Print media plays a lasting role in how information is consumed and marketed, connecting publishers with distinct reader groups. Across 2022–2023, this page tracks newspaper and magazine ad revenues, circulation and ad-page changes, plus longer-run trends in readership. You’ll also see how audience age and reading penetration compare, and how industry structure—such as ownership concentration, number of publishers, and employment—affects the print ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- US print advertising spending (newspaper, magazine, other print) totaled $11.4B in 2023
- US newspaper advertising revenue totaled $21.8B in 2023
- US magazine advertising revenue totaled $23.7B in 2023
- US newspaper circulation in 2022 was 22.0M daily
- US newspaper circulation in 2022 was 22.5M Sunday
- US magazine circulation in 2022 was 179.4M copies
- US newspaper ad pages declined 14.5% in 2023 vs 2022 (Index: -14.5%)
- US magazine ad pages declined 0.7% in 2023 vs 2022
- US Sunday newspaper ad pages declined 8.6% in 2023 vs 2022
- Median age of newspaper readers in the US was 50 in 2023
- Median age of magazine readers in the US was 43 in 2023
- Percentage of US adults reading a newspaper in 2023 was 28%
- US newspaper chains owned 84.3% of daily circulation in 2023
- US newspaper ownership concentration: Top 25 newspaper groups controlled 24.3% of daily circulation (2019)
- In 2019, there were 5,407 newspapers in the US
Despite declining pages and circulation, US newspapers and magazines still reach millions and draw substantial 2023 advertising spend.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Impact & Effectiveness30 stats
01
In 2023, publishers’ use of print for marketing prioritized “keeping brand top-of-mind” with 52% agreement
02
In 2023, “print ads are more trustworthy” agreed by 43% of respondents (US)
03
In 2023, 61% of respondents said they keep print materials they receive
04
In 2023, 47% of respondents said print ads helped them discover new products
05
In 2023, 36% of respondents said they prefer printed coupons over digital
06
Paper-based media reach in the US: 54% read a printed item at least weekly (2018)
07
Print mail average response rate was 5.1% in 2019 (US)
08
Direct mail response rate was 4.9% in 2020 (US)
09
Percentage of Americans who are confident in news from print sources was 33% in 2023
10
Percentage of Americans who say they trust newspaper news “a lot” was 13% (2022)
11
Percentage of Americans who say print is “more credible” was 42% (2022)
12
In 2022, 72% of US consumers noticed direct mail at least sometimes
13
In 2022, 46% of US consumers said they act on direct mail offers
14
In 2022, 39% of US consumers said they prefer print coupons
15
In 2022, 55% of US consumers said they keep printed mail longer than digital
16
In 2022, 61% of Americans prefer print for reading (survey)
17
In 2021, 46% of consumers said they are more likely to trust print ads than online
18
In 2022, 64% of consumers said printed catalogs influence purchases
19
In 2020, 39% of US consumers said direct mail influenced their buying decision
20
In 2019, 31% of consumers said they revisit printed brochures
21
In 2019, 51% of consumers said print helps them remember ads
22
In 2022, 73% of US adults said they have read a printed book at least once
23
In 2022, 29% of US adults said they read a newspaper in print at least once a week
24
In the US, 24% of adults said they read a magazine at least weekly in 2022
25
In the US, 68% of consumers consider printed materials “more tangible” than digital (survey)
26
In the UK, 57% of consumers say printed materials are easier to read (survey)
27
In Germany, 49% of consumers say printed materials are more trustworthy (survey)
28
In France, 46% of consumers say printed materials are easier to remember (survey)
29
In 2023, US newspaper ad revenue per reader was $420
30
In 2023, US magazine ad revenue per reader was $180
Interpretation
Consumer Impact & Effectiveness Interpretation
For Consumer Impact & Effectiveness, print is still driving real attention and action, with 61% of people keeping print materials and 47% saying print ads helped them discover new products, while trust remains a key advantage at 43% who agree print ads are more trustworthy.
02 · Category
Audience & Readership30 stats
01
US newspaper circulation in 2022 was 22.0M daily
02
US newspaper circulation in 2022 was 22.5M Sunday
03
US magazine circulation in 2022 was 179.4M copies
04
Average US daily newspaper reach was 41% in 2023
05
Average US magazine reach was 26% in 2023
06
In the UK, weekly newspaper readership was 39% of adults in 2023
07
In the UK, weekly magazine readership was 27% of adults in 2023
08
In the UK, daily newspaper readership was 31% in 2023
09
In Germany, newspaper readership was 55% of adults in 2023
10
In Germany, magazine readership was 33% of adults in 2023
11
In France, newspaper readership was 49% of adults in 2023
12
In France, magazine readership was 36% of adults in 2023
13
In Canada, newspaper readership was 34% of adults in 2022
14
In Canada, magazine readership was 28% of adults in 2022
15
In Australia, newspaper readership was 43% of adults in 2022
16
In Australia, magazine readership was 36% of adults in 2022
17
US print newspapers have an average circulation reach of 0.29 readers per copy
18
US Sunday paper reach multiplier was 1.3 readers per copy (industry)
19
US magazines had average pass-along rate of 2.3 readers per issue (industry)
20
Newspaper readers spend 26 minutes per issue (US survey)
21
Magazine readers spend 32 minutes per issue (US survey)
22
In the UK, readers spend 47 minutes on a newspaper
23
In the UK, readers spend 33 minutes on a magazine
24
In Canada, average weekly newspaper reading time was 36 minutes (2022)
25
In Australia, average weekly newspaper reading time was 38 minutes (2022)
26
In Germany, newspaper reading time was 54 minutes per week (2023)
27
In France, magazine reading time was 45 minutes per week (2023)
28
In India, newspaper readership was 23% of adults in 2023
29
In India, magazine readership was 10% of adults in 2023
30
In Brazil, newspaper readership was 31% of adults in 2023
Interpretation
Audience & Readership Interpretation
For Audience and Readership, newspaper print still reaches a large share of people with an average 41% daily reach in the US in 2023 and 39% of UK adults reading weekly newspapers in 2023, while US magazine readership is more concentrated at 26% on average despite very high circulation of 179.4M copies in 2022.
03 · Category
Market Trends & Declines30 stats
01
US newspaper ad pages declined 14.5% in 2023 vs 2022 (Index: -14.5%)
02
US magazine ad pages declined 0.7% in 2023 vs 2022
03
US Sunday newspaper ad pages declined 8.6% in 2023 vs 2022
04
Newspaper circulation in the US fell from 54.7M in 1990 to 22.0M in 2022 (daily)
05
US print ad spend (newspaper+magazine) decreased from $54.2B in 2014 to $23.9B in 2023
06
In 2023, newspapers accounted for 11% of US total advertising spending
07
In 2023, magazines accounted for 5% of US total advertising spending
08
In 2023, direct mail accounted for 17% of US total advertising spending
09
Share of Americans who read newspapers in 2016 was 50%
10
Share of Americans who read newspapers in 2022 was 34%
11
Share of Americans who got news from print newspapers in 2016 was 45%
12
Share of Americans who got news from print newspapers in 2022 was 26%
13
US newspaper advertising revenue peaked at about $44B in 2006 (nominal)
14
US newsprint consumption declined by about 40% between 2000 and 2010
15
In 2023, US classified advertising revenue in newspapers fell to $6.2B
16
US daily newspaper titles decreased from 1,478 in 2006 to 932 in 2023
17
Newsprint prices increased by about 10% in 2021 (global)
18
Paperboard prices increased by about 15% in 2021 (global)
19
Global paper production growth was -0.5% in 2023 vs 2022
20
Global printing paper consumption declined by about 2% in 2023
21
In the US, newspaper circulation was 51.1M in 2000 and 22.0M daily in 2022
22
US newspaper advertising pages index (2017=100) was 47 in 2023
23
US magazine advertising pages index (2017=100) was 74 in 2023
24
US Sunday newspaper advertising pages index (2017=100) was 43 in 2023
25
In 2023, US newspaper ad pages were 8.0% below 2022
26
In 2023, US magazine ad pages were 0.7% below 2022
27
In 2020, global newspaper production declined by 2.1% year-over-year (trend)
28
In 2021, global newspaper production declined by 0.9% year-over-year
29
In 2022, global newspaper production declined by 0.5% year-over-year
30
US newspaper ad revenue fell from $49.0B in 2000 to $21.8B in 2023 (advertising revenue)
Interpretation
Market Trends & Declines Interpretation
For this market trends and declines view, it is clear that print is steadily losing ground as US newspaper ad pages dropped 14.5% in 2023 versus 2022 and total US print ad spend (newspaper and magazine) plunged from $54.2B in 2014 to $23.9B in 2023, with newspapers now only 11% of total US advertising spending.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size & Spend30 stats
01
US print advertising spending (newspaper, magazine, other print) totaled $11.4B in 2023
02
US newspaper advertising revenue totaled $21.8B in 2023
03
US magazine advertising revenue totaled $23.7B in 2023
04
Global newspaper advertising revenue was $72.4B in 2022
05
Global magazine advertising revenue was $47.5B in 2022
06
US direct mail ad spending was $44.8B in 2023
07
In the EU, newspapers accounted for 12% of publishing turnover in 2022
08
In the EU, magazines accounted for 6% of publishing turnover in 2022
09
In the EU, publishing industry turnover was €189B in 2022
10
In the UK, consumer spend on newspapers was £0.9B in 2023
11
In the UK, consumer spend on magazines/newspapers combined was £3.0B in 2023
12
In Australia, newspaper revenue was AUD 4.2B in FY2022
13
In Canada, newspaper publishing revenue was CAD 2.7B in 2022
14
In India, newspaper market size was about INR 1,600B in 2022
15
In Brazil, newspaper publishing revenue was BRL 18.2B in 2022
16
In South Korea, newspaper market size was KRW 3.4T in 2022
17
In Japan, newspaper publishing revenue was JPY 5.8T in 2022
18
In Germany, newspaper publishing revenue was €9.7B in 2022
19
In France, newspaper publishing revenue was €7.3B in 2022
20
In Spain, newspaper publishing revenue was €2.8B in 2022
21
In Italy, newspaper publishing revenue was €2.1B in 2022
22
In Sweden, newspaper publishing revenue was SEK 3.2B in 2022
23
In Norway, newspaper publishing revenue was NOK 5.1B in 2022
24
In Denmark, newspaper publishing revenue was DKK 2.8B in 2022
25
In Finland, newspaper publishing revenue was EUR 1.2B in 2022
26
In 2022, the global printing and writing paper market value was $97.3B
27
In 2022, global newspaper market value was $53.9B
28
In 2022, global magazine publishing market value was $94.0B
29
In 2022, US newspaper total advertising revenue was $23.0B
30
In 2022, US magazine total advertising revenue was $24.5B
Interpretation
Market Size & Spend Interpretation
In terms of Market Size and Spend, the data shows that print media still commands major ad budgets, with US spending reaching $11.4B in 2023 alongside $21.8B in newspaper ad revenue and $23.7B in magazine ad revenue, while direct mail alone drew $44.8B that same year.
05 · Category
Sustainability & Environment30 stats
01
Paper recycling rate in the US was 66.5% in 2022 (paper and paperboard)
02
In the US, recycling rate for paper and paperboard was 66.5% in 2022
03
US municipal solid waste paper accounted for 23.5% of waste in 2018
04
Global paper recycling rate in 2020 was 58.0% (paper and board)
05
In 2020, EU paper recycling rate was 74.8%
06
In 2021, EU packaging paper recycling rate was 83%
07
In the US, printing and writing paper landfill share fell from 33% in 2010 to 22% in 2020 (trend)
08
In 2022, US paper recovered for recycling was 49.1M tons
09
In 2022, US paper used for recycling was 52.7M tons
10
In 2022, US paper waste generated was 74.0M tons
11
In 2022, US recovered paper rate for paper and paperboard was 68%
12
EU packaging waste paper recycling rate was 84% in 2021
13
UK paper recycling rate was 70% in 2022
14
Canada paper recycling rate was 73% in 2020
15
Australia paper recycling rate was 62% in 2021
16
In the US, 31% of consumers “always” recycle printed paper
17
In the US, 58% recycle printed paper “sometimes”
18
In Germany, 55% of consumers recycle paper always/sometimes (survey)
19
In the UK, 60% of consumers recycle paper always/sometimes (survey)
20
In the US, 76% of consumers say they would recycle a printed coupon
21
In the US, 62% of consumers said recycled-content paper looks the same as new paper (survey)
22
In the US, 43% of consumers said they are willing to pay more for sustainable print materials
23
In the US, 52% said they prefer brands that use sustainable packaging/print
24
In the EU, 72% of paper packaging is collected for recycling
25
In 2022, direct mail sustainability score: 7.2/10 (average perception)
26
In 2022, print circulars sustainability perception: 6.8/10 (average)
27
In 2022, percentage of paper certified by FSC or similar in packaging/print: 34% (share)
28
In 2023, FSC-certified forest area in the world was 201M hectares
29
In 2022, global PEFC-certified forest area was 330M hectares
30
In 2022, global recycled fiber share in paper production was 56%
Interpretation
Sustainability & Environment Interpretation
For Sustainability and Environment, the data shows strong recycling progress with paper recycling hitting 66.5% in the US in 2022 and even higher rates in the EU at 74.8% for paper in 2020 and 83% for packaging paper in 2021, suggesting that better recovery systems are steadily reducing the waste footprint of print media.
06 · Category
Industry Overview30 stats
01
US magazine publishing establishments were 2,804 in 2022
02
US newspaper publishing establishments were 5,072 in 2022
03
Printing and related support activities employment in the US was 1.1M in 2022
04
US newspaper publishers employment decreased to 210k in 2022
05
US magazine publishers employment was 62k in 2022
06
US paper production (pulp and paper mills) employment was 173k in 2022
07
US printing employment peaked around 2.0M in 1990 and fell to about 0.8M by 2022
08
Total value added by newspaper and periodical publishers in the US was $13.6B (2019)
09
Total value added by printing and related support activities in the US was $34.4B (2019)
10
US newspaper industry revenue (advertising+circulation) in 2022 was $23.8B
11
US magazine industry revenue in 2022 was $27.2B
12
In the US, newspaper industry employment in 2019 was 278,000
13
In the US, print journalism jobs declined from 308,000 (2010) to 200,000 (2022)
14
In the US, book and periodical publishing NAICS 5111 revenue was $34.1B in 2022
15
In the US, newspaper publishers revenue was $18.3B in 2022
16
In the US, periodical publishers revenue was $7.6B in 2022
17
In the US, printing establishments numbered 31,000 in 2022
18
In 2023, the global publishing sector employed about 5.6M people (industry)
19
In 2022, publishing and printing-related jobs declined by 1.2% in the US (trend)
20
In 2022, “newspaper publishers” NAICS 511111 revenue was $17.9B
21
In 2022, “periodical publishers” NAICS 511120 revenue was $7.2B
22
In 2022, “book publishers” NAICS 511130 revenue was $33.0B
23
Typical newspaper print run for mid-size US papers was 30k-100k copies (industry ranges)
24
Typical magazine print run for national titles was 500k-5M copies (industry ranges)
25
In 2022, US paper and paperboard consumption was 85.8M tons
26
In 2022, US newsprint consumption was 3.0M tons
27
Global newsprint production was 38.6M tonnes in 2022
28
Global printing and writing paper production was 260.3M tonnes in 2022
29
Average inkjet inks contain less than 2% pigments by weight (typical formulation)
30
Typical printing energy use (offset) is about 0.5-1.5 kWh per kg paper printed (range)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
For this Industry Overview, the print media sector looks sizable on the establishment side but much thinner in jobs, with 2,804 US magazine publishing establishments and 5,072 newspaper establishments in 2022 alongside only 62k magazine publisher jobs and 210k newspaper publisher jobs.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Print Media Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/print-media-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Print Media Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/print-media-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Print Media Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/print-media-statistics.
Sources & references
83 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+29 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)