How Much Money Do Youtubers Make With 1 Million Subscribers

Average Salary Of A YouTuber With 1 Million Subscribers

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If you're considering a career as a YouTuber and want to know how many subscribers you need to make a living, welcome! While we can't explore channels of all sizes, we can start by looking at the average salary of a Youtuber with 1 million subscribers.

Let's get straight to it.

There are two answers to the questions "what is the average salary of a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers?" There is a simple answer, and then there is a more accurate long-winded and unsatisfying answer.

Let's start with the simple answer…

The Average Salary Of A YouTuber – The Simple Answer

The average cost per thousand views (CPM) for advertisers is $2.00. This means, an advertiser must pay $2,000 ($2.00 x 1,000) to reach 1 million viewers. Now YouTube takes 45% of this revenue, so this leaves the YouTuber with $1,100.

Let's say that all of this YouTuber's subscribers watched their video (and no one else did) and that they had 1 ad per video. Now let's say they uploaded an average of 1 video per week.

This would leave the YouTuber with a salary of $57,200 per year.

The simple answer is: the average salary of a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers is $57,200 per year.

The Average Salary Of A YouTuber – The Reality

The above is an oversimplification. There are a lot of averages being used, a whole lot of assumptions being made, and many factors being ignored. Basically – the above answer is incorrect.

I know you wanted it to be simple. You want to be able to set a goal and work toward that subscriber number, so you too can earn that much. But if this is important to you – I suggest looking on a job board for an actual salaried career, because there will never be a set monetary value associated with this job.

Let's Start With My First Mis-assumption

The amount a single YouTuber earns for 1,000 views won't actually be $2.00. The average cost per thousand views varies massively. Advertisers' bids for ad views change constantly (literally every second, the amount they will pay changes). It also varies by country, by topic, by the time of year, by audience age, by audience income, by demand, and even by YouTuber.

So, there is just no way to tell how much a single YouTuber is earning for 1,000 video views. Not even for a single video with a set audience, let alone across a whole year of videos.

Now To Mention Some Of The Costs I Didn't Take Into Account

YouTube indeed takes 45% of the advertisers spend, but there is more to it than that. Many YouTubers, especially larger ones (like those with 1 million+ subscribers), will be a part of an agency. Or they might be signed up to a multi-channel network. This means there are more people taking a cut of their ad spend. But it also means they may be working with higher revenue advertisers.

You can see how this complicates things.

You also have to consider all of the costs involved in a YouTuber's job. There are taxes, equipment, and sometimes editors to pay. YouTubers with 1 million-plus subscribers need to spend significant amounts of time and money on maintaining the quality of their videos, as well as social media and their website.

Let's Take Another Look At Those Viewer Counts…

Subscribers are not a measure of viewers. And viewers matter, a lot. It is the number of viewers an ad gets that determines how much AdSense money a YouTuber is paid. Frankly, advertisers don't care if the YouTuber has 1 million subscribers or 2. They just want their ad seen by the right viewers.

So, if a Youtuber with 1 million subscribers only gets 10% of them to view their content, they could earn significantly less than a YouTuber with half a million subscribers who has 50% of their subscribers watching their content.

Not only that but the type of viewing matters too. If that large YouTuber has a large subscriber base of Adblock users or a lot of people who never click on ads, they won't earn as much.

A YouTuber's salary is impacted less by their 1 million subscribers, and far more by the size and quality of their viewers.

Finally, Let's Consider A Few Odd Factors

Let's start with demonetisation.

Not all content is monetised. YouTubers can choose not to have ads put against their videos, and more commonly, videos' can be demonetised. This is a particularly common problem for YouTubers who create content in specific niches, such as news or on controversial topics. This demonetisation can have a massive impact on the income of any given YouTuber, especially if their only income source is AdSense.

Speaking of income sources. There are more than revenue options than just AdSense. Some YouTubers work with brands on campaigns, sponsorships, or features. Some will source their own pre and midrolls. These brand collaborations can have a massive impact on a YouTuber's salary, often amounting to even more than their AdSense revenue. And since the price of sponsorships is not public knowledge, this makes it almost impossible to know the average salary of a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers.

It could also be worth noting here that not all sponsorships and brand collaborations are paid. Some come in the form of free goods or services. So, depending on your perspective, you may or may not want to consider this as a part of their salary.

Finally, There Is Another Important Point To Make!

YouTuber's upload schedules differ. So even a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers is going to have minimal salary if they aren't uploading consistently. And of course, in contrast, YouTubers who upload multiple videos a week are going to earn much more.

So as you can see, it's not that simple. The above and a whole heap of outside factors impact YouTuber's salaries. There is no known average salary of a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers, and unless we get complete transparency from YouTuber's income sources, there never will be.

Author Amy Baker

Digital Marketer And Creator Of Content Career.