Table of contents:
Key takeaways
- Only 0.3% of YouTubers earn $5,000 or more per month, and even fewer make enough to become millionaires.
- The most basic way to monetize content on YouTube is through the Partner Program (AdSense).
- A beginner YouTuber with 1000 subscribers can earn around $30 to $300 from AdSense monthly.
- A YouTuber with 100,000 monthly views can expect to make $1000-$3000 per month with AdSense.
- Once you hit 1 million subscribers, you can expect to earn $10,000+ per month.
- Successful YouTubers often increase their earnings by diversifying revenue streams, such as brand deals and affiliate marketing.
As YouTube is one of the most-watched streaming services, launching a career as a YouTuber has never been more enticing.
But just how lucrative is creating videos on this platform? The answer isn't simple. Factors like subscriber count, video views, sponsorships, merchandise, and ad revenue all contribute to turning viewing time into cold, hard cash.
So, how much do YouTubers Make? Read on to find out.
If you’re an aspiring content creator wondering how to make money on YouTube, read on to discover how YouTubers turn views into income with our comprehensive breakdown!
How much do YouTubers make based on the size of their channel?
Subscriber count doesn't directly correlate with a set income. But, it certainly plays a significant role in increasing a creator's earning potential. More viewers mean more ad views, more clicks on affiliate links, and higher opportunities for sponsorships.
YouTube's algorithm typically favors larger channels when making recommendations, further increasing the chances to attract more viewers. Although factors like niche, engagement rate, and monetization strategies heavily influence earnings, we can break down potential income based on channel size:
Beginner YouTuber: 1000+ Subscribers
Most average YouTubers in this bracket usually earn from $30 to $300 per month, depending on their niche and country. And reaching 1,000 subscribers is the first milestone in a YouTuber's career. This achievement unlocks eligibility for the Partner Program, meaning you can actually start implementing your early monetization strategies.
Although 1,000 subscribers might seem like a modest number, this is no easy feat to achieve. In fact, only 9% of total YouTube channels have at least this many subscribers, meaning you’re outperforming 91% of all your peers.
At this stage, with most of your revenues likely coming from AdSense, revenue potential is still quite low. Sponsorships are rare at this level, but not impossible.
Mid-Range YouTuber: 100K+ Subscribers
YouTubers in this bracket earn about $500 to $1,500 per month, but some can reach up to $5,000 or more. At the 100,000 subscribers mark, you’re taking the next step in the world of professional YouTubers. Only 0.3% of accounts reach this level, which is often when people start thinking about switching to part-time or even full-time content creation.
Brand deals, paid collaborations, and sponsorships become more common, and chances are at least one of your videos has gone viral. Earnings range widely here depending on niche, views, and whether they invested in other income streams.
Famous YouTuber: 1 million+ Subscribers
The world’s highest-paid YouTubers all have at least 1 million subscribers. At this level, monthly revenues from AdSense alone can range from $10,000 to $100,000. Individual videos can earn anywhere between $20,000 to $50,000 each through sponsorships, brand deals, merchandise, and product sales. Annual revenues are usually estimated in millions of dollars.
Top creators with a million subscribers or more usually operate across multiple channels rather than just YouTube, often evolving into brands in their own right. Their earnings often support entire teams, including editors, screenwriters, marketers, and other professionals who help maintain and grow their brand.
YouTube Stars: 50 million+ Subscribers
At this level, earnings are astronomical, with annual incomes reaching tens of millions of dollars. Only 30 YouTubers in the world have more than 50 million subscribers. They are the true stars of the platform, and nothing short of celebrities.
What do YouTubers need to start earning money?
The most basic revenue stream for YouTubers is the YouTube Partner Program, also known as AdSense. This program allows content creators who’ve met certain criteria to qualify for receiving payment for the videos they upload to YouTube.
Here are the requirements to become a YouTube Partner and obtain eligibility for monetization:
- At least 1,000 subscribers in the past year AND 4,000 public watch hours in the past year (excluding shorts) OR 10 million valid public YouTube Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Agree to YouTube’s terms and conditions.
- Do not have an active Community Guidelines strike on your channel.
- Have a valid Google AdSense account.
- Pass review and approval.
How much a YouTuber makes with AdSense essentially depends on how much their videos are viewed. While this might seem obvious, what's actually not so clear is how to estimate the amount of money each view is worth.
Let’s break this down further.
What are CPC and CPM and how do they factor into RPM?
At its core, YouTube pays partners 55% of ad revenues. Here's how it breaks down:
- Cost Per Click (CPC): Some advertisers pay only when someone clicks on their ad, not just when a user watches the video.
- Cost Per Mille (CPM): Other advertisers pay for every 1,000 ad impressions, regardless of whether viewers click on the ad. Note that these are ad impressions, not just video views. A viewer must watch the ad for at least 30 seconds, or for its entire length if the ad lasts less than 10 seconds.
Both CPC and CPM factor into estimating the Revenue Per Mille (RPM), which represents how much money a YouTuber makes per 1,000 views after YouTube takes its cut.
Let's break it down with an example:
- Your YouTube video gets 5,000 views.
- Half of these views result in ad impressions with a CPM of $10.
- 100 viewers clicked on the ad with a CPC of $0.5.
Your earnings would be:
- CPM: $25 (2,500 impressions x $10 / 1000)
- CPC: $50 (100 clicks x $0.5)
Total: $25 + $50 = $75
After YouTube's 45% cut, you're left with:
$75 x 0.55 = $41.25
Your RPM is, therefore:
$41.25 / 5 = $8.25 per 1,000 views
Which isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. To put it in perspective, at 5,000 views per day, you'd earn about $1,238 per month. Whether this is enough depends on how much time you spent creating this content and your final goals.
How does YouTube monetization work? 4 factors that affect your income
The number of views is extremely important for making money. But other factors also matter a lot.
Let's dive into some of the key factors that can significantly impact a YouTuber's income:
Video length
Longer videos allow for more ads, increasing potential ad revenue. Pre-roll ads (at the beginning of the video) and mid-roll ads (in the middle) usually have higher payouts compared to post-roll ads (at the end).
But video length is a double-edged sword when it comes to engagement. Longer videos often command more attention from viewers. Shorter videos can attract new followers and increase subscriber numbers more quickly. Creators need to balance these factors based on their content and audience preferences.
Type of content
Some content types are better for long-term monetization. Tutorials, like "How to change your car battery," can attract views for years, maintaining steady ad revenue. Evergreen video content is also often associated with a higher watch time, positively impacting ad impressions and overall earnings.
Podcasts and live streams, especially if they’re focused on a current event, are great for generating short-term revenues and gaining traction on social media. You can increase subscriptions on your YouTube channel, but the number of views will quickly dwindle once the event is over.
Niche and demographics
Some niches like tech and personal finance typically command higher prices from advertisers, resulting in better CPC and CPM rates. On the other side of the spectrum, cooking, travel, or humor YouTube channels are usually associated with lower RPMs.
Demographics matter, too. For example, gaming content typically attracts younger viewers who may be less likely to spend on products or even just watch the ads without skipping them.
Country
Advertisers pay more to reach audiences in high-spending regions like North America and Europe. However, market size matters too – the more YouTube users come from a country, the more people will see your videos.
With 247 million high-paying users, the U.S. market is obviously one of the most appealing. However, do not underestimate other markets such as India. With 467 million active users, it has nearly as many users as Europe and the U.S. combined.
That’s why many successful YouTubers try to make their content accessible to as many users as possible with multiple subtitles. And it’s not so hard to do. With Riverside, you can automatically generate captions and subtitles in more than 100 languages, download them as SRT files, and upload them to YouTube in just a few clicks.
What are the other sources of income for YouTubers?
Full-time YouTubers typically diversify their income streams. YouTube ads are just one slice of the pie. Many YouTube creators earn a substantial portion of their income from other sources, such:
Affiliate marketing
A very popular way to make money on YouTube is through an affiliate program.
Creators can tag products relevant to their audience and advertise them during their videos. They can embed links in their video descriptions and earn a commission ranging from 5% to 50% for every purchase. This feature is available only for YouTube channels with at least 15,000 subscribers.
Official stats on affiliate marketing earnings are hard to come by. But, some creators report making significant amounts even with smaller channels (less than 50k subscribers).
Personal merchandise
YouTubers who have established a strong bond with their audience often sell physical merchandise associated with their brand. This can range from general branded merch like mugs, t-shirts, or plushies featuring their logos or catchphrases, to fully-dedicated products.
For example, Kimono Mom, a Japanese YouTuber with more than 3 million subscribers, sells her own umami sauce as well as kitchen appliances.
Channel memberships and crowdfunding
Channel membership is an additional feature offered by YouTube that allows viewers to support their favorite content creators with recurring revenue. By paying a small monthly fee, supporters receive extra perks. These include animated Super Stickers, priority Super Chat messages during YouTube live streams, or early access to new videos.
Since YouTube takes a 30% cut of channel membership fees, creators can also set up a Patreon account to receive money in the form of tips, donations, and subscriptions. Paying members often receive exclusive content and other benefits as a thank you for their loyalty.
For example, the gaming YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes thanks all his supporters by displaying a full list of their names at the end of his videos.
Digital products and business services
Some creators use their YouTube channels as part of their broader outreach strategies. They leverage their visibility to create videos showcasing their expertise in a certain niche. This mostly supports marketing efforts for their consulting or coaching services.
Neil Patel, owner of one of the world's most famous digital marketing agencies, is a prime example. He uses his channel of 1.29 million subscribers to post short videos about search engine optimization techniques and general digital business advice, supporting his broader business goals.
Brand sponsorships
Popular YouTubers often boost their earnings through brand sponsorships. Creators with enough influence often strike brand deals to promote products and services in various ways, ranging from product placements to full partnerships.
Particularly influential creators may also be paid to run brand campaigns on other social media platforms or speak at conventions. Payments vary significantly depending on popularity, niche, and type of collaboration.
For example, at Riverside, we recently partnered with Premiere Gal, a popular YouTuber with 500K subscribers known for her creative video editing tutorials.
Who are the highest-paid YouTubers in 2024?
If you want to understand the maximum amount you could make as a top YouTuber, you can check out what some of the top stars are bringing in. Here is a list of the top 10 highest-paid YouTube stars in 2024. Note that annual income figures are rough estimates based on publicly available data.
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MrBeast
Channel: @MrBeast
Subscribers: 314 million
Topic: Challenges, Philanthropy
Annual Income: ~$700 million
James Stephen Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is the undisputed king of YouTube. The first creator to reach 300 million subscribers, his $700 million annual income is simply jaw-dropping. His channel focuses on extravagant giveaways and curiously elaborated challenges. He’s got 103 million subscribers on TikTok as well, where he is the third-most-followed creator.
Jeffree Star
Channel: @jeffreestar
Subscribers: 15.8 million
Topic: Makeup, Beauty, Vlog
Annual Income: ~$200 million
Despite having fewer subscribers compared to other top YouTubers, Jeffree Star is one of the highest-earning personalities on the platform. A singer, songwriter, model, fashion designer, and makeup artist, he owes most of his wealth to Jeffree Star Cosmetics, a company he founded in 2014. His cosmetic empire alone generates $100 million in annual revenue. Star resides in a $14.6 million mansion in Hidden Hills, California.
Like Nastya
Channel: @LikeNastyaofficial
Subscribers: 120 million
Topic: Kid content, Toy Reviews, Edutainment
Annual Income: ~$106 million
At just 10 years old, Anastasia Sergeyevna Radzinskaya, known as Like Nastya, is one of the wealthiest children in the world. Her channel boasts 120 million followers and is the most profitable kids' channel globally. Estimates of her annual earnings range from $30 million to $260 million. Nastya's content is simple, fun, and educational, featuring songs, play clips, and toy unboxings aimed at children and families.
FAQs about how much money YouTubers make
Who’s the highest paid YouTuber?
As of 2024, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) is the highest-paid YouTuber, with a staggering projected annual income of $700 million. Despite ongoing controversies, his popularity continues to soar. Each video regularly garners about 100 million views, earning millions in ad revenue alone.
Can YouTubers make money through memberships or Patreon?
Yes, YouTube offers a Channel Membership feature that allows fans to support their favorite creators directly through monthly subscriptions in exchange for exclusive content or perks. Additionally, YouTubers can earn through memberships or donations on platforms like Patreon.
What is YouTube Premium and how does it affect earnings?
YouTube Premium is a subscription service that offers viewers the option to watch ad-free videos. However, creators are not penalized, and still earn revenue from Premium users based on how much watch time their content receives.
Do YouTubers earn differently from shorts compared to regular videos?
Yes, YouTube Shorts monetization is slightly different. Shorts have a dedicated fund that collects money from ads viewed between them. This fund is distributed to eligible creators based on views, unlike the direct ad revenue model of regular videos.
How much does a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers make?
Hypothetically, if all subscribers watched a new video weekly, earnings could reach $950,000 per year. A more realistic estimate ranges from $40,000 to $500,000 annually. Earnings vary widely as they depend on factors beyond subscriber count, including video frequency, engagement, audience demographics, and niche.
How many YouTube subscribers do you need to make $2,000 a month?
Roughly 400k to 800k monthly views could generate $2,000 in ad revenue. That said, there's no fixed subscriber count to earn $2,000 monthly, as earnings also come from sources like affiliate marketing and sponsorships. With brand deals, even channels with 15,000 to 20,000 subscribers have the potential to reach this income level.
Is being a YouTuber a high paying job?
Like movie or sports stars, top YouTube creators can earn millions. However, the vast majority of YouTubers earn small amounts, if anything at all. For perspective, only 0.3% of accounts have 100,000 subscribers or more, so being a YouTuber is a lucrative business for just a handful of people.
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