a YouTuber earns around $0.018 for each view earned. This sums up to $18 in YouTube earnings for 1,000 views.

• Ad revenue

YouTube creators receive approximately 55% of the revenue generated on their channels. This means for every $100 an advertiser spends, Google pays $55 to the creators. 

What Is A YouTuber Earning Per 1,000 Views?

A YouTuber makes $18 per 1,000 ad views on average.

This may vary depending on the niche of the Channel. However, you can sell many different digital products and earn more per 1,000 views. 

A YouTube Channel, Think Media, with 2.72 million subscribers, said that they earned $7.59 per 1,000 views in April 2023. I expect that it might be earning somewhere around $9 or more per 1,000 views. 

This channel helps the audience create YouTube videos and provides tips and tricks to users. Hence, it comes in a mic CPM niche. 

However, if YouTube also has affiliate products, they can earn between $51 and $80 per month, considering that they earn $50 from the affiliate products. 

How Much Does A YouTuber Earn For 10,000 Views Per Month?

As per the above calculation, we know that a YouTuber earns an average of $18 per 1,000 views.

Similarly, a YouTuber with 10,000 views per month can make around $180 per month. The earnings per month can further go up if there is more than one video crossing the 10,000 mark.

However, if they have an affiliate program, they may earn between. $510 to $800 for 10,000 views a month. 

YouTube Shorts Monetization Trends

Creators now earn not only from ad revenue but also from special “Shorts Bonuses” and branded partnerships. To qualify for Shorts monetization, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid Shorts views over 90 days.

Some small channels have reported earning $100–$300 monthly just from Shorts, making it a viable revenue stream for new creators. YouTube also introduced new ad formats exclusive to Shorts, which are boosting CPMs in high-engagement niches.

What Are YouTubers Earning For 1 Million Views?

Similarly, YouTubers can earn $18,000 for 1 million monthly views. 

This earning comes from ads. However, if they have enrolled in affiliate programs too, they may earn between $51,000 to $80,000 per month, depending on their niche.

I have covered in-depth how much influencers earn in my article. You can take a look at the earnings of influencers from different platforms, including YouTube.

Success Stories: Richest YouTubers 2026

Mr. Beast earned $85 million in 2024, the highest amount from YouTube. He has a total of 93 billion views on his channel with over 890 videos.

Dhar Mann follows Mr.Beast, earning $56 million per year in earnings, and has 18.4 billion views on his YouTube videos.

If you are looking to get more insights on the richest YouTuber worldwide, check our YouTube Creators earnings reports here.

From the above-linked article, here is a list of the top 10 YouTubers with their niche, number of views, and earnings!

YouTuber	Niche	No of views	Annual Earnings Of The YouTuber
Mr. Beast-Jimmy Donaldson	Entertainment, Social	93.7 billion	$85 million
Dhar Mann	Motivational. Short Films	18.4 billiion	$56 million
Jake Paul	Fitness and Music	7.8 billion	$50 million
Rhett and Link	Comedy, Talk Show	10.4 billion	$36 million
Alex Cooper	Podcast, Lifestyle	170 million (more on different channels)	$32 million
Charli D’Amelio	Dance, Lifestyle	392 million	$23.5 milion
Matt Rife	Stand-up Comedy	990.1 million	$50 million
Mark Rober	Science, Education, DIY	13.98 billion	$25 million
Druski	Comedy, Skits	985 million	$14 million
Khaby Lame	Comedy, Reaction, Silent Skits	4.56 billion	$20 million

Note: The earnings above are estimates. Actual earnings may vary.

Which Are The High-Earning Niches On YouTube?

Some of the high CPM niches on YouTube are the Technology, Finance, Health,  Cars, and Automotive Investing niches. 

Many advertisers like to advertise in these niches, as compared to the other niches. However, recently, niches like Games, YouTube for kids, etc., have also moved into high-paying niches. 

Moreover, entertainment has emerged as one of the most viewed niches on YouTube. 

Using Money Calculators To Check YouTuber Earnings

Since you are here to know about the potential earnings of YouTubers, I have used various YouTube earnings calculators. These data may help you get an idea of the estimated earnings of the YouTubers. 

Note that these money calculators are not 100% accurate, and the earnings may differ according to their sources. 

1. Hype Auditor

Through Hype Auditor, I checked the earnings of YouTuber Noeli Creates. She has 269K subscribers and has over 100K views on some of her videos. However, most of her videos have over 10K views. 

Noeli Creates estimated earnings: 6801.1K

2. Nox influencer

With the help of the Nox influencer, I checked the YouTube earnings of Jade Beason. She has 145K subscribers and has over 2K views on most of her videos. 

Jade Beason’s estimated earnings: $1,085/month

3. Social Blade

Using the Social Blade YouTube Money Calculator, I have calculated the YouTube earnings of Juanillo Bushman’s channel. The channel has 215K subscribers, and there are over 50K views on most of their videos. 

Juanillo Bushman’s estimated earnings: up to $12,800/month

4. Views4You

Using Views4You, I have calculated the approximate average earnings of the channel Make Money Matt. He has 567K total subscribers and over 50K views on most of his videos. 

Make Money Matt’s estimated earnings: $2,876/month

How Do YouTubers Make Money? (All Ways)

YouTubers can make money through a number of ways, such as advertising revenue, Sponsorships, Selling merchandise, Patreon support, etc. 

Let’s take a detailed look at examples from different YouTubers.

1. Advertising Revenue

Display advertisements help YouTubers earn by displaying different types of ads, such as skippable, non-skippable, bumper, and overlay ads.

Google AdSense provides the YouTubers with the Ad revenue they have earned by displaying advertisements between their videos. 

Some of the basic requirements for getting ad revenue are that you must be older than 18 years or have a guardian who is older than 18 years. Additionally, the YouTuber must be able to create advertisement-friendly content. 

If you fit under this criterion, all you have to do is choose the ad format that works best for you. 

Considering the popularity of the channel, if he generated $20 on 1000 views per month, he would have made $431,288.24 in the last month.

(Note: I have used the VidIQ extension to get my hands on the Channel stats. )

2. Channel Membership

Channel memberships are a great way to earn by sharing exclusive content and some perks with your members. 

However, the basic criterion to provide channel memberships is:

You must be 18 years or older.
Reside in a country where Channel memberships are available. 

Nicole and Mico’s channel is one of the channels that offers membership to its viewers. 

The channel offers two memberships to its users: World Traveller and World Traveller Plus for approximately $2 and $10, respectively. 

They usually travel the world full-time and share their experiences with their viewers. 

If we consider that they have at least 10K World Traveller members and 5K  World Traveller Plus members, then they may be earning an average of $20,000 and 50,000 from World Traveller and World Traveller Plus membership, respectively. 

This equals an estimate of  $70,000 from the memberships. 

3. Sponsorship

A big brand sponsors your video and pays you to advertise their brand in your video. In such videos, a YouTuber talks about how the brand and its products have benefited them and why their users must try them. 

Channels with a large number of subscribers and views usually grab these sponsorships. 

The average minimum price of a sponsored YouTube video with over one million views was $2,500 in 2022. 

Besides, the average minimum price of a sponsored video with 500 thousand to one million views was 1,105 U.S. dollars, and the maximum price was 16,234 U.S. dollars. 

Here are further details about the average price of a sponsored video by the number of views on YouTube worldwide in 2022. 

Number of YouTube views	Average minimum price	Average maximum price
1K-10K	$60	$850
10K-50K	$180	$2,240
50K-500K	$389	$5,859
500K-1M	$1,105	$16,234
Over 1M	$2,500	–

Source: Statista. 

If you are still confused about sponsorship, check out Catherine Manning’s video to better understand the concept. Her video helped me clear my basic ideas and understanding of sponsorships. 

4. Collaboration

Collaboration is similar to sponsorship. However, it is not limited to just a video. It can be done for a number of videos or a time period. 

The YouTubers can collaborate with a person or a brand to earn revenue. They will have to promote the brand according to the contract they have signed. 

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is promoting a company’s products or services to earn a commission. The affiliate partner gets paid for every sale they make. 

The commission earned by a YouTuber depends on the product category and niche. 

For example, a YouTuber gets a 3% to 4% commission for anyone who enrolls in their affiliate course. If he promotes a $1000 course, he can earn up to $30 to $40 per sale. 

Tip: You can check out our detailed YouTube Affiliate marketing guide to learn more.

6. Selling Merchandise

Once your YouTube Channel becomes well-known and known by a number of people, you can start selling merchandise in your niche. 

For example, you can run a YouTube channel in the entertainment niche and mainly cover K-drama and K-Pop topics. Here, you can sell merchandise related to K-drama and K-pop. 

Similarly, you can sell your own merchandise if you run a business. For instance, you can see Mr.Beast selling his own merchandise to his fans. 

7. The Patreon Button

The Patreon button provides a platform for creators to monetize their content. 

All you need to do is add a Patreon button to your channel, and then the viewers can donate to your channel. Besides, one can also provide content upgrades, providing special content that is only visible to Patreon members. 

Interesting Read: Know which one to get started between Podcast vs YouTube with our detailed comparison.

Minimum Requirements To Start Making Money On YouTube

 Here is a list of the minimum requirements for making money on YouTube. 

1. Make sure 2-step Verification of the Google account is turned on.
2. The YouTuber must have an AdSense account that can be used to link to the channel. If not, the person must be ready to set up an AdSense account in YouTube Studio.
3. The person must not have violated any community guidelines on the channel. 
4. You must reside in a country where the YouTube partner program is available. 
5. You must follow the YouTube channel monetization policy.
6. The channel should have at least 1,000 subscribers. 
7. The channel should have crossed 4,000 valid public watch hours over the last 12 months.
8. The channel must have more than 10 million valid public views on shorts uploaded in the last 90 days. 

If your channel is fulfilling all the above requirements, Congratulations! You can now start earning with the help of YouTube and have a new side hustle. You can begin with our guide on the best time to post on YouTube to understand how timing plays a crucial role. 

Handpicked guides that you can check out:

Social Media Users Statistics

Final Verdict: Average YouTube Pay Is $2.91 (CPM)

Starting a YouTube channel can be an excellent way to make money. A small YouTuber can make $50 –$100 initially. The average YouTube pay in the U.S. in 2025 is about $5,726 monthly.

YouTubers do not simply rely on Ads. While it still remains the primary source of earning, YouTubers can earn through affiliate marketing, collaborations, paid partnerships, membership, selling digital products, and more!

All the richest YouTubers you see today have multiple streams of income, and you can do the same with the right practices and methods. One of these includes posting at the right time for the right audience. 

Until then, keep working on your channel!

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