Methodology

Data last updated: September 2026

1. The formula
2. Sources
3. Changelog
4. What the model leaves out
5. About the author
6. The data behind the numbers

The formula

For long-form videos, RPM (what you earn per 1,000 views) is:

RPM = niche CPM × country multiplier × monetized view rate × creator share × mid-roll boost

The low estimate uses the niche's low CPM with the low monetized view rate. The high estimate uses the high CPM with the high rate. The mid-roll boost applies only to videos of 8 minutes or longer; for shorter videos it is 1.

Shorts are paid from a pooled Creator Pool rather than per-video CPM, so they use a flat rate that is already the creator's share. Niche is not used:

Shorts RPM = Shorts base RPM × country multiplier

Earnings then follow from your views:

Monthly = monthly views ÷ 1,000 × RPM × seasonal multiplier
Yearly = monthly views ÷ 1,000 × RPM × sum of the 12 monthly multipliers (12.12)
Views needed = monthly income goal ÷ RPM × 1,000

The seasonal multiplier is 1 unless you tick “Adjust for seasonal CPM”. The yearly figure always uses all 12 months, so it doesn't change with the month you pick.

Assumptions

• YouTube's share of long-form ad revenue: YouTube keeps 45% of long-form watch-page ad revenue.
• Creator's share: Creators receive the remaining 55%.
• Views that show an ad: Not every view serves an ad. Ad blockers, unsold ad space and videos that aren't advertiser-friendly all reduce it.
• Mid-roll boost (8+ minute videos): Videos of 8 minutes or longer can carry mid-roll ads, so one view can serve several ads.
• Mid-roll boost by exact length: Our own estimate, used only when you enter an exact length. More minutes allow more ad breaks, but viewers drop off, so the uplift rises in a straight line and stops growing at 40 minutes.
• Shorts base RPM, per 1,000 views (US): Shorts are paid from a pooled Creator Pool, so this is already the creator's share.

Seasonal multipliers

Advertiser demand by month, relative to an average month:

Currency conversion

All data on this site is in US dollars. On pages in other languages, calculator results are converted into the local currency at these fixed rates, taken on September 17, 2026:

We update the rates together with the data. Your real payout depends on the exchange rate on the day you're paid.

Worked example

A technology channel with 100,000 monthly views, mostly US viewers, and videos of 8 minutes or longer. These are the exact steps the calculator runs, with no month selected:

1. Advertiser CPM for your niche. CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions — not what you receive. Technology content typically commands $8.00 to $22.00 because of how valuable that audience is to advertisers.
   Technology: $8.00 – $22.00 CPM → $8.00 – $22.00
   Source: Aggregated niche CPM reporting, 2025-2026
2. Country adjustment. Advertisers pay far more to reach some audiences than others. United States is weighted at 1.00× the United States, which is our 1.00 baseline.
   $8.00 – $22.00 × 1.00 → $8.00 – $22.00
   Source: Aggregated geographic CPM indices, 2025-2026
3. Monetized views only. Not every view serves an ad. Ad blockers, unsold inventory, and videos flagged as not advertiser-friendly all cut into it. We assume 40% to 60% of your views actually earn.
   $8.00 – $22.00 × 40% to 60% → $3.20 – $13.20
   Source: Aggregated niche CPM reporting, 2025-2026
4. Your share of the ad revenue. YouTube keeps 45% of long-form watch-page ad revenue and pays you the remaining 55%.
   $3.20 – $13.20 × 55% → $1.76 – $7.26
   Source: YouTube partner earnings overview
5. Mid-roll ads (8+ minute videos). Videos of 8 minutes or longer can carry mid-roll ads, so a single view can serve several impressions instead of one. That lifts effective revenue by roughly 1.5×.
   $1.76 – $7.26 × 1.5 → $2.64 – $10.89
   Source: Aggregated niche CPM reporting, 2025-2026
6. Your RPM. RPM is what you actually earn per 1,000 total views — the number that matters. This is the figure to compare against your own YouTube Studio analytics.
   result of the steps above → $2.64 – $10.89
7. Seasonal adjustment. No specific month selected, so this is a season-neutral annual average. Pick a month to see the Q4 peak or the January dip.
   no multiplier applied → $2.64 – $10.89
   Source: Quarterly advertiser demand cycle
8. Monthly earnings. At 100,000 views a month, that is 100 blocks of 1,000 views.
   100 × $2.64 – $10.89 → $264.00 – $1,089.00
9. Yearly earnings. Assuming you hold 100,000 views every month, we run all 12 months through their own seasonal multiplier and add them up — rather than multiplying a single month by 12, which would over- or under-state the year depending on which month you picked. The 12 multipliers average 1.01×.
   100 × $2.64 – $10.89 × 12.12 → $3,199.68 – $13,198.68
   Source: Quarterly advertiser demand cycle

Result: $264 – $1,089 a month, $3,200 – $13,199 a year.

Sources

Each input is tied to one of the sources below. Where a source has no link, the figure is an aggregate of published estimates rather than a single report.

• YouTube partner earnings overview — YouTube Help (Google)
  Used for: YouTube's 45% and the creator's 55% share of long-form ad revenue
  View source
• YouTube Shorts monetization policies — YouTube Help (Google)
  Used for: The Shorts RPM range
  View source
  TODO: link the exact page for this figure, then set "verified": true in src/data/rates.json
• YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility — YouTube Help (Google)
  Used for: The Partner Program eligibility requirements quoted in the guide
  View source
• Overview of the expanded YouTube Partner Program — YouTube Help (Google)
  Used for: The lower Partner Program tier for memberships and Super Thanks, quoted in the guide
  View source
• Aggregated niche CPM reporting, 2025-2026 — Industry surveys and creator-reported AdSense figures
  Used for: Niche CPM ranges, the monetized view rate and the mid-roll boost
  TODO: add the source URL in src/data/rates.json
• Aggregated geographic CPM indices, 2025-2026 — Industry surveys and creator-reported AdSense figures
  Used for: Country multipliers
  TODO: add the source URL in src/data/rates.json
• Quarterly advertiser demand cycle — Aggregated ad-spend reporting
  Used for: Monthly seasonal multipliers
  TODO: add the source URL in src/data/rates.json
• Daily reference exchange rates (USD base) — ExchangeRate-API, open access endpoint
  Used for: Converting results into local currencies
  View source

Changelog

Every change to the data behind the calculator, newest first.

• September 17, 2026 — Added an optional exact video length. When one is entered, the mid-roll boost rises from 1.5× at 8 minutes to 2.5× at 40 minutes or more.
• September 17, 2026 — Added fixed exchange rates for 8 currencies, so results on translated pages show local currency.
• September 15, 2026 — First release of the data: CPM ranges for 20 niches, multipliers for 53 countries, YouTube's revenue split, the share of views that show ads, the mid-roll boost, Shorts rates and the seasonal curve.

What the model leaves out

Some things that change real earnings can't be seen from outside a channel, so the calculator doesn't model them:

• Watch time and retention. Viewers who leave early see fewer ads.
• Ad settings. Which ad formats you've switched on, and where your mid-rolls sit.
• Ad blockers and YouTube Premium. Premium members see no ads. You get a share of their subscription instead, which we don't model.
• Limited ads. Videos marked as not advertiser-friendly earn far less.
• Made for kids. These videos can't show personalised ads, so they earn less.
• A mixed audience. The calculator uses one country. If your viewers are spread out, pick your biggest country or "Global average".
• Tax. Creators outside the US may have US tax withheld on earnings from US viewers.

The model can't see your retention, ad settings, viewers using ad blockers, YouTube Premium revenue, audience age, or how your viewers split across countries. It also leaves out sponsorships, memberships and other income. Treat every result as a range and compare it with the RPM in your YouTube Studio analytics.

About the author

TODO: two or three sentences about you and your experience with YouTube.

Why I built this

TODO: why you built this calculator and what makes it different.

TODO: fill in src/lib/methodology.ts. Person structured data is added once these details are real.

The data behind the numbers

These are the rates the calculator runs on. Nothing is hidden. All rates are in US dollars.

CPM by niche (all 20)

What advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions. You receive a share of this, not the whole figure.

Country multipliers (all 53)

Relative to the United States at 1.00. A 0.10 multiplier means roughly a tenth of US rates.

Corrections

If your real RPM is far outside our range for your niche and country, or you know of a better source, email hello@tubemoneycalculator.com. Include your niche, main audience country, video length and Studio RPM, and we'll review the data.