Display Ad RPM by Niche in 2026: What Publishers Actually Earn
Across 2025–2026 publisher data, display RPMs range from $2–6 per thousand sessions in gaming up to $15–40 in personal finance. Network choice compounds the gap: AdSense pays roughly $3–12 RPM while Mediavine ($15–40) and Raptive ($18–50+) require 50K–100K monthly traffic.
What RPM should a publisher expect?
Revenue per thousand sessions (RPM) varies enormously by topic. Aggregated data from 450+ blogs on major ad networks between January 2025 and March 2026:
| Niche | Typical RPM range | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|
| Personal finance / investing | $15–40 | $55+ |
| Tech / SaaS / hosting | $12–35 | $48+ |
| Health & wellness | $10–28 | $40+ |
| Food / recipes | $8–20 | $30+ |
| Travel | $6–18 | $25+ |
| Pets | $5–14 | $20+ |
| Entertainment / celebrity | $3–7 | — |
| Gaming | $2–6 | — |
Geography matters as much as topic: traffic from outside the US, UK, Canada and Australia typically earns 50–80% lower RPMs.
Ad network tiers change the math
The same page earns very differently depending on the network serving it. AdSense (no traffic minimum) typically pays $3–12 RPM. Ezoic (about 10K sessions minimum) runs $8–20. Mediavine requires 50,000 sessions in the last 30 days and pays $15–40+. Raptive's threshold is around 100,000 pageviews with RPMs of $18–50+. For a growing site, crossing the Mediavine threshold is effectively a built-in revenue step-change.
Two caveats worth taking seriously
First, these are operator-survey and aggregation figures, not audited data — treat them as ranges, and expect Q4 RPMs to run 40–80% above Q1 due to advertiser seasonality. Second, Google retired session metrics from AdSense reporting in September 2025, so cross-network RPM comparisons increasingly rely on each platform's own session definition.
Frequently asked questions
- What niche has the highest display ad RPM?
- Personal finance and investing consistently top the tables at $15–40 RPM with the best performers exceeding $55, driven by banks, insurance and trading-app advertisers. Tech and SaaS follow at $12–35 RPM.
- What traffic do you need for Mediavine or Raptive?
- Mediavine requires 50,000 sessions in the trailing 30 days; Raptive's commonly cited threshold is around 100,000 monthly pageviews. Below those levels, AdSense (no minimum) and Ezoic (about 10,000 sessions) are the realistic options.
- Why is my RPM lower than these benchmarks?
- The two most common reasons are geography and seasonality. Non-US/UK/CA/AU traffic typically earns 50–80% less, and Q1 RPMs run far below Q4 peaks. Ad density, viewability and niche advertiser demand account for most of the rest.