RPM is the number that matters
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions. RPM, or revenue per mille, is what you actually earn per 1,000 video views after YouTube’s share, and it counts every kind of revenue shown in your analytics. Because many views do not show an ad, RPM is usually lower than CPM. This calculator uses RPM so you can plug in the figure from your own channel.
You can find RPM in YouTube Studio under Analytics, then Revenue. RPM varies by niche, audience country, season and video length. Finance and software topics tend to earn more per view than general entertainment, and viewers in some countries are worth more to advertisers than others. That is why the starting value is only a placeholder.
How the estimate is built
Monthly earnings equal long-form views divided by 1,000, multiplied by your RPM, plus Shorts views divided by 1,000 multiplied by the Shorts RPM. Shorts usually pay a small fraction of long-form RPM, so the two are separate fields. The low and high estimates apply a 40% reduction and increase to reflect how much RPM moves from month to month. If you enter monthly growth, the yearly projection compounds it over twelve months.
Per-video earnings divide the monthly estimate by the number of videos you publish, which helps you compare content strategies.
Beyond ad revenue
Ad revenue is only one stream. Channel memberships, sponsorships, affiliate links, merchandise and your own products can add more than ads, especially for smaller channels. Use the sponsorship rate calculator to price brand deals. Also remember that channel income is taxable: freelancers in the US should plan for self-employment tax.
How many views do you need to earn $1,000 a month?
Divide your target by your RPM and multiply by 1,000. At an RPM of $3, you need about 333,000 monthly views. At $5 it is 200,000, and at $1.50 it is about 667,000. Since RPM differs a lot by niche and audience country, check your own value in YouTube Studio first.
One million views would earn roughly $3,000 at a $3 RPM before any other income. Treat those figures as examples, not promises.