How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views in 2026?
YouTube pays creators between $1 and $8 per 1,000 monetized long-form views in 2026, with a global median around $3.50. Finance and B2B channels routinely see $15–$40 RPM, while gaming and vlog channels sit closer to $1–$3. Shorts pay dramatically less — roughly $0.03–$0.10 per 1,000 views from the shared Shorts pool.
YouTube RPM by content type (2026 medians)
| Content type | RPM range | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Long-form ads (all niches) | $1.00–$8.00 | $3.50 median |
| Long-form — finance / B2B | $12–$40 | $18 median |
| Long-form — tech / SaaS | $6–$18 | $9 median |
| Long-form — gaming | $0.80–$3.50 | $1.80 median |
| Shorts (pool payout) | $0.03–$0.10 | per 1,000 views |
How to read this table
- Long-form — finance / B2B sits at the top of the table ($12–$40) — $18 median. If your situation looks like this row, plan against the upper half of the range rather than the midpoint.
- Shorts (pool payout) anchors the bottom ($0.03–$0.10) — per 1,000 views. Treat this as the conservative case you should still be profitable at.
- The gap between the top and bottom row is roughly 1333×. That spread is why a single blended average is close to useless here — pick the row that matches your setup instead of averaging the column.
- Most rows are ranges, not single figures. The low end usually reflects a weaker month, a softer audience geography, or an unoptimised setup; the high end reflects a well-run, well-targeted operation of the same size.
- With 5 reference points in the "youtube rpm by content type (2026 medians)" table, the fastest way to use this page is to find the closest row, take its rpm range, then stress-test it ±30% before you build a plan on it.
Context
RPM (revenue per 1,000 views) is the number that actually hits your account after YouTube's 45% cut and after non-monetized views are stripped out. It's not the same as CPM, which is what advertisers pay before YouTube's cut and before demonetization filters. Two channels with the same views can see 10× different RPMs based on niche, audience geography, and long-form vs. Shorts mix.
What moves this number
Audience geography
US, UK, Canada, and Australia viewers monetise several times higher than most of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A channel with 70% US audience and one with 70% India audience can post identical view counts and see a 5–10× revenue gap.
Niche and advertiser demand
Finance, B2B software, insurance, and legal topics attract advertisers with real customer value, so they bid more per impression. Gaming, reaction, and general vlog content compete for cheaper inventory.
Format mix
Long-form ad revenue and Shorts pool payouts are not comparable. Shifting views toward Shorts almost always lowers blended RPM even while total views rise.
Watch time and ad load
Videos over eight minutes can carry mid-roll ads, which is the single biggest controllable lever on revenue per view.
Seasonality
Advertiser budgets peak in Q4 and reset hard in January. Same views, up to 40% swing in payout between December and January.
Methodology
Ranges are compiled from public creator disclosures, YouTube Partner Program docs, and aggregated anonymous submissions to the RevenueLab YouTube Revenue Calculator (N > 800 as of July 2026). Medians reflect long-form ad revenue only — Shorts, memberships, and Super Chat are broken out separately.
Assumptions and caveats
- Figures are pre-tax and reflect the creator's share after YouTube's revenue split.
- Only monetized views earn — the monetized share is typically 55–75% of total views.
- This page was last reviewed on 2026-07-10. Ranges are updated as new data lands, so re-check before using them in a contract or a plan.
- Use these numbers as a starting range, not a guarantee — your own historical data always beats a benchmark.
Frequently asked questions
How much does YouTube pay per 1,000 views in 2026?
YouTube pays creators between $1 and $8 per 1,000 monetized long-form views in 2026, with a global median around $3.50. Finance and B2B channels routinely see $15–$40 RPM, while gaming and vlog channels sit closer to $1–$3. Shorts pay dramatically less — roughly $0.03–$0.10 per 1,000 views from the shared Shorts pool.
Which option pays the most in the youtube rpm by content type (2026 medians) table?
Long-form — finance / B2B, at $12–$40 ($18 median). That row represents the strongest case in this dataset, so use it as an upper bound rather than an expectation.
What is a realistic low-end figure?
Shorts (pool payout) at $0.03–$0.10 (per 1,000 views). Plan your costs so the low end still works, then treat anything above it as upside.
Why do the numbers vary so much?
The spread between the highest and lowest row is about 1333×. Audience geography and niche and advertiser demand explain most of that gap — see the drivers section above for the full list.
Where do these numbers come from?
Ranges are compiled from public creator disclosures, YouTube Partner Program docs, and aggregated anonymous submissions to the RevenueLab YouTube Revenue Calculator (N > 800 as of July 2026). Medians reflect long-form ad revenue only — Shorts, memberships, and Super Chat are broken out separately.
How can I estimate my own number instead of using a benchmark?
Use the YouTube Revenue Calculator on RevenueLab — it takes your own inputs and returns a figure specific to your setup, which is always more accurate than a published range.
Model your own numbers
Related reading
More answers in this category
- How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
- Do YouTube Shorts pay less than long-form videos?
- How many YouTube subscribers do you need to make $1,000 per month?
- What is a good YouTube RPM in 2026?
Last updated 2026-07-10.