YouTube is a lucrative platform for both marketers and content creators. YouTube had 1.7 billion unique monthly visitors and 14.3 billion visits per month in 2022 — more than Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, or Wikipedia — making it an advertiser’s nirvana. Talented influencers flock to YouTube to create video channels, and many earn around $60,000 per year on the platform from advertisers. However, they need at least 4,000 hours of unique content and at least 1,000 subscribers to do so.
Here’s a closer look at the average payouts for YouTubers and the heftier payouts for celebrity influencers with outstanding content.
How Much Do YouTubers Make on Average in 2023?
The salary and career website ZipRecruiter reports that the average YouTuber made around $66,000 per year as of May 2023. That’s competitive pay for an entry-level salary. The highest salaries for YouTubers are around $80,000, while the lowest are around $53,500. Interestingly, the range between higher- and lower-paid YouTubers is only around $8,500, implying that experience does not lead to significant advancement.
ZipRecruiter also finds 10 cities where the typical salary for a YouTube Channel job is above the national average, and they are all in California. The leading city is Sunnyvale, where salaries are almost 30% higher than average, followed by Livermore and Vacaville. Although YouTube salaries are higher in California, the cost of living is also high, which might cancel out any salary gains.
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Top 10 YouTubers for 2022
The following is a list of the 10 most-subscribed YouTubers along with a brief overview of the reasons for their online appeal. The data were sourced from Search Engine Journal, an online news source for the SEO and marketing community.
1. MrBeast
Subscribers: 116 million; Views: 19,263,779,296
MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, is a young YouTuber and philanthropist originally from Greenville, North Carolina. He began posting videos in 2013, when he was just 13 years old. He went viral in 2017 with his “counting to 100,000” video. His videos include survival challenges, vlogs, and philanthropic content. Other than the MrBeast channel, Donaldson also runs Beast Reacts, MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2, and a philanthropy channel called Beast Philanthropy. Donaldson was recently named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
2. PewDiePie
Subscribers: 111 million; Views: 28,783,562,329
PewDiePie, or Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is a Swedish gaming YouTuber. He registered his channel “PewDiePie” in 2010 and primarily posted videos of himself playing horror and action video games. His channel was one of the fastest-growing channels in 2012 and 2013, and it soon diversified to include vlogs, comedy, shows, music videos, and fundraising. Some of Kiellberg’s content became controversial, and after 2019, Kjellberg semi-retired and uploaded less consistently. In 2016, he was named one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine.
3. Like Nastya
Subscribers: 102 million; Views: 85,894,111,041
Anastasia Sergeyevna Radzinskaya, or Like Nastya, is a Russian-American YouTuber born in 2014. Her content targets a young audience and features children’s songs, educational entertainment, unboxings (opening parcels containing toys), vlogging, and role play. Nastya’s content is dubbed into multiple languages, including German, Arabic, Bangla, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indonesian. According to Techie and Gamers, a tech media site, she has an estimated annual income of $20 million.
4. Justin Bieber
Subscribers: 70.7 million; Views: 29,324,935,875
Justin Bieber is known, first and foremost, as a Canadian musician. His original YouTube channel was called Kidrauhl — so named because his father called himself “Lordrauhl.” Bieber posted videos of his songs on Kidrauhl and became famous through the platform. Bieber’s channel Kidrauhl was renamed “Justin Bieber” in 2017.
5. Marshmello
Subscribers: 56.1 million; Views: 13,873,454,613
Marshmello’s real name is Christopher Comstock. He is an American musician, DJ, and producer of electronic music. In 2015, Marshmello began publishing remixes online. “Alone” was his first single to be certified platinum in the United States and Canada. He has collaborated with other musicians, such as American R&B singer Khalid, American singer Selena Gomez, and American rapper Juice Wrld. Marshmello’s trademark image is a custom white helmet, resembling a marshmallow. He kept his identity a secret until Forbes confirmed his real name in 2017.
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6. EminemMusic
Subscribers: 54.4 million; Views: 24,883,449,535
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and record producer. His debut album, “Infinite,” was released in 1996. Rolling Stone has included him in its lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. In November 2022, Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His YouTube channel features his music videos and is called EminemMusic.
7. Ed Sheeran
Subscribers: 52.7 million; Views: 28,695,696,678
Edward Christopher Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and actor who began writing songs when he was eleven years old. Sheeran’s first hit single was “The A Team” from his debut album, “Plus.” Sheeran’s second album, “Multiply,” topped charts worldwide in 2014. Sheeran is one of the world’s best-selling musicians and was the most followed artist on Spotify in 2022. In December 2019, the Official Charts Company named him artist of the decade.
8. Ariana Grande
Subscribers: 52.1 million; Views: 22,802,079,830
Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who is noted for her vocal range. She has two Grammy Awards, one Brit Award, one Bambi Award, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 30 Guinness World Records. Grande is the most streamed female artist of all time and the most subscribed female solo artist on YouTube. Rolling Stone placed her in their list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023). Grande advocates for animal rights, mental health, and gender, racial, and LGBT equality.
9. Taylor Swift
Subscribers: 50.4 million; Views: 27,275,211,507
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, but moved to Nashville at age 14. Her 2006 debut album “Taylor Swift” made her the first female country artist to write a U.S. platinum-certified debut album. Swift is one of the best-selling musicians in history and the only person to have five albums open with over one million copies sold in the United States. Swift has been named in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. She has also been named Artist of the Decade and Woman of the Decade and is an advocate for artists’ rights and women’s empowerment.
10. JuegaGerman
Subscribers: 46.8 million; Views: 14,016,556,814
Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis is a Chilean YouTuber, singer-songwriter, comedian, and writer. His YouTube channel HolaSoyGerman features humorous videos about everyday situations. He has another YouTube gaming channel called JuegaGerman, which is the second-most subscribed channel in the Spanish language. He has a vibrant musical career and has released two books. German was listed as one of the biggest YouTube stars by The Washington Post and one of the most influential people in Time magazine.
How Much Money Does a YouTuber Make Per View?
YouTubers make money from advertisers who place ads with their videos. YouTubers are paid based on how many of their viewers watch the ads that accompany their content. Even if a video gets thousands of views, if no one watches or clicks on the ads, the YouTuber won’t make any money. For a YouTuber to be compensated, a viewer must either click an ad or watch the video ad in full. According to data from Influencer Marketing Hub, the average YouTube channel receives around $0.018 per view.
How Much Do YouTubers Make Per 1,000 Views?
A YouTuber earns roughly $18 per 1,000 ad views. YouTuber earnings vary depending on whether a video is short or long-form. YouTubers’ reported income per 1,000 views range between $1.61 and $29.30 for long-form videos. For short-form videos, the payouts were between $0.04 to $0.06 per 1,000 views.
How Much Does a YouTuber Make With 1 Million Subscribers?
The money made on YouTube may not be consistent, particularly for creators who don’t upload new content regularly to ensure a growing following. One YouTuber with 1 million subscribers made between $14,600 and $54,600 per month.
How Much Ad Revenue Does YouTube Pay Content Creators?
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, creators earn about 55% of the revenue on their channels — for every $100 an advertiser pays, Google pays $55 to the creator. It’s unlikely that a creator will make much money until there is significant traffic to the site and viewers click on ads.
There are some ads that pay per thousand views, but for the view to be counted for payment, a viewer must watch an ad for at least 30 seconds (or half the ad for a very short video). If viewers do click on or view ads for long enough to earn income, the creator shares any advertising revenue with YouTube. Creators only get paid once their AdSense account reaches $100.
The Takeaway
With 1.7 billion unique monthly visitors and 14.3 billion visits per month, YouTube is a go-to platform for entertainment, education, and marketing. Many YouTubers and celebrities reap millions from ad revenue by posting music videos, gaming videos, entertainment, and educational content. However, for the less famous, it is possible to earn $60,000 to $80,000 a year, which is a competitive salary. YouTubers need traction and a significant following. Pay-outs are typically based on ad views and are made through Google Adsense.
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FAQ
How much does a YouTuber make a year?
ZipRecruiter reports that the average YouTuber makes around $66,000 per year as of May 2023. The highest salaries are around $80,000, while the lowest are around $53,500.
How much does a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers make?
One YouTuber with about 1 million subscribers made between $14,600 and $54,600 per month. However, the money made on YouTube may not be consistent, particularly for creators who don’t upload new content regularly to ensure a growing following.
Do YouTubers get paid monthly?
YouTube uses an algorithm created in AdSense to decide when and how much to pay content creators. AdSense is a separate entity owned by Google. Vloggers that gain enough traction to warrant earnings are paid monthly via direct deposit.
Photo credit: iStock/Youngoldman
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