While the printed page may feel like a relic of the past, the raw numbers of America's newspaper circulation reveal a story of staggering transformation and resilience, where digital growth battles profound print decline.
Key Takeaways
- The New York Times average print weekday circulation was 318,000 copies in Q4 2022
- USA Today print circulation dropped to 1,078,000 daily in 2022 from 1,387,000 in 2021
- The Wall Street Journal average daily print circulation stood at 611,000 in 2023
- The Boston Herald print daily circulation was 45,000 in 2022
- Hartford Courant print weekday average 62,000 in Q1 2023
- Buffalo News print circulation dropped to 88,000 daily 2022
- The Times of London average daily print circulation was 295,322 in January 2023
- The Guardian print weekday circulation stood at 110,000 in Q4 2022
- Daily Mail UK print sales averaged 659,000 daily in 2023
- The New York Times digital-only subscriptions reached 9.13 million in Q4 2023
- Washington Post digital subscribers grew to 3 million in 2023
- The Wall Street Journal total digital subscribers hit 3.9 million by end of 2023
- US daily newspaper print circulation declined 7.9% in 2022 to 20.7 million
- Total US newspaper circulation (print+digital) was 48.7 million in 2005 peak
- New York Times print peak 1.8 million Sunday in 1990s, now 500,000 in 2020
Major US and UK newspaper print circulations have sharply fallen from their peak years, reflecting a broad decline.
Digital and Subscription Trends
1The New York Times digital-only subscriptions reached 9.13 million in Q4 2023
Directional
2Washington Post digital subscribers grew to 3 million in 2023
Single source
3The Wall Street Journal total digital subscribers hit 3.9 million by end of 2023
Single source
4USA Today digital circulation averaged 1.2 million daily in 2023
Directional
5Los Angeles Times digital subscribers surpassed 500,000 in 2023
Verified
6Chicago Tribune digital average daily unique visitors 15 million in Q2 2023
Directional
7Boston Globe digital subscriptions reached 300,000 in 2023
Verified
8San Francisco Chronicle digital-only subs grew 20% to 120,000 in 2022
Verified
9Star Tribune digital circulation hit 250,000 daily equivalents 2023
Verified
10Seattle Times digital subscribers over 150,000 in Q4 2023
Single source
11Miami Herald digital average 400,000 monthly subs 2022
Verified
12Denver Post digital circulation 180,000 daily 2023
Verified
13Orange County Register digital subs 90,000 in 2023
Verified
14Tampa Bay Times digital reached 200,000 subscribers 2022
Verified
15Arizona Republic digital circulation 300,000 daily avg 2023
Verified
16Indianapolis Star digital subs grew to 80,000 in Q3 2023
Verified
17Newsday digital subscribers 250,000 in 2023 Long Island
Verified
18Hartford Courant digital circulation 100,000 daily 2022
Verified
19Buffalo News digital subs 70,000 in 2023
Verified
20Rochester Democrat digital average 120,000 uniques daily 2023
Directional
21The Times (UK) digital subs 450,000 in 2023
Verified
22Guardian digital memberships 1.5 million global 2023
Verified
23Telegraph digital subscribers 1 million in Q4 2023
Single source
24Le Monde digital subs 800,000 in France 2023
Directional
25El País digital circulation 250,000 daily Spain 2022
Verified
26Sydney Morning Herald digital subs 300,000 Australia 2023
Verified
27Toronto Star digital 500,000 subscribers Canada 2023
Directional
Digital and Subscription Trends Interpretation
Amidst the digital deluge, legacy media outlets are valiantly trying to build a paywall ark big enough to float their newsrooms, but even The New York Times' towering nine million and The Guardian's global flock can't obscure the fact that for many papers, the waters are still perilously high.
Historical Circulation Data
1US daily newspaper print circulation declined 7.9% in 2022 to 20.7 million
Directional
2Total US newspaper circulation (print+digital) was 48.7 million in 2005 peak
Verified
3New York Times print peak 1.8 million Sunday in 1990s, now 500,000 in 2020
Directional
4USA Today launch circulation 1.3 million daily in 1982, peaked 2.6M 2000
Verified
5Wall Street Journal print averaged 2 million daily in 2000, 650k 2022
Directional
6LA Times print circulation 1 million daily 1990, 250k 2023
Directional
7Chicago Tribune peak Sunday 750,000 in 1980s, 150k 2022 print
Single source
8Boston Globe print 500,000 daily 1970s, declined to 70k 2023
Directional
9Washington Post peak 800,000 daily 2000, 200k print 2023
Single source
10San Francisco Chronicle 600,000 daily 1960s peak, 100k 2023
Verified
11Total UK national newspaper print sales 23 million daily 1990, 7M 2023
Single source
12The Sun UK peak 4.5 million daily 1990s, 1.2M 2023
Verified
13Daily Mail UK print 2.5M peak 2000, 659k 2023
Verified
14Times of London 450,000 daily 1980s, 295k 2023
Verified
15Le Monde France peak 500,000 print 1970s, 330k 2023
Verified
16Bild Germany 5M daily peak 1990s, 1.15M 2023
Verified
17Yomiuri Shimbun Japan stable 10M daily since 1980s, 6.8M 2023
Verified
18Sydney Morning Herald peak 300,000 print 1980s, 85k 2023
Verified
19Toronto Star Canada 600,000 daily 1980s, 260k 2023
Verified
20Global newspaper print circulation peaked at 500M daily 2000, declined 50% by 2022
Verified
21US print ad revenue $50B in 2000, $8B in 2022 correlating circulation drop
Verified
22Number of US daily newspapers 1,400 in 2020 from 1,700 in 2005
Verified
23Sunday US newspaper circulation peaked 62M in 1993, 20M 2022
Directional
24Average US daily print circ per newspaper 35k in 2022 vs 65k 2000
Verified
25The Guardian UK print sales 300k daily 2000, 110k 2023
Verified
26Daily Mirror UK peak 3M 1970s, 633k 2023
Verified
27El País Spain launch 400k 1976, 110k print 2023
Verified
28Frankfurter Allgemeine peak 400k 1980s, 240k 2023
Verified
29Corriere della Sera Italy 700k daily 1980s, 220k 2023
Directional
30Herald Sun Australia peak 550k 1990s, 280k 2023
Verified
Historical Circulation Data Interpretation
The digital age has turned the traditional newspaper's thunderous roar into a curated whisper, yet the demand for trusted stories remains, simply delivered on a screen instead of a doorstep.
International Newspapers
1The Times of London average daily print circulation was 295,322 in January 2023
Single source
2The Guardian print weekday circulation stood at 110,000 in Q4 2022
Verified
3Daily Mail UK print sales averaged 659,000 daily in 2023
Single source
4The Sun (UK) print circulation dropped to 1.18 million daily in 2022
Verified
5Daily Telegraph print average 289,000 weekdays 2023
Directional
6Daily Mirror print circulation 633,000 daily Q1 2023
Verified
7The Times (Scotland) print sales 112,000 daily 2022
Verified
8Daily Record (Scotland) print circulation 95,000 weekdays 2023
Verified
9Le Monde (France) print daily average 330,000 in 2022
Directional
10Le Figaro print circulation 325,000 daily 2023
Verified
11Bild (Germany) print sales 1.15 million daily Q4 2022
Verified
12Süddeutsche Zeitung print weekday 300,000 in 2023
Single source
13Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung print circulation 240,000 daily 2022
Verified
14Corriere della Sera (Italy) print average 220,000 weekdays 2023
Verified
15La Repubblica print sales 150,000 daily Q3 2022
Verified
16El País (Spain) print circulation 110,000 daily 2023
Directional
17El Mundo print weekday 80,000 in 2022
Verified
18ABC (Spain) print sales 100,000 daily 2023
Verified
19The Sydney Morning Herald print circulation 85,000 weekdays Q1 2023
Verified
20The Age (Melbourne) print daily 70,000 2022
Single source
21The Australian print sales 210,000 daily 2023
Directional
22The Courier-Mail (Brisbane) print circulation 110,000 weekdays 2022
Directional
23Herald Sun (Melbourne) print daily 280,000 Q2 2023
Directional
24The New Zealand Herald print sales 82,000 daily 2022
Verified
25Dominion Post (NZ) print weekday 25,000 2023
Verified
26Toronto Star print circulation 260,000 daily Q4 2022
Single source
27Globe and Mail print average 190,000 weekdays 2023
Directional
28National Post (Canada) print sales 120,000 daily 2022
Verified
29La Presse (Montreal) print circulation 140,000 Q1 2023
Verified
30The Japan Times print daily 20,000 in 2022 (English edition)
Directional
31Asahi Shimbun print circulation 6.2 million daily 2023
Verified
32Yomiuri Shimbun print sales 6.8 million weekdays Q3 2022
Single source
International Newspapers Interpretation
While The Sun and Mail still duke it out for the British masses, and even Germany's Bild holds a million-plus, the sobering global picture reveals a print landscape where even the mightiest broadsheets are now villages compared to the Asian metropolises of Asahi and Yomiuri.
US National Newspapers
1The New York Times average print weekday circulation was 318,000 copies in Q4 2022
Verified
2USA Today print circulation dropped to 1,078,000 daily in 2022 from 1,387,000 in 2021
Verified
3The Wall Street Journal average daily print circulation stood at 611,000 in 2023
Verified
4Los Angeles Times print weekday circulation was 239,000 in Q2 2023
Single source
5New York Post daily print circulation reached 158,000 in 2022
Verified
6Chicago Tribune print circulation averaged 105,000 daily in 2023
Single source
7Boston Globe print weekday circulation was 68,000 in Q4 2022
Verified
8Washington Post print circulation fell to 202,000 daily in 2022
Single source
9San Francisco Chronicle print daily circulation was 101,000 in 2023
Directional
10Dallas Morning News print circulation stood at 112,000 weekdays in 2022
Verified
11Philadelphia Inquirer print weekday circulation was 89,000 in Q3 2023
Verified
12Atlanta Journal-Constitution print daily average was 76,000 in 2022
Verified
13Houston Chronicle print circulation dropped to 154,000 daily in 2023
Verified
14Star Tribune (Minneapolis) print weekday circulation was 129,000 in 2022
Verified
15Denver Post print daily circulation averaged 102,000 in Q1 2023
Directional
16Seattle Times print circulation was 118,000 weekdays in 2022
Verified
17Orange County Register print daily average 92,000 in 2023
Verified
18Detroit Free Press print circulation fell to 58,000 daily in 2022
Verified
19St. Louis Post-Dispatch print weekday 71,000 in Q4 2022
Verified
20Pittsburgh Post-Gazette print daily 78,000 in 2023
Verified
21Cleveland Plain Dealer print circulation 28,000 weekdays 2022
Verified
22Miami Herald print daily average 88,000 in 2023
Verified
23Sacramento Bee print circulation 72,000 daily 2022
Verified
24Portland Oregonian print weekday 64,000 in Q2 2023
Verified
25Tampa Bay Times print daily 180,000 in 2022
Single source
26Arizona Republic print circulation 99,000 weekdays 2023
Directional
27Indianapolis Star print daily 61,000 in 2022
Verified
28Kansas City Star print weekday 52,000 Q3 2023
Verified
29Milwaukee Journal Sentinel print 78,000 daily 2022
Verified
30Cincinnati Enquirer print circulation 51,000 weekdays 2023
Verified
US National Newspapers Interpretation
The print newspaper is staging a surprisingly stubborn, if regionally varied, retreat from American doorsteps, proving that while the digital age reigns supreme, a tangible chronicle of yesterday’s news still holds a certain, albeit shrinking, gravity.
US Regional Newspapers
1The Boston Herald print daily circulation was 45,000 in 2022
Verified
2Hartford Courant print weekday average 62,000 in Q1 2023
Verified
3Buffalo News print circulation dropped to 88,000 daily 2022
Verified
4Rochester Democrat and Chronicle print 48,000 weekdays 2023
Verified
5Providence Journal print daily 34,000 in 2022
Directional
6Albany Times Union print circulation 39,000 weekdays Q4 2022
Directional
7Newsday (Long Island) print daily 237,000 in 2023
Directional
8Asbury Park Press print weekday 52,000 in 2022
Verified
9Courier-Post (Camden NJ) print daily 28,000 2023
Verified
10Trentonian print circulation 12,000 weekdays 2022
Directional
11Baltimore Sun print daily 110,000 in Q2 2023
Single source
12Richmond Times-Dispatch print weekday 57,000 2022
Single source
13Daily Press (Newport News) print 42,000 daily 2023
Directional
14Charleston Post and Courier print circulation 82,000 weekdays 2022
Verified
15Greenville News print daily 49,000 in Q3 2023
Directional
16Knoxville News Sentinel print weekday 58,000 2022
Directional
17Lexington Herald-Leader print 32,000 daily 2023
Directional
18Courier-Journal (Louisville) print circulation 94,000 weekdays 2022
Verified
19Memphis Commercial Appeal print daily 71,000 Q1 2023
Verified
20Arkansas Democrat-Gazette print weekday 98,000 in 2022
Directional
21Oklahoma City Oklahoman print 72,000 daily 2023
Verified
22Tulsa World print circulation 64,000 weekdays 2022
Single source
23Shreveport Times print daily 22,000 Q4 2022
Verified
24Birmingham News print weekday 44,000 2023
Verified
25Mobile Register print circulation 28,000 daily 2022
Verified
26Jackson Clarion-Ledger print 34,000 weekdays 2023
Verified
27Omaha World-Herald print daily 78,000 in 2022
Single source
28Lincoln Journal Star print weekday 42,000 Q2 2023
Verified
29Des Moines Register print circulation 89,000 daily 2022
Directional
30Sioux City Journal print 28,000 weekdays 2023
Directional
31Topeka Capital-Journal print daily 25,000 2022
Single source
32Wichita Eagle print weekday 51,000 Q3 2023
Verified
33Las Vegas Review-Journal print circulation 98,000 daily 2022
Directional
34Salt Lake Tribune print weekday 42,000 2023
Verified
35Idaho Statesman print daily 29,000 Q1 2023
Single source
36Billings Gazette print circulation 21,000 weekdays 2022
Single source
37Times-News (Burlington NC) print daily 18,000 2023
Single source
US Regional Newspapers Interpretation
While the Northeast's newsprint heart still beats, it's a faint and uneven rhythm, fading fastest where you'd least expect a pulse.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Newspaper Circulation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/newspaper-circulation-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Newspaper Circulation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/newspaper-circulation-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Newspaper Circulation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/newspaper-circulation-statistics.
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