Guide · Updated 2026-09-01
YouTube RPM by niche
Creator-reported long-form YouTube RPM ranges by niche, plus why geography and Shorts mix move the number more than your upload schedule does.
YouTube does not publish RPM by category. The ranges below are planning bands compiled from creator-reported Studio figures. They describe long-form take-home RPM, not advertiser CPM, and not Shorts.
| Niche | Low | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance and legal | $10 | $18 | $32 |
| Finance and investing | $8 | $16 | $30 |
| Business and marketing | $6 | $12 | $22 |
| Tech and software | $4 | $9 | $16 |
| Health and fitness | $3 | $7 | $14 |
| Education and how-to | $3 | $6.50 | $12 |
| Home, food, and DIY | $2.50 | $5 | $10 |
| Beauty and fashion | $2.50 | $5 | $9 |
| Travel | $2 | $4.50 | $9 |
| Gaming | $1 | $3 | $5 |
| Entertainment | $1 | $2.50 | $5 |
| Lifestyle and vlog | $1 | $2.20 | $4.50 |
| Music | $0.80 | $1.80 | $3.50 |
| Kids and family | $0.40 | $1.20 | $2.50 |
Why each row is a range
A US-heavy finance audience can beat $30. A global gaming audience can sit under $1. Treat the whole band as the estimate. A single figure like $4.17 is not an official YouTube RPM.
Audience country mix changes RPM
Advertisers bid in markets where they can spend and measure. The same video about index funds pays differently when most viewers are in the United States versus when most viewers are in markets with cheap ads and weak advertiser demand. Our YouTube calculator applies a geography factor on top of the niche mid point unless you paste your own Studio RPM.
Made-for-kids ads have fewer buyers
Made-for-kids inventory has fewer ad types, so the auction is smaller. That is why the row is low. Video quality has nothing to do with it, and chasing a finance RPM on a preschool channel will not change it.
Paste your last-28-days Studio RPM into the YouTube calculator if you already have it. The table is for people who do not.
Questions
Which YouTube niche pays the most?
Finance, insurance, and legal usually sit at the top because advertisers bid for expensive conversions. Kids, music, and a lot of entertainment sit at the bottom.
Why is my RPM below my niche range?
Check country mix and Shorts share first. A finance channel with mostly non-US viewers, or a channel whose views are 70% Shorts, will not look like the long-form US row in this table.
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