The "average RPM" you cite is almost certainly wrong

The "average RPM" you cite is almost certainly wrong

A recurring claim — "YouTube RPM averages $3–5" — collapses under scrutiny of how that number is built.

Context. Most circulated RPM figures come from self-reported creator surveys and screenshot aggregators, not platform data. These sample creators who choose to disclose, who skew larger and more US-weighted.

Findings. RPM is not a normal distribution you can summarize with a mean. Analyses of disclosed payout dashboards show RPM varies by an order of magnitude across niches — finance and B2B content frequently report $15–40 RPM, while gaming and entertainment sit near $1–3. The "average" averages two different economies.

Caveats. Even within a niche, geography of the audience drives most variance: a channel with 70% tier-1 traffic and one with 70% tier-3 traffic can differ 5x at identical watch time. RPM also moves seasonally (Q4 spikes 30–50%).

Implication. A single RPM benchmark is not actionable. Segment by niche and audience geography or the number means nothing.

What we still don't know: platform-wide RPM distributions remain undisclosed, so every benchmark is an inference from a biased sample.