The rate table
Newspaper advertising rates, 2026
Tier by format by size. Published cells carry a wire credit; quote-only cells say quote-only, because an invented average would cost you real money.
One US national daily still publishes an open print rate card in 2026: The Wall Street Journal. Its card prices display space at $352.53 to $1,437.98 per column inch by edition. Every metro daily and local weekly we checked is quote-only, so this table marks those cells honestly and shows you how to fill them from a phone call.
Source: WSJ 2026 General Advertising Rate Card, Issue #92, effective Jan 1 2026, retrieved Jul 31, 2026.
How to read a rate cell
Display space is metered in column inches: one column wide, one inch tall. Multiply columns by inches for the space, then by the per-inch rate for the price. A standard broadsheet page is 6 columns by 21 inches, 126 column inches, which is exactly what the WSJ card’s own full-page figure divides back to. Classifieds meter per line per day; inserts meter per thousand copies (CPM). Open rate means the no-commitment price; contract rates sit 5 to 35 percent below it on the WSJ card’s published tiers.
| Size | Western Edition | National edition |
|---|---|---|
| Per column inch | $352.53 | $1,437.98 |
| 2x2 (4 col. in.) | $1,410.12 | $5,751.92 |
| Eighth page (15.75) | $5,552.35 | $22,648.19 |
| Quarter page (31.5) | $11,104.70 | $45,296.37 |
| Half page (63) | $22,209.39 | $90,592.74 |
| Full page (126) | $44,418.78 | $181,185 |
Source: WSJ 2026 General Advertising Rate Card, Issue #92, effective Jan 1 2026, retrieved Jul 31, 2026. Sub-page figures are straight arithmetic on the card's per-inch open rates; the card's own full-page national figure is shown directly. B&W prices 20% below color; 15% agency commission is built into gross rates.
| Seller | Print rate status | Where the price lives |
|---|---|---|
| The Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones) | Published card | Open rate card (PDF) |
| The New York Times | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| USA Today / Gannett (LocaliQ) | Quote-only | Consultation-based marketing services |
| The Washington Post | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Los Angeles Times | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Chicago Tribune (Tribune Publishing) | Quote-only | Self-serve portal (placeanad.chicagotribune.com) prices classifieds, obituaries, and legal notices inside the order flow |
| New York Post | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Gannett / USA Today Network | Quote-only | Quote-only across 200+ local titles |
| Lee Enterprises | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Hearst Newspapers | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Placement services (Mediabids class) | Quote-only | Marketplace and per-inquiry models: Mediabids runs per-call and per-lead print campaigns priced per campaign |
Source: Each seller's own advertising site (linked on its profile page), statuses verified, retrieved Jul 31, 2026. Click through for per-seller sourcing.
Fill the quote-only cells
Price your own combination
The estimator computes the sourced national range and does honest arithmetic on any rate a desk quotes you.
The Press Estimator: a cost range before you call the desk
Quote-only tier Quote-only tier: no major metro daily publishes an open print rate card in 2026. Enter the per-inch rate the ad desk quotes you below and the estimator will do the arithmetic.
Arithmetic on the rate you enter. For sourced context, the national tier above computes from the WSJ 2026 card, the only published national card on file.
How to read a full rate card, line by line.
The column inch, and the calculator that turns rates into prices.
Paper-by-paper profiles, with each desk’s process and posture.