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How to use it
- Type the views of one video, or your monthly views, and say which one it is.
- Choose long-form or Shorts. They pay very differently.
- Pick the closest niche and the country mix from YouTube Studio (Analytics, Audience, Top geographies).
The result is ad revenue only, before tax, and only applies once a channel is in the YouTube Partner Program.
Examples
- 100,000 long-form views, tech, mostly US viewers: $95 to $1,200. The sources disagree a lot on tech, so the range is wide.
- 1,000,000 Shorts views, mixed audience: $70 to $200.
- 50,000 views a month, education, mostly lower-RPM countries: $13 to $176 a month.
RPM vs CPM
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube takes its share, and it only counts views that showed an ad. RPM is what you earn per 1,000 views after YouTube's share, counting every view, including the ones with no ad (YouTube Help). RPM is the number that turns views into money, so it is what this calculator uses.
The split: for ads on long-form videos (the Watch Page), YouTube pays creators 55% of net revenue (YouTube Help). For Shorts, ad revenue from the Shorts Feed goes into a monthly Creator Pool, shared out by engaged views, and creators keep 45% of their allocated share (YouTube Help). Both checked September 2026.
Who gets paid
To share in ad revenue, a channel needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 qualified watch hours on long-form videos in the last 365 days or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days (YouTube Partner Program, checked September 2026). YouTube has also announced that from February 1, 2027, earning a share of the Shorts Creator Pool in a given month will need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days (Shorts monetization policies).
Methodology and sources
YouTube does not publish RPM by niche, so we use two data sets that do: AIR Media-Tech (YouTube Studio data from channels in their network) and MilX (their creator-network data). For each niche the calculator uses the widest span they give, from the lowest low to the highest high. Where they disagree, the range stays wide instead of picking the number we like. All sources checked September 2026.
Long-form RPM by niche (USD per 1,000 views, mixed audience)
| Niche | Source and their label | RPM | Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance, business & marketing | AIR Media-Tech, Business & Finance Only 3 channels in the sample; AIR calls it directional. | $0.73 to $5.17 | $0.73 to $20.00 |
| MilX, Personal Finance | $5.00 to $20.00 | ||
| MilX, Business & Marketing | $5.00 to $15.00 | ||
| Tech, software & gadgets | AIR Media-Tech, Gadgets & Tech | $0.70 to $3.71 | $0.70 to $12.00 |
| MilX, Tech & Productivity | $4.00 to $12.00 | ||
| Education, science & how-to | AIR Media-Tech, Education & Science | $2.31 to $19.50 | $2.31 to $19.50 |
| MilX, Education & How-to | $3.00 to $8.00 | ||
| Lifestyle, beauty & fashion | AIR Media-Tech, Lifestyle | $1.77 to $5.24 | $1.50 to $6.00 |
| MilX, Fashion & Beauty | $1.50 to $6.00 | ||
| Health, fitness & sport | AIR Media-Tech, Health & Sport | $0.72 to $1.53 | $0.72 to $7.00 |
| MilX, Fitness & Wellness | $2.00 to $7.00 | ||
| Food & cooking | AIR Media-Tech, Food & Cooking Only 6 channels in the sample; AIR calls it directional. | $1.50 to $3.11 | $1.50 to $3.11 |
| Gaming | AIR Media-Tech, Gaming | $0.70 to $3.62 | $0.50 to $4.00 |
| MilX, Gaming | $0.50 to $4.00 | ||
| Entertainment, vlogs & other | AIR Media-Tech, Entertainment AIR notes its median sits almost exactly on the all-niche median. | $0.88 to $5.02 | $0.50 to $5.02 |
| MilX, Entertainment & Vlogs | $0.50 to $3.00 | ||
| Music | AIR Media-Tech, Music | $1.35 to $4.16 | $1.35 to $4.16 |
| Kids & family | AIR Media-Tech, Kids & Teens | $0.16 to $0.88 | $0.16 to $0.88 |
Audience region adjustment (long-form)
The niche figures are blended across each network's audience, so "mixed" uses them as published. The other two options shift them using country data:
| Audience | Adjustment and where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Mostly US, UK, Canada, Australia | Floor x1.35 ($3.10 MilX UK RPM estimate / $2.30 AIR all-niche median). Top unchanged. |
| Mixed or not sure | Ranges as published. |
| Mostly lower-RPM countries (e.g. India, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan) | x0.11 to x0.18 (MilX India CPM $0.74 at 35% to 55% RPM-to-CPM = $0.26 to $0.41, over the $2.30 AIR median). |
Shorts RPM by audience (USD per 1,000 views)
| Audience | Source figures | Used |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly US, UK, Canada, Australia | AIR Media-Tech: US $0.328, Australia $0.193, UK $0.166, Canada $0.165 | $0.17 to $0.33 |
| Mixed or not sure | AIR Media-Tech: Most niches cluster between $0.07 and $0.20 | $0.070 to $0.20 |
| Mostly lower-RPM countries (e.g. India, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan) | AIR Media-Tech: India $0.008, Indonesia $0.012, Philippines $0.023, Turkey $0.024, Mexico $0.040, Brazil $0.045 | $0.008 to $0.045 |
AIR measured $0.02 to $0.05 Shorts RPM for large kids channels, so the range is capped there. AIR measured $0.97 to $1.48 Shorts RPM for music channels, mostly from Content ID on music they own. That only applies if you own the rights, so it is not included here.
Source list
- AIR Media-Tech, "Which YouTube Niche Makes the Most Money in 2026? Ranked by Real RPM and CPM", published or updated Jul 1, 2026, checked Sep 23, 2026. YouTube Studio data from 300 channels in their network, 3,595 monetized channel-months (May 2025 to May 2026). We use their "typical range", the middle 50% of channels (P25 to P75).
- MilX, "YouTube CPM and RPM rates in 2026: averages by niche, country & more", published or updated Mar 16, 2026, checked Sep 23, 2026. "Where most creators land in 2026 with long-form videos, according to the MilX data". The article does not state a sample size.
- MilX, "Countries with the highest YouTube CPM in 2026", published or updated Aug 14, 2026, checked Sep 23, 2026. MilX creator-network data across 5,000+ monetized channels. CPM and estimated RPM by country.
- AIR Media-Tech, "YouTube Shorts RPM vs Long-Form: How Much Do Shorts Earn in 2026?", published or updated Jun 23, 2026, checked Sep 23, 2026. YouTube Analytics API data from 274 channels, 3,044 channel-months, full-year medians.
- AIR Media-Tech, "YouTube Shorts RPM: what to expect in 2026", published or updated Jan 23, 2026, checked Sep 23, 2026. Average Shorts RPM by country (2025) from AIR Media-Tech channel data.
- YouTube Help, "Revenue per mille (RPM)", checked Sep 23, 2026. Definition of RPM and how it differs from CPM.
- YouTube Help, "YouTube partner earnings overview", checked Sep 23, 2026. Watch Page ads: YouTube pays partners 55% of net revenue.
- YouTube Help, "YouTube Shorts monetization policies", checked Sep 23, 2026. Shorts Feed ad revenue is pooled; creators keep 45% of their allocated share.
- YouTube Help, "YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility", checked Sep 23, 2026. Thresholds to share in ad revenue.
What this leaves out: seasonality (both AIR and MilX report higher RPM in Q4 and a drop in January), channel size, and income that is not ads. Treat the result as a range to plan with, not a promise.
FAQ
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views?
It depends mostly on the niche and where viewers live. Across 300 channels, AIR Media-Tech measured a median RPM of about $2.30 per 1,000 long-form views (May 2025 to May 2026). The middle half of channels in a niche ranges from $0.16 to $0.88 for kids content up to $2.31 to $19.50 for education.
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
With the ranges on this page, 1 million long-form views in entertainment with a mixed audience comes to $500 to $5,020. The same million as Shorts comes to $70 to $200. Your own RPM in YouTube Studio beats any estimate.
Why do Shorts pay so much less than long-form?
Long-form videos can carry several ads each, and the creator keeps 55% of that ad revenue. Shorts ads run between videos in the feed, the revenue goes into a shared pool split by engaged views, and creators keep 45% of their share. AIR Media-Tech found Shorts RPM is usually 3% to 14% of long-form RPM in the same niche.
Does every view earn money?
No. Many views show no ad, for example when a video is not advertiser-friendly or no ad fits the viewer. RPM already accounts for this because it divides revenue by all views, which is why this calculator uses RPM and not CPM.
I know my RPM. Do I need this?
Not really: views divided by 1,000, times your RPM, is your estimate. The calculator is for people who are not monetized yet, or who want to compare niches, formats and audiences before choosing what to make.