YouTube Money Calculator
Estimate how much a YouTube channel earns from views, niche, RPM, and upload cadence. Realistic numbers based on 2026 CPM data across 15 niches.
Estimated earnings
Per video (ads only)
$924
Monthly (ads only)
$7,392
Yearly (ads only)
$88,704
Effective RPM
$15.40
Estimates only. Actual earnings vary by audience geography, watch time, ad fill rate, and seasonal advertiser demand. Add 2-5x for sponsorships once your channel hits 10K+ subs.
The math behind this calculator
- • CPM = what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions.
- • RPM = what creators earn per 1,000 views (typically 45-55% of CPM after YouTube's 45% cut).
- • Monetized views = total views × % of views that show ads.
- • Monthly revenue = (monetized views ÷ 1,000) × RPM × videos/month.
How much do YouTubers actually make?
The honest answer: most YouTubers make very little. The top 3% of channels earn the majority of ad revenue, and the median channel under 100K subscribers earns under $50/ month from ads alone. That said, ad revenue is only one of five income streams — the larger creators make most of their money from sponsorships (typically $20-50 per 1,000 views), memberships, merch, and lead-gen affiliate links.
CPM by niche (2026 averages)
| Niche | CPM | Est. RPM |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | $18-55 | $10-30 |
| Finance & Investing | $14-45 | $8-25 |
| Real Estate | $12-38 | $7-21 |
| B2B / SaaS | $12-40 | $7-22 |
| Personal Finance | $10-35 | $6-19 |
| Tech & Software | $8-28 | $4-15 |
| Health & Fitness | $4-18 | $2-10 |
| Education | $4-16 | $2-9 |
| Beauty & Makeup | $3-15 | $2-8 |
| Gaming | $2-12 | $1-7 |
| Travel | $2-10 | $1-6 |
| Food & Cooking | $2-10 | $1-6 |
| Entertainment & Vlogs | $1-8 | $0.5-4 |
| Music | $1-6 | $0.5-3 |
| Comedy & Memes | $0.5-4 | $0.3-2 |
How to maximize YouTube earnings
- Target high-CPM niches (finance, insurance, B2B).
- Audience in the US, UK, Canada, Australia = 3-5x higher CPM than global average.
- Make 8-10+ minute videos to unlock mid-roll ads (typically 1 ad per 8 minutes).
- Hit 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours to enable monetization.
- Diversify income: ads + sponsorships + affiliate + products.