How Much YouTube Pays Per 1,000 Views, by Niche
This is RPM, what a channel keeps per 1,000 views after YouTube’s share. The middle half column is where most channels in that niche land, so the spread inside a niche is often bigger than the gap between niches.
| Niche | Median RPM | Middle half | Views for $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education & Science | $10.22 | $2.31 to $19.50 | 97,847 |
| Transport* | $5.69 | $3.17 to $9.81 | 175,747 |
| Lifestyle | $2.98 | $1.77 to $5.24 | 335,570 |
| News & Politics* | $2.60 | $1.79 to $3.62 | 384,615 |
| Entertainment | $2.43 | $0.88 to $5.02 | 411,523 |
| Crafting & Handmade | $2.39 | $1.00 to $3.90 | 418,410 |
| Gadgets & Tech | $2.33 | $0.70 to $3.71 | 429,185 |
| Music | $2.28 | $1.35 to $4.16 | 438,596 |
| Food & Cooking* | $2.25 | $1.50 to $3.11 | 444,444 |
| Gaming | $2.05 | $0.70 to $3.62 | 487,805 |
| Business & Finance* | $2.01 | $0.73 to $5.17 | 497,512 |
| Health & Sport | $1.23 | $0.72 to $1.53 | 813,008 |
| Kids & Teens | $0.33 | $0.16 to $0.88 | 3,030,303 |
* Fewer than ten channels in the source data. Read these as rough.
Where These RPM Numbers Come From
The long-video rates come from a 2026 study by AIR Media-Tech, updated 1 July 2026. It read YouTube Studio for 300 channels across 3,595 monetized months, from May 2025 to May 2026.
- Studio numbers, so this is what channels were actually paid, not what advertisers bid.
- Medians, so one huge channel cannot pull a niche up.
- A full year, so the slow months count as much as December.
I think that is why these numbers look lower than most calculators. Many of those multiply your views by an advertiser price, which is before YouTube’s share and only counts views that showed an ad.
RPM and CPM Measure Different Things
YouTube defines RPM as revenue per 1,000 views after its share, counting every view. CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before the share. So RPM is the number that turns into your money.
- CPM counts only views that showed an ad, and is measured before YouTube takes its cut.
- RPM counts all views, ads or not, after the cut. It is always the one to plan with.
You can see both in YouTube Studio once you are in the Partner Program. YouTube explains the difference on its help page.
Shorts Pay a Small Slice of Long Videos
The same team’s Shorts study, 274 channels and full-year medians, puts Shorts RPM at 3 to 14% of what that niche earns on long videos.
- That means roughly 7,000 to 33,000 Shorts views to match 1,000 long-video views.
- Music is the exception at 41 to 60%, because Content ID pays out on the music used in a Short.
The calculator shows Shorts as a range for that reason. I would treat Shorts as a way to be found, and long videos as the thing that pays, unless you are a music channel.
Where Your Viewers Live Moves the Number Most
The same video earns very different amounts depending on who watches it. The Shorts study puts CPM from viewers in Nigeria, Pakistan or the Philippines at $0.20 to $1.50, against $8 to $20 for viewers in the US, UK or Australia.
- Season: the same study says December CPM can run 40 to 60% above January.
- Niche: the table above, though the spread inside a niche is wide.
- Views: the one thing you control, which is why the calculator starts from your real views.
If you want more views per video, the channel analyzer shows which of your videos beat your normal, and what an outlier score is explains how to read that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this YouTube money calculator free?
Yes, with no account and no card. The channel lookup uses a free daily YouTube quota, and if that runs out you can still type your views in.
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
At the median RPM across all niches in the source data, about $2.30, a million views pays roughly $2,300. In Education & Science, at $10.22, it is about $10,220. In Kids & Teens, at $0.33, it is about $330.
How much do Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
Between $0.02 and $1.48 depending on the niche, according to a study of 274 channels. That is 3 to 14% of what the same niche earns on long videos, except Music, where it reaches 41 to 60%.
Why is finance so low here when other sites say $20 or more?
Most published finance figures are advertiser CPM, or screenshots from the best months of the best channels. This uses medians from YouTube Studio across a full year. The finance median also comes from fewer than ten channels, so treat it as rough.
Do I earn anything before joining the YouTube Partner Program?
No ad money, no. These estimates only apply once a channel is in the Partner Program and ads are running on its videos.
Does the channel lookup store my channel?
No. It reads public view counts and upload dates for that one lookup and keeps nothing.