Newspaper industry statistics show a business moving from print circulation and advertising toward digital audiences, subscriptions and mixed revenue models. The measures below distinguish U.S. industry estimates, local newspaper data, top-site audience panels and company-reported New York Times figures by period and definition.
Key Newspaper Industry Statistics
The following figures summarize the most useful measures across circulation, audience, revenue and digital adoption:
- In 2022, 20,943,023 estimated weekday copies were circulated by U.S. daily newspapers reporting to AAM under the AAM-only series.
- In 2022, 42,972,898 estimated combined copies and subscriptions were counted when New York Times and Wall Street Journal subscription figures were included.
- The combined U.S. weekday circulation estimate rose 12% in 2022 versus 2021, while the AAM-only estimate fell 8%.
- Top-50 U.S. newspaper sites recorded 8,839,848 average monthly unique visitors in Q4 2022.
- Average visit duration on top-50 U.S. newspaper sites was 1.48 minutes in Q4 2022.
- Estimated U.S. newspaper advertising revenue was $9,760,830,024 in 2022.
- Digital advertising represented 48% of advertising revenue in 2022 for the newspaper companies breaking out that measure.
- Estimated U.S. newspaper circulation revenue was $11,606,129,049 in 2022.
- Locally focused U.S. daily newspapers had 8.3 million combined print and digital weekday circulation in 2020.
- Locally focused U.S. daily newspapers had 15.4 million combined print and digital Sunday circulation in 2020.
- Local weekday circulation was down 40% from 2015 to 2020.
- Local print weekday circulation fell 55% between 2015 and 2020.
- Local digital weekday circulation rose 30% in 2020 from 2019.
- Local newspaper advertising revenue was $1.068602 billion in 2020 in the SEC-filing company analysis.
- The New York Times had approximately 10.36 million subscribers at December 31, 2023, across 233 countries and territories.
- Paid digital-only New York Times subscribers totaled approximately 9.70 million at December 31, 2023.
- The New York Times averaged approximately 90 million U.S. monthly unique visitors in 2023.
- Digital advertising represented approximately 63% of The New York Times Company’s advertising revenue in 2023.
Contents
- U.S. newspaper circulation scale and print-digital trends
- Newspaper website audience statistics and engagement
- Newspaper advertising revenue and digital adoption
- Circulation revenue and newspaper economics
- Local newspaper statistics and digital transition
- New York Times subscriber and audience statistics
U.S. Newspaper Circulation Statistics: Scale and Print-Digital Trends
Pew’s AAM-only estimate shows a steady decline in estimated weekday circulation from 2016 through 2022. These are Monday-Friday averages for U.S. daily newspapers reporting to AAM, and the series excludes affiliated publications.
| Year | Estimated weekday circulation | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 34,657,199 copies | AAM-only estimate |
| 2017 | 30,948,419 copies | AAM-only estimate |
| 2018 | 28,554,137 copies | AAM-only estimate |
| 2019 | 25,952,584 copies | AAM-only estimate |
| 2020 | 24,299,333 copies | Estimate; different pandemic-period construction |
| 2021 | 22,697,243 copies | AAM-only estimate |
| 2022 | 20,943,023 copies | AAM-only estimate |
Source: Trends and Facts on Newspapers | State of the News Media. The 2020 comparison uses a different reporting-period construction than earlier years.
A separate 2022 estimate reached 42,972,898 when New York Times and Wall Street Journal subscription figures were added to the newspaper total. Pew reported that this subscription-inclusive estimate rose 12% from 2021, while the AAM-only estimate fell 8%; the measures are not directly comparable because they use different inclusion rules.
Newspaper Website Audience Statistics and Engagement Trends
The top-50 newspaper website series describes the largest U.S. newspapers by circulation, not the whole industry. Comscore measured average monthly unique visitors at 9,709,071 in Q4 2015, 11,734,536 in Q4 2016, 11,527,744 in Q4 2017, 11,600,124 in Q4 2018 and 12,149,197 in Q4 2019.
| Measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly unique visitors | Q4 2014 | 8,233,544 |
| Average monthly unique visitors | 2020 reporting period | 13,866,542 |
| Average monthly unique visitors | Q4 2022 | 8,839,848 |
| Average visit duration | Q4 2014 | 2.59 minutes |
| Average visit duration | Q4 2018 | 2.32 minutes |
| Average visit duration | 2020 reporting period | 1.82 minutes |
| Average visit duration | Q4 2022 | 1.48 minutes |
Source: Trends and Facts on Newspapers | State of the News Media. The reporting-period construction changes from 2020 onward, and many smaller newspapers are not measured.
Pew reported that average monthly unique visitors fell 20% from 2021 to 2022 for the top-50 newspaper sites. Average visit duration declined 43% from Q4 2014 to Q4 2022, from 2.59 to 1.48 minutes.
Newspaper Advertising Revenue Statistics and Digital Adoption
Pew’s estimated U.S. newspaper advertising revenue declined from $23,587,097,435 in 2013 to $9,760,830,024 in 2022. From 2013 onward, Pew extrapolated year-over-year changes from publicly traded newspaper companies, so these figures are industry estimates rather than a census of every publisher.
| Year | Estimated advertising revenue |
|---|---|
| 2013 | $23,587,097,435 |
| 2016 | $18,274,943,567 |
| 2019 | $12,864,064,241 |
| 2020 | $9,601,389,155 |
| 2021 | $10,264,430,205 |
| 2022 | $9,760,830,024 |
Source: Trends and Facts on Newspapers | State of the News Media. The 2022 estimate was down 5% from 2021.
Digital advertising became a larger share of reported newspaper-company advertising revenue over the period covered:
- Digital advertising represented 17% of advertising revenue in 2011 for publicly traded newspaper companies breaking out digital advertising.
- The share was 25% in 2015 and 35% in 2018 for that company subset.
- Digital advertising represented 39% in 2020, 45% in 2021 and 48% in 2022.
Source: Trends and Facts on Newspapers | State of the News Media. Company coverage and accounting disclosures determine the digital split, so it is not a census of all newspaper companies.
Newspaper Circulation Revenue and Industry Economics
Circulation revenue was more stable than advertising revenue in Pew’s estimated U.S. industry series. It was $10,641,662,892 in 2013, $10,910,460,499 in 2016, $11,016,643,128 in 2019, $11,053,729,516 in 2020, $11,524,949,565 in 2021 and $11,606,129,049 in 2022.
Source: Trends and Facts on Newspapers | State of the News Media. These are public-company-based industry estimates; 2020 is identified as a pandemic year.
The contrast between the two revenue streams is important when interpreting newspaper economics. Advertising estimates moved from $23,587,097,435 in 2013 to $9,760,830,024 in 2022, while circulation revenue estimates moved from $10,641,662,892 to $11,606,129,049 over the same endpoints.
Pew notes that its 2022 analysis covered four companies representing about 300 U.S. daily newspapers. That methodology means the revenue and circulation estimates should be read as labeled estimates, not as independently verified totals for every U.S. newspaper.
Local Newspaper Industry Statistics: Circulation, Revenue and Digital Transition
The local-newspaper series focuses on locally focused U.S. daily newspapers and excludes the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal from circulation analysis. USA Today remains included in Gannett’s revenue figures because Gannett does not break out brand revenue.
| Local newspaper measure | Period or comparison | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Combined print and digital weekday circulation | 2020 | 8.3 million copies |
| Combined print and digital Sunday circulation | 2020 | 15.4 million copies |
| Local weekday circulation | 2015-2020 | Down 40% |
| Local Sunday circulation | 2015-2020 | Down 45% |
| Local print weekday circulation | 2015-2020 | Down 55% |
| Local print Sunday circulation | 2015-2020 | Down 54% |
| Local digital weekday circulation | 2020 versus 2019 | Up 30% |
| Local digital Sunday circulation | 2020 versus 2019 | Up 29% |
Source: Local Newspapers Fact Sheet. The AAM-based local series is not comparable to Pew’s adjusted overall-industry estimates, and digital circulation includes replica and non-replica circulation.
The local-newspaper SEC-filing company analysis reported $1.068602 billion in local newspaper advertising revenue and $1.114547 billion in local newspaper circulation revenue in 2020. Digital advertising accounted for 35% of local newspaper advertising revenue that year among publicly traded companies that break out digital advertising.
New York Times Subscriber Statistics and Print-Digital Mix
The New York Times Company illustrates why company-level figures need a precise definition. Its reported subscriber total covers a multi-product company, while its digital audience and advertising figures include products beyond the print newspaper.
At December 31, 2023, the company reported approximately 10.36 million subscribers across 233 countries and territories. Approximately 9.70 million were paid digital-only subscribers, including one or more News, Athletic, Cooking, Games or Wirecutter products.
The company reported that international subscribers represented approximately 21% of paid digital-only subscribers at that date. Group corporate and group education subscriptions represented approximately 6% of total paid digital subscribers; the company estimates those group counts from contract value and discounted rates.
| New York Times measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Total subscribers | December 31, 2023 | Approximately 10.36 million |
| Paid digital-only subscribers | December 31, 2023 | Approximately 9.70 million |
| U.S. monthly unique visitors | 2023 | Approximately 90 million |
| Global monthly unique visitors | 2023 | Approximately 131 million |
| Weekday print circulation | 2023 | Approximately 279,000 copies |
| Sunday print circulation | 2023 | Approximately 677,000 copies |
Source: The New York Times Company 2023 Annual Report. The U.S. audience measure is Comscore for desktop/laptop and mobile audiences; the global figure includes the U.S. and is based on internal data estimates.
Print circulation includes paid and qualified circulation under AAM guidance.
Digital advertising represented approximately 63% of The New York Times Company’s advertising revenue in 2023, compared with approximately 37% for print advertising. Those company-wide percentages include digital products beyond the print newspaper, and print advertising includes column-inch, classified and preprinted advertising.