What is RPM on YouTube?

RPM (revenue per mille) is what you earn per 1,000 views after the platform's share, counted across all views including those that carried no ad. The formula is revenue ÷ views × 1,000. For example, $150 of revenue against 50,000 views gives an RPM of $3.00. Unlike CPM, RPM measures what actually reaches you.

What is the difference between RPM and CPM?

CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 impressions, before the platform's cut and only on monetised views. RPM is what is left for you afterwards, spread across every view. On YouTube's 55/45 split the rule of thumb is RPM ≈ CPM × 0.55 × the share of monetised views, so RPM is almost always far lower than CPM.

What is a good YouTube RPM?

It depends heavily on niche, audience country and format. As rough cross-niche orientation, $2–4 counts as solid. Expensive niches such as finance or B2B reach $8–22, while gaming and entertainment often sit at $1.5–5.5. Shorts and Reels pay only $0.01–0.07 per thousand through the revenue pool. US and DACH audiences run above the global average.

Why is my RPM lower than my CPM?

Two reasons. First, the platform keeps a share — 45 % of ad revenue on YouTube. Second, RPM is spread across all views while CPM only covers monetised views that actually served an ad. Ad blockers, non-monetisable content and skipped ads all reduce that share. Together the two push RPM well below CPM.

YouTube RPM Calculator

What does a thousand views actually pay you? Work out your RPM across all views — for YouTube, a blog running AdSense, or a podcast.

Revenue ($) Platform payouts (ads, memberships, Super Thanks …) Views / pageviews Every view in the period — including the ones that carried no ad.

RPM

—

Revenue ÷ views × 1,000

Where that RPM sits

$0 $4 $8 $12

< $2 (Low) $2–4 (Solid) > $8 (Top niche)

Rough guidance for long-form content — niche, audience country and format move it a long way.

Planned views per month (optional) Expected monthly revenue at your RPM

RPM meaning: YouTube counts it after its own cut

RPM (revenue per mille) is what a thousand views actually pay you. Three things make it the honest number. It is counted after the platform takes its share, so it is money that reaches you rather than money an advertiser spent. It covers every view, including the ones that never carried an ad. And it adds up all revenue sources — ads, channel memberships, Super Thanks and Premium payouts. That is why your RPM is usually far below the CPM you see quoted, and why it is the figure worth planning with.

RPM vs CPM: the same thousand views, two different numbers

RPM = revenue ÷ views × 1,000

The difference is who is measured. CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 impressions — before the platform's cut, and only on views that actually carried an ad. RPM is what is left for you afterwards, spread across all your views. On YouTube's 55/45 split the rule of thumb is RPM ≈ CPM × 0.55 × share of monetised views, which is why a $10 CPM rarely turns into anything like $10 of RPM. The advertiser's side of the same coin is the CPM calculator.

One period, two numbers, one result

$150 of revenue against 50,000 views in the period:

Revenue$150

$150 ÷ 50,000 × 1,000 = $3.00

At a $3.00 RPM and 100,000 planned views a month, that is roughly $300 of expected revenue (100,000 ÷ 1,000 × $3.00). Enter your planned views above and the calculator does that projection for you.

What niches actually pay per thousand views

RPM varies enormously by subject. Expensive advertising environments such as finance pay a multiple of what gaming or entertainment does. Treat the figures below as orientation, not as a target:

Niche	USD	EUR
Finance / business	$8–22	€7–20
Tech	$5–12	€5–11
Fitness	$2–7	€2–6
Gaming / entertainment	$1.5–5.5	€1.4–5
Shorts / Reels (revenue pool)	$0.01–0.07	€0.01–0.06

Figures are based on USD market data; EUR converted approximately. CHF values run about 5 % below the EUR ones.

$2–4 is a solid RPM for long-form content across most niches.
Seasonality: the fourth quarter runs markedly higher on Christmas advertising budgets, and January brings a noticeable dip.
Audience country matters: US, UK and DACH viewers pull the RPM above the global average; traffic from low-ad-price countries drags it down.

The levers that actually move RPM

Long-form beyond eight minutes: videos past the eight-minute mark allow several mid-roll ads, which is the single strongest lever on YouTube.
Shift the country mix: content aimed at US, UK or DACH audiences earns higher ad prices than broadly scattered global traffic.
Diversify the revenue: memberships, channel perks and Super Thanks all count into RPM — they lift it regardless of what advertisers are paying.
Serve expensive subjects: finance, software and B2B sit in a more valuable ad environment; even a few videos in those niches raise the average.

Background & sources

The figures come from industry surveys. For orientation:

Frequently asked questions

What is RPM on YouTube?: RPM (revenue per mille) is what you earn per 1,000 views after the platform's share, counted across all views including those that carried no ad. The formula is revenue ÷ views × 1,000. For example, $150 of revenue against 50,000 views gives an RPM of $3.00. Unlike CPM, RPM measures what actually reaches you.
What is the difference between RPM and CPM?: CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 impressions, before the platform's cut and only on monetised views. RPM is what is left for you afterwards, spread across every view. On YouTube's 55/45 split the rule of thumb is RPM ≈ CPM × 0.55 × the share of monetised views, so RPM is almost always far lower than CPM.
What is a good YouTube RPM?: It depends heavily on niche, audience country and format. As rough cross-niche orientation, $2–4 counts as solid. Expensive niches such as finance or B2B reach $8–22, while gaming and entertainment often sit at $1.5–5.5. Shorts and Reels pay only $0.01–0.07 per thousand through the revenue pool. US and DACH audiences run above the global average.
Why is my RPM lower than my CPM?: Two reasons. First, the platform keeps a share — 45 % of ad revenue on YouTube. Second, RPM is spread across all views while CPM only covers monetised views that actually served an ad. Ad blockers, non-monetisable content and skipped ads all reduce that share. Together the two push RPM well below CPM.