Total estimated circulation of U.S. daily newspapers
Total circulation of U.S. daily newspapers
YearWeekdaySundayWeekday (estimated)Sunday (estimated)
194041,132,00032,371,000  
194548,384,00039,860,000  
194650,928,00043,665,000  
194751,673,00045,151,000  
194852,285,00046,308,000  
194952,846,00046,399,000  
195053,829,00046,582,000  
195154,018,00046,279,000  
195253,951,00046,210,000  
195354,472,00045,949,000  
195455,072,00046,176,000  
195556,147,00046,448,000  
195657,102,00047,162,000  
195757,805,00047,044,000  
195857,418,00046,955,000  
195958,300,00047,848,000  
196058,882,00047,699,000  
196159,261,00048,216,000  
196259,849,00048,888,000  
196358,905,00046,830,000  
196460,412,00048,383,000  
196560,358,00048,600,000  
196661,397,00049,282,000  
196761,561,00049,224,000  
196862,535,00049,693,000  
196962,060,00049,675,000  
197062,108,00049,217,000  
197162,231,00049,665,000  
197262,510,00050,001,000  
197363,147,00051,717,000  
197461,877,00051,679,000  
197560,655,00051,096,000  
197660,977,00051,565,000  
197761,495,00052,429,000  
197861,990,00053,990,000  
197962,223,00054,380,000  
198062,202,00054,676,000  
198161,431,00055,180,000  
198262,487,00056,261,000  
198362,645,00056,747,000  
198463,340,00057,574,000  
198562,766,00058,826,000  
198662,502,00058,925,000  
198762,826,00060,112,000  
198862,695,00061,474,000  
198962,649,00062,008,000  
199062,328,00062,635,000  
199160,687,00062,068,000  
199260,164,00062,160,000  
199359,812,00062,566,000  
199459,305,00062,295,000  
199558,193,00061,229,000  
199656,983,00060,798,000  
199756,728,00060,486,000  
199856,182,00060,066,000  
199955,979,00059,894,000  
200055,773,00059,421,000  
200155,578,00059,090,000  
200255,186,00058,780,000  
200355,185,00058,495,000  
200454,626,00057,754,000  
200553,345,00055,270,000  
200652,329,00053,179,000  
200750,742,00051,246,000  
200848,597,00049,115,000  
200945,653,00046,164,000  
2010  
201144,421,00048,510,000  
201243,433,00044,821,000  
201340,712,00043,292,000  
201440,420,00042,751,000  
2015  37,711,86040,955,458
2016  34,657,19937,801,888
2017  30,948,41933,971,695
2018  28,554,13730,817,351
2019  25,952,58427,389,866
2020  24,299,33325,785,036

Note: To determine totals for 2015 onward, researchers analyzed the year-over-year change in total weekday and Sunday circulation using AAM data and applied these percent changes to the previous year’s total. Only those daily U.S. newspapers that report to AAM are included. Affiliated publications are not included in the analysis. Weekday circulation only includes those publications reporting a Monday-Friday average. Comparisons are either between the three-month averages for the period ending Dec. 31 of the given year and the same period of the previous year (2015-2019) or between the six-month period ending Sept. 30 and the three-month period ending Sept. 30 of the previous year (2020).

Source: Editor & Publisher (through 2014); estimate based on Pew Research Center analysis of Alliance for Audited Media data (2015-2020).

PEW RESEARCH CENTER