How Much Do YouTubers Make: Is it Worth a Try?

We've all been there. You take a break from work or studying to watch a video, or you're in the middle of a home repair and just need to know one small detail to keep the project on track. But you click on the next video and the next, and before you know it, you emerge a couple of hours later, wondering where the time went.

YouTube is a popular escape for many people, but for the content creators of the most popular channels, it is a big business that earns them hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars annually. Although there is a big gap between the highest earners and the average creator, many people earn a steady income that supports them full-time or as a convenient side hustle.

So, just how much money do YouTubers make? Let's find out.

Top YouTubers for 2024

Name	Estimated income
MrBeast	$85 million
Dhar Mann	$45 million
Rhett & Link	$36 million
Ryan Kaji	$35 million
Markiplier	$32 million
Mark Rober	$25 million
Typical Gamer	$17.9 million
Adam W	$15 million
Jake Paul	$13.6 million
Ms. Rachel	$11.9 million
Marques Brownlee	$10 million
Source: Statista, Forbes

MrBeast was the highest earning YouTube Star in 2024

The MrBeast channel, run by 27-year-old Jimmy Donaldson from Greenville, North Carolina, had more than 398 million subscribers. He earned an estimated $85 million last year, which is $40 million more than Dhar Mann, the next highest paid YouTube star.

MrBeast's recreation of Netflix's "Squid Game" earned him 130 million views in seven days, and while there are no published reports on what the video earned, it cost around $3.5 million to make. In comparison, the Netflix series cost $21.4 million, or $2.4 million per hour-long episode.

Source: Forbes, YouTube, Wikipedia

The average YouTuber makes $68,714 per year

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for a YouTube Channel in the United States is $33 per hour or about $1,321 per 40-hour work week, well north of $100 per day. Comparatively, the median weekly earnings for the country's nearly 120.9 million full-time wage and salary workers was $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025.

Where a YouTuber lives can also influence how much they make. In places like Nebraska, where the cost of living is relatively low, YouTube Channel salaries are well above the national average. In Atkinson, the hourly YouTuber rate is $34, or $1369 per week. In places like Michigan, YouTube channel creators have an average hourly wage of $31 an hour.

Source: ZipRecruiter, The Bureau of Labor Statistics

YouTube's ad revenue exceeds $8 billion

As of the first quarter of 2025, YouTube's ad revenue was more than $8 billion, and the Google-owned company had $36.1 billion in total revenue in 2024. YouTube currently has nearly 2.7 billion users and the platform has over 1 billion video views per day. YouTube Premium, its ad-free platform, had more than 125 million subscribers in March, 2025.

Source: YouTube Official Blog, Statista, Business of Apps

Estimated earnings per view

The income creators generate from their videos depends on the amount and type of ads they run, the number of page views, and other factors that affect the YouTube Partner Program. 

It is estimated that creators can earn between $0.01 and $0.03 per view or $10 to $30 per 1,000 views. While that doesn't sound like much, marketing revenue can add up when a creator has millions of page views and subscribers.

For example, the fifth highest-earning YouTuber in 2024, Markiplier, who created the Unus Annus series with fellow YouTuber Ethan Nestor-Darling, has 37.5 million subscribers and earned $32 million last year, partly through ads and merchandise.

Although you may never reach the heights of creators like MrBeast or Markiplier, the potential earnings for content creation can make it one of the best side hustles if you have the skills and know-how.

Source: Forbes, YouTube, IFTTT

YouTube Partners get roughly 55% of generated ad revenue

The YouTube Partner Program helps creators monetize their content, but there are specific minimum qualifications required. Creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours before earning money. Additionally, they must live in a country where the program is available, have a Google AdSense account, no active Community Guideline strikes, have 2-step verification turned on for your Google account, advance features access on YouTube, and follow all of YouTube's channel monetization policies.

YouTube says that there are more than three million channels currently in the YouTube Partner Program and it has paid out over $70 billion to its creators from 2021 to 2023. YouTube takes about 45% of the ad revenue generated by a channel. The other 55% goes to the creator.

Source: YouTube, YouTube Official Blog

Gaming and tutorials are among some of the most popular niches

Much of learning how to make money online boils down to finding the right niche. Gaming is one of the most popular and lucrative topics on YouTube.

According to Statista, 16% of adult gamers spend more than 4 hours per week watching gaming content. Video game walkthroughs are especially popular. How to guides, product reviews, vlogs, comedy sketches, unboxing videos, and video testimonials are also popular, as are Q&As and challenge videos.

There is no official data about topic rankings according to monetization, but watch times of various topics have increased substantially. For example, sports-related content is only expanding, with hundreds of millions of views related to the Olympics in the first two months of 2024. Recipe-related videos also resonate, with over 900 million views in the week leading up to the 2024 Super Bowl. Keeping watch times in mind when you create content could help you maximize YouTube earnings.

Source: Statista, Influencer Marketing Hub, Think with Google

Ads are often the primary way YouTubers make money, but not the only way

The ad quality and the number of clicks a particular ad receives can significantly affect how much a creator makes, along with the number of views a video gets overall. Even the video's length can impact revenue since longer videos mean more opportunities to insert ads.

There are abundant opportunities to advertise to viewers. YouTube is the second most trafficked website in the U.S. as of March 2025, with 12.35 billion visits, averaging 7.3 page views per visit.

Unconventional revenue streams for creators are becoming more common. For example, MrBeast markets the MrBeast Burger, which is available via an app or through his partnership with more than 2,000 restaurants nationwide. YouTube creators may also add to their income with Patreon memberships and do affiliate marketing with partners like Amazon.

Other creators, like stuntman and gamer Unspeakable, have sold the rights to their past videos to venture capitalist firm Spotter for a quick cash infusion. 

In addition to video ads, YouTubers can also make money from Super Chats and Super Stickers, which allow users to pay to highlight their chat messages, and channel memberships, which offer special perks for an ongoing fee.

Source: MrBeast Burger, Semrush Blog, YouTube

MrBeast has the most subscribers

The most popular YouTube channel ranked by the number of subscribers goes to MrBeast with 398 million subscribers as of May 2025. T-Series takes second spot and Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes, a channel devoted to songs and videos for children, has 193 million subscribers.

Number four on the list is Sony Entertainment Television, with 184 million subscribers. According to Financial Post, MrBeast's company Beast Industries is as valuable as Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, and Kim Kardashian's business Skims.  

Source: YouTube, Financial Post, Wikipedia

Videos don't always offer a return on the investment

According to an interview MrBeast did, he spends about $7 to 8 million a month on video production. When videos go viral, he receives a payday that helps make up for the videos that don't do so well.

For example, MrBeast reports that he spent more than $100 million on production of his reality TV show Beast Games, with losses of tens of millions of dollars.

By comparison, the Baby Shark Dance video, published in 2016, has more than 15 billion views and is the most-watched video on YouTube. The most viewed YouTube channel is India's T-Series, with 295 billion views.

Source: YouTube, Statista, Wikipedia, Fortune

Children under twelve are among the top earners on YouTube

Ryan Kaji, the number fourth highest-paid YouTuber, is only 13 years old and at age six was the youngest person to ever make Forbes Top Earners List. Making YouTube videos since the age of four, the thirteen-year-old has 39.4 million subscribers on his main channel and a vast line of merch and toys that help increase his yearly earnings.

Source: Forbes, YouTube, Ryan's World

YouTube contributes $45 billion to the US GDP

Every day, people watch more than a billion hours of video and add billions of views to pages worldwide. The U.S. is the second largest market for YouTube, with approximately 253 million viewers using it to watch videos, live streams, movies, and TV shows. Of YouTube users in the world, 54% are male and 46% are female.

In 2023, YouTube contributed $45 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and have many ways for creators to earn revenue, including channel memberships, shopping, and more.

Source: Statista, YouTube

How to get started on YouTube

If all of these dollar signs have you excited to become the next MrBeast, getting started on YouTube isn't too tricky. As you begin working on your channel, consider the following:

Don't invest in a lot of equipment right away

Although it can be tempting to get the best (or most expensive) video and editing equipment from the start, chances are good that basic equipment or even your phone will work just fine, especially if you've never created video content before. If possible, see if you can borrow or trade for equipment instead of investing a lot of money upfront for something you may lose interest in.

Find a niche you're passionate about

If you couldn't care less about video games, don't try to be the next Unspeakable or PrestonPlayz. Make sure to pick a topic you're genuinely interested in and can talk about over multiple videos with the same energy and passion. Not only will you quickly get bored with a topic you have no interest in, but people will want to interact with you more if they can sense your genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for your niche subject.

Do keyword searches to help you gauge earning potential

Another way to become a successful YouTuber is to research keywords so you understand what your potential audience is looking for. Use services like Google Ads, and Google Trends to see how popular a topic is over time.

For instance, "Christmas" is probably not the best search term in July, but in November and December, the search hits trend higher, and that may be the perfect time for you to debut your holiday-themed video or channel.

Follow the YouTube rules

If you create content on YouTube, follow the community guidelines regarding violent or dangerous content, sensitive subjects, or other topics that might get you in hot water with the platform. Also, avoid using copyrighted material like music, photos, or other creators' work in your content so that you don't get flagged by YouTube and have your video removed.

Managing your YouTube expenses

To get started on YouTube, you might want to invest in lights, a green screen, wardrobe updates, and more. A business credit card could help you manage your expenses. Here's a card we recommend:

Bottom line

The YouTube platform has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2005 and now has more than 500 hours of video uploaded to the site every minute. While your channel may not compete with MrBeast or Baby Shark Dance, a YouTube channel can be a great side hustle if you enjoy creating content and are passionate and knowledgeable about a sought-after subject.