Money / Entrepreneur

How Much Money Do YouTubers Make?

August 1, 2023

8 min Read

Written by Cynthia Bowman

Edited by Elizabeth Constantineau

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The popularity of YouTube has exploded since it first launched in 2005. With more than 1.7 billion unique visitors a month, YouTube itself is hugely successful, but the site has also served as a platform for a series of internet celebrities to find fame and fortune.

These YouTube stars have huge fan bases and their videos rack up millions and even billions of views, bringing in impressive revenue from advertising, endorsements and other business ventures.

So just how much do YouTubers make? Check out some of the top YouTube earners, according to Forbes, and ways you can cash in on social media.

How Much Money Do You Make on YouTube?

The income of YouTubers varies greatly. On average, YouTube’s monetization system can yield between $0.10 to $5.00 per 1,000 views. How much money you make on YouTube depends on your niche, audience and how many subscribers you have.

You can start side hustling with the YouTube Partner Program, but you’ll need to meet minimum requirements first. To get accepted to the program, you’ll need:

At least 1,000 subscribers
A minimum of 4,000 hours of your content watched in the last 12 months
A linked Google AdSense account for payment
To follow and agree to the YouTube channel monetization policies

How Much Money Does a YouTuber Make Per Hour?

Breaking it down to earnings per hour is hard. It all depends on how long it takes you to produce content and build an audience. It may take you months to make a living hourly wage when you’re just getting started. But as your audience grows and your YouTube production expertise gets better, you could conceivably start making YouTube star income. However, it’s easier to look at income by subscribers and views.

How Much Do YouTubers Make Per 1,000 Views?

There is no exact formula for how much you can make when you have a successful YouTube channel, but there is a way to measure earnings per view.

According to data from Influencer Marketing Hub, the actual rates an advertiser pays YouTubers are between $0.10 and $0.30 per view, with an average of $0.18 per view. On average, a YouTube channel receives $18 per 1,000 ad views, which equals $3-$5 per 1,000 video views. If you receive 1,000 views per day, you could potentially earn $90-$150 per month.

How Much Do YouTubers Make Per 100,000 Views?

If you can grow your subscriber base to a significant number to hit at least 100,000 views, and you are able to make $3-$5 per 1,000 views, that equals $300-$500 per 100,000 views. If your video gets 100,000 views per day, that’s $9,000 to $15,000 per month.

How Much Money Do You Make on YouTube Per One Million Views?

Again, considering the average revenue of $3-$5 per 1,000 views, you would earn $3,000-$5,000 with 1 million views. At 1 million views per day, your monthly income would be a whopping $90,000-$150,000 per month. And while it seems absolutely impossible to earn that level of income in 30 days, it’s not for some.

The biggest YouTube Stars easily hit 1 million views per video and often much, much more. For example, a video from top YouTube earner Mr. Beast, “I Survived a Plane Crash,” was viewed over 64 million times in just two months.

How Much Do YouTubers Make When They Hit Big?

Did you know that Justin Bieber’s rise to fame started on YouTube? His videos performing music as a kid went viral and catapulted him into legitimate musician status. And according to Influencer Marketing Hub, the pop singer made a jaw-dropping $226 million on the platform last year. Bieber aside, how much money do YouTubers make?

Take a look at the trajectory of some of the highest-paid YouTubers right now for inspiration. You’ll find that they are regular people, even some kids, who managed to grow a following that makes them millions of dollars today. Here are ideas on how to make money on YouTube from the stars that do it best.

Mr. Beast

Estimated net worth: $54 million a year

With a whopping 130 million subscribers, Jimmy Donaldson — aka Mr. Beast — tops the list of highest-paid YouTubers. His videos cost $10,000 to produce, according to Rolling Stone magazine, and include challenges such as “Would You Swim With Sharks for $100,000?” and “Extreme $500,000 Game of Tag.” But that’s not the only way Donaldson makes his millions. He also owns MrBeast Burger, which is a ghost-kitchen concept that operates out of existing restaurants; Feastables, his own line of 100% plant-based chocolate bars; and he sells an estimated $500,000 per month in Mr. Beast merch.

Jake Paul

Estimated net worth: $45 million

Jake Paul got his start on the Vine video-streaming platform. Not only is he a YouTuber with 20.3 million subscribers, but he’s also a professional boxer and rapper. More recently, began a training regiment in jiu-jitsu and inked a deal with the Professional Fighters League. His YouTube videos consist mostly of music videos, vlogs and other footage. He may be well-known for his social media presence, once the founder and member of the Team 10 content house, but his boxing and recent controversies have also given Paul more popularity.

Markiplier

Estimated net worth: $38 million a year

Mark Fischback — also known as Markiplier — has been at the YouTube earnings game for about a decade. He only has about one-third the amount of Mr. Beast’s subscribers at 34 million, but he still pulls in a hefty sum each year. His videos largely focus on making humorous comments as he shows off his video-gaming skills. Markiplier said in a recent interview with YouTuber Anthony Padilla that the amount of wealth one can make on YouTube is “unfair” and that he’s given a lot of his wealth to charity.

Rhett & Link

Estimated net worth: $30 million

Rhett & Link are lifelong friends and the hosts of the Good Mythical Morning show on YouTube, as well as other comedic videos. Known for infusing comedy that’s also meant to be entertaining and informative, which they have dubbed “Internetainers,” they currently have about 5 million subscribers.

Unspeakable

Estimated net worth: $28.5 million

Unspeakable was first known as UnspeakableGaming in his early days on YouTube. He first gained popularity for his series of videos on Minecraft, in particular, “Minecraft Survival Island.” Currently, his channel includes funny challenge videos, one of which includes the time he filled his house full of packing peanuts, and collaborations with other YouTubers. His reach has spread across other endeavors as well, selling his own merchandise and creating an app called Chasecraft, a running game inspired by and for lovers of Minecraft. He has 15.5 million subscribers on YouTube.

Like Nastya

Estimated earnings: $28 million a year

The Like Nastya channel tops the list of the most-viewed YouTube channels ever. Nastya’s loyal, 105 million subscribers tune in regularly to watch the child star learn new things, study math or read a book with her dad, attend her friend’s birthday parties, play dress up and more. In addition to her YouTube fame, Nastya recently signed a deal to create branded merchandise such as clothing, toys and homeware — plus, an NFT collection.

How Do YouTubers Get Paid?

As you can see from the biggest YouTube stars, how to make money on YouTube is more than getting views. You’ll also need to go after a few different income streams. There are a few ways to make money on YouTube. The savviest stars take advantage of all of them, including:

Sponsorships and collaborations with brands promoting their products.
Affiliate sales in which you get a commission if your audience buys a product or service you recommend.
Selling your products and merchandise.
Using the channel to promote your other projects.

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FAQ

Here are some of the frequently asked questions regarding YouTubers' earnings.

How much does a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers make in a year?
- It's important to understand that YouTube doesn't pay YouTubers per subscriber; instead, it pays per view. However, subscribers are needed for views. Intuit Mintlife estimates that the average income for a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers is around $60,000 annually.
Do YouTubers get paid monthly?
- Yes, earnings from the previous month are added to the YouTuber's AdSense account balance between the 7th and the 12th of the current month. Then, if the YouTuber's account balance has met the required threshold and there are no payment holds, the earnings are paid to the YouTuber by the 21st to 26th of the month.

Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of April 27, 2023.

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