Print magazine advertising spending in the U.S. dropped to $0.21 billion in 2023. Digital magazine ad spending reached $2.49 billion, and total U.S. magazine advertising rose to $2.7 billion. Magazine retail sales as a revenue proxy hit $10.6 billion, setting the stage for how publishers fund distribution and grow audiences.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, print magazine advertising spending in the U.S. was $0.21 billion, down from $0.25 billion in 2022
- In 2023, total U.S. magazine advertising spending (print+online) was $2.7 billion
- In 2023, U.S. magazine retail sales (publisher revenue proxy) were $10.6 billion
- U.S. magazine publishing industry (NAICS 511120) revenue was $21.6 billion in 2023
- U.S. magazine publishing industry (NAICS 511120) profit margin was 2.7% in 2023
- U.S. magazine publishing industry employment (jobs) was 72.9k in 2023
- U.S. magazine circulation (paid+controlled) was 196.8 million in 2023
- U.S. magazines total paid circulation was 133.2 million in 2023
- Digital magazine subscribers worldwide were 123.7 million in 2023
- In 2023, U.S. adults who trust magazines for news were 34%
- In 2023, U.S. adults who use magazines as a source of news at least weekly were 11%
- In 2023, U.S. adults who view magazine content as credible were 46%
- In 2023, global magazine industry greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 14.2 million metric tons CO2e
- In 2023, print magazine paper sourcing “FSC-certified” share was 48% globally
- In 2023, magazine recycling rate for paper was 65% in the U.S.
In 2023 US print ad spend fell, while total magazine advertising stayed sizable at $2.7 billion.
Related reading
01 · Category
Advertising & Revenue30 stats
01
In 2023, print magazine advertising spending in the U.S. was $0.21 billion, down from $0.25 billion in 2022
02
In 2023, total U.S. magazine advertising spending (print+online) was $2.7 billion
03
In 2023, U.S. magazine retail sales (publisher revenue proxy) were $10.6 billion
04
Global magazine and newsletter advertising spend was $75.8 billion in 2023
05
Global magazine and newsletter advertising spend was projected to reach $84.4 billion by 2028
06
U.S. magazine ad revenues accounted for about 12.1% of total U.S. print ad revenues in 2023
07
Print magazine ad spending in the U.S. was $0.21 billion in 2023
08
Digital magazine ad spending in the U.S. was $2.49 billion in 2023
09
In 2023, online display ads category “magazines” spending in the U.S. was $2.49B
10
Germany magazine advertising revenue was €1.9 billion in 2023
11
France magazine advertising revenue was €1.4 billion in 2023
12
Australia magazine advertising spending was A$0.35 billion in 2023
13
South Korea magazine advertising revenue was ₩0.9 trillion in 2023
14
Brazil magazine advertising revenue was R$6.7 billion in 2023
15
Canada magazine advertising spending was CAD $0.25 billion in 2023
16
Spain magazine advertising revenue was €0.4 billion in 2023
17
Italy magazine advertising revenue was €0.7 billion in 2023
18
Sweden magazine advertising revenue was SEK 0.4 billion in 2023
19
Netherlands magazine advertising revenue was €0.5 billion in 2023
20
Mexico magazine advertising revenue was MXN $12.1 billion in 2023
21
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers had advertising revenue contribution from advertisers of $13.2 billion
22
In 2023, the U.S. magazine industry experienced a -8.5% decline in print advertising pages
23
In 2022, the U.S. print magazine advertising pages declined by -5.2%
24
In 2021, the U.S. print magazine advertising pages declined by -7.1%
25
In 2023, U.S. magazine advertising pages were 1.1 million
26
In 2020, U.S. magazine advertising pages were 1.3 million
27
In 2023, global magazine advertising revenue was $77.1 billion
28
In 2023, U.S. adult “magazines” category ad reach in the advertising market was 65 million
29
In 2023, the average magazine ad CPM in the U.S. was $6.5
30
In 2023, the average magazine ad click-through rate (digital) in the U.S. was 0.35%
Interpretation
Advertising & Revenue Interpretation
In 2023, magazines got hit with a classic plot twist: print advertising shrank to $0.21 billion while digital surged to $2.7 billion, leaving the US magazine industry still roughly larger than its paper-based self but noticeably smaller on pages, even as global ad budgets climbed toward $84.4 billion by 2028 and publishers increasingly win their share with viewable, trackable clicks rather than ink.
02 · Category
Publishing Economics30 stats
01
U.S. magazine publishing industry (NAICS 511120) revenue was $21.6 billion in 2023
02
U.S. magazine publishing industry (NAICS 511120) profit margin was 2.7% in 2023
03
U.S. magazine publishing industry employment (jobs) was 72.9k in 2023
04
The U.S. magazine publishing industry NAICS 511120 had an annual growth rate of -1.2% (2018–2023)
05
Magazine publisher direct mail + print circulation revenue in the U.S. was estimated at $10.6B in 2023
06
U.K. consumer magazine market revenue (print) was £1.4 billion in 2023
07
Japan magazine publishing market size was ¥1,530 billion in 2023
08
China magazine publishing market size was RMB 40.1 billion in 2023
09
India magazine market revenue was ₹55.3 billion in 2023
10
In 2023, the average magazine price (newsstand) in the U.S. was $5.20per issue
11
In 2023, the U.S. magazine industry had a 2023 decline in revenue of -4.0% year-over-year
12
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers’ industry value-added contribution was $9.7 billion
13
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers had cost of goods sold of $12.6 billion
14
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers had wages and benefits of $3.1 billion
15
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers had revenue concentration where top 5 companies generated about 25% of revenue
16
In 2023, the U.S. magazine publishing industry had 83.5k establishments
17
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry avg revenue per establishment was $0.26M
18
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry avg annual wages per job were $42.6k
19
In 2023, average employment per establishment in U.S. magazine publishing was 0.87
20
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry had 1.03% of total U.S. publishing employment
21
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry’s average monthly wage was $3.5k
22
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry had an average issue price of $5.20
23
In 2023, U.S. magazine subscribers spent $46.3per year on magazine subscriptions
24
In 2023, U.S. consumer spend on periodicals was $14.2 billion
25
In 2023, U.S. consumer spend on magazines per capita was $42.7
26
In 2023, the share of print magazines in total magazine revenues in the U.S. was 55%
27
In 2023, the share of online magazines in total magazine revenues in the U.S. was 45%
28
In 2023, global magazine publisher revenue from digital subscriptions was $38.5 billion
29
In 2023, U.S. newspaper and magazine publishing digital revenue was $12.6 billion
30
In 2022, global magazine publishing industry revenue was $124 billion
Interpretation
Publishing Economics Interpretation
In 2023, the U.S. magazine business pulled in $21.6 billion yet only kept a 2.7% profit margin, shed revenue while digital crept to 45% of sales, and still managed to print and distribute billions of pages at a cost that made paper, printing, and distribution feel like the real editorial calendar.
03 · Category
Audience & Circulation30 stats
01
U.S. magazine circulation (paid+controlled) was 196.8 million in 2023
02
U.S. magazines total paid circulation was 133.2 million in 2023
03
Digital magazine subscribers worldwide were 123.7 million in 2023
04
Digital magazine subscribers worldwide were forecast to reach 154.5 million by 2028
05
U.S. magazine readership (weekly) was 43.3% of adults in 2023
06
U.S. magazine readership (monthly) was 62.7% of adults in 2023
07
U.S. magazine reading time per person per month averaged 2.4 hours in 2023
08
U.K. consumer magazine circulation (print) was 8.8 million copies in 2023
09
U.S. paid magazine circulation in 2018 was 133.1 million copies
10
U.S. paid magazine circulation in 2020 was 129.6 million copies
11
U.S. paid magazine circulation in 2021 was 133.0 million copies
12
U.S. paid magazine circulation in 2022 was 134.5 million copies
13
U.S. magazine circulation in 2020 was 173.7 million copies total
14
U.S. magazine circulation in 2021 was 180.1 million copies total
15
U.S. magazine circulation in 2022 was 194.0 million copies total
16
In 2023, magazine subscriptions in the U.S. were 58.2 million
17
In 2023, magazine subscribers aged 18–34 in the U.S. were 17.2 million
18
In 2023, magazine subscribers aged 35–49 in the U.S. were 16.0 million
19
In 2023, magazine subscribers aged 50+ in the U.S. were 25.0 million
20
In 2023, readers accessing magazines online weekly were 14.6% of U.S. adults
21
In 2023, readers accessing magazines online monthly were 27.4% of U.S. adults
22
The average U.S. adult spends about 8.1 minutes per day reading magazines/news (combined print+digital)
23
U.S. magazine readers’ average weekly time spent reading magazines was 24 minutes in 2023
24
In 2023, the penetration of magazine readership in the U.S. among adults was 73.4%
25
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in the U.K. was 62%
26
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in Germany was 58%
27
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in France was 54%
28
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in Canada was 60%
29
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in Australia was 64%
30
In 2023, magazine readership penetration in the Netherlands was 59%
Interpretation
Audience & Circulation Interpretation
In 2023, magazines reached a remarkable 73.4% of US adults while slipping into a quieter era of shrinking total circulation and rising digital options, as print churned through 196.8 million copies and global digital subscribers climbed toward 123.7 million with forecasts of 154.5 million by 2028, proving the audience is still there it is just reading on more screens, in fewer afternoons, and with a growing appetite for subscriptions that do not rust in the living room.
More related reading
04 · Category
Media Trust & Engagement30 stats
01
In 2023, U.S. adults who trust magazines for news were 34%
02
In 2023, U.S. adults who use magazines as a source of news at least weekly were 11%
03
In 2023, U.S. adults who view magazine content as credible were 46%
04
In 2023, U.S. magazine advertisers cited “targeting specific audiences” as a key benefit at 72%
05
In 2023, U.S. magazine advertisers cited “brand credibility” at 64%
06
In 2023, U.S. magazine advertisers cited “high engagement” at 58%
07
In 2023, 40% of U.S. adults said they prefer magazines over social media for long-form reading
08
In 2023, 33% of U.S. adults said magazine content helps them discover products
09
In 2023, 27% of U.S. adults said they save magazine issues for later
10
In 2023, the average engagement rate on magazine brand social media posts in the U.S. was 1.6%
11
In 2023, U.S. magazine brands’ share of social engagement was 2.1%
12
In 2023, U.S. magazine content creators’ average followers were 180k
13
In 2023, U.S. adult “magazine readers” used mobile devices as their primary access 46% of the time
14
In 2023, U.S. adult “magazine readers” used desktop/laptop 35% of the time
15
In 2023, U.S. adult “magazine readers” used tablet 19% of the time
16
In 2023, U.S. adults who pay for digital magazines were 6%
17
In 2023, U.S. adults who pay for print magazines were 10%
18
In 2023, U.S. adults who are willing to pay for magazine content at least occasionally were 44%
19
In 2023, U.S. adults who download digital magazine apps were 18%
20
In 2023, U.S. adults who read magazines on Apple News were 7%
21
In 2023, U.S. adults who read magazines via Zinio were 2%
22
In 2023, U.S. adults who read magazines via Kindle were 4%
23
In 2023, readers’ top motivation for subscribing to magazines was “in-depth information” at 52%
24
In 2023, readers’ second motivation for subscribing was “special offers” at 31%
25
In 2023, readers’ third motivation was “keeping up with trends” at 29%
26
In 2023, readers’ motivation “hobbies and interests” was 45%
27
In 2023, magazine readers’ primary content format preference was “articles” at 66%
28
In 2023, magazine readers’ preference for “photos” was 21%
29
In 2023, magazine readers’ preference for “videos” was 13%
30
In 2023, U.S. consumers who consider print magazines “more trustworthy” were 38%
Interpretation
Media Trust & Engagement Interpretation
In 2023, magazines were trusted and “credible” to nearly half of U.S. adults, advertisers loved the precision and reputation boost, readers still showed up for long form and discovery, and yet the business still had to fight for attention online where engagement rates stayed tiny, bounce rates ran high, and social media influence looked more like a cameo than a comeback.
05 · Category
Environment & Sustainability22 stats
01
In 2023, global magazine industry greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 14.2 million metric tons CO2e
02
In 2023, print magazine paper sourcing “FSC-certified” share was 48% globally
03
In 2023, magazine recycling rate for paper was 65% in the U.S.
04
In the U.S., the total recovery/collection rate for paper and paperboard was 66.1% in 2022
05
In 2022, the U.S. paper and paperboard recycling rate was 68.1%
06
In 2022, the U.S. paper-based packaging recycling rate was 69%
07
In 2021, global magazine publishers’ average share of renewable energy in operations was 18%
08
In 2023, digital magazine formats reduced paper use compared with print by about 90%
09
In 2023, average carbon footprint per printed magazine issue was estimated at 2.1 kg CO2e in North America
10
In 2023, average carbon footprint per digital magazine issue-equivalent was estimated at 0.3 kg CO2e
11
In 2023, consumers who said they prefer sustainable magazines were 31% in the U.S.
12
In 2023, consumers who said they would pay more for sustainable magazine production were 26% in the U.S.
13
In 2023, global magazine publishers’ estimated compliance spend for environmental regulations was $0.9 billion
14
In 2023, global magazine publishers’ water usage intensity was 0.8 m3 per ton of paper
15
In 2023, global magazine recycling infrastructure supported recovery of 3.8 million tons of paper
16
In 2023, packaging paper recycling globally was 51.5%
17
In 2022, the U.S. EPA reported that paper and paperboard were 13% of municipal solid waste by weight
18
In 2022, the U.S. EPA reported that overall municipal solid waste generated was 292.4 million tons
19
In 2022, paper and paperboard accounted for 28.2 million tons of MSW in the U.S.
20
In 2022, U.S. paper and paperboard recycling generated 3.3 million jobs
21
In 2023, the “Go Green” magazine initiative reported 200,000 participants
22
In 2023, sustainable packaging requirements caused paper volume changes of -2.5% for magazine publishers
Interpretation
Environment & Sustainability Interpretation
In 2023 the magazine industry managed to cut paper use through digital formats and improve sourcing and recycling while still producing measurable emissions and compliance and water costs, and with only about a third of U.S. consumers saying they prefer sustainable magazines and just a quarter willing to pay more, the real challenge is turning good intentions and infrastructure into consistently greener outcomes at scale.
06 · Category
Workforce & Industry Structure27 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. Department of Labor reported NAICS 511120 (periodical publishers) median weekly earnings of $1,076
02
In 2022, U.S. BLS showed employment for 511120 was 75,000
03
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry NAICS 511120 had 1.6 jobs per establishment (approx)
04
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry establishment count was 85,000
05
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers had 62.3% non-store-based establishments
06
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers’ unionization rate was 9%
07
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry had 9.1% freelance workforce share
08
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry had 28% of workforce under age 35
09
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry workforce was 58% male
10
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry workforce was 42% female
11
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry workforce had 22% racial/ethnic minorities
12
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry had 18.7% remote-capable roles
13
In 2023, average tenure in U.S. magazine publishing was 3.4 years
14
In 2023, employee turnover in U.S. magazine publishing was 26%
15
In 2023, job openings in U.S. magazine publishing NAICS 511120 were 2,100
16
In 2023, unemployment rate among “writers and editors” in the U.S. was 3.0%
17
In 2023, average annual wage for “writers and editors” in the U.S. was $76,000
18
In 2023, employment of “writers and editors” in the U.S. was 158,000
19
In 2023, average annual wage for “editors” in the U.S. was $84,000
20
In 2023, employment of “editors” in the U.S. was 116,000
21
In 2022, U.S. periodical publishers (NAICS 511120) paid $3.1 billion in wages (proxy)
22
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry had 72,900 employees
23
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers’ average employee earnings were $42.6k
24
In 2023, U.S. magazine industry top 10 companies controlled about 37% of revenue
25
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry had low concentration (Herfindahl around 1,200)
26
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishing industry average annual growth rate -1.2%
27
In 2023, U.S. magazine publishers’ tech spending (IT/Software) was about $0.6 billion
Interpretation
Workforce & Industry Structure Interpretation
In 2022 and 2023 the U.S. magazine and periodical publishing business managed to keep 75,000 people (in 85,000 establishments) earning a median weekly wage of $1,076 while featuring a mostly non-store, lightly unionized workforce that is increasingly freelance and remote-ready, young enough to be restless (under age 35 is 28 percent) yet churn-heavy (26 percent turnover and only 3.4 years average tenure), all while pay for writers and editors averages about $76,000 to $84,000 and tech spending totals roughly $0.6 billion, even as an industry with low overall concentration still finds itself shrinking slightly in 2023 (annual growth -1.2 percent) and letting the top ten firms take about 37 percent of revenue.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Magazine Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/magazine-industry-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Magazine Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/magazine-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Magazine Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/magazine-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
90 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+86 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)