The record
Newspaper advertising statistics, with vintages
This page states fewer numbers than its competitors and dates every one. That is the point of it.
Three facts define the 2026 market for a buyer. Print circulation has declined every year for two decades (Pew’s fact sheet tracks the slide). Audited numbers are the only circulation numbers worth pricing against (AAM audits them). And the one paper still publishing a national rate card restated its US print circulation to 412,428 in that card, which tells you how honest sellers now size the product.
Source: Pew Research Center, Newspapers Fact Sheet, retrieved Jul 31, 2026.
| Fact | Figure | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| WSJ US print circulation | 412,428 | Sept 2025 AAM, restated in the WSJ 2026 card |
| WSJ national open rate | $1,437.98 / col. inch (color) | WSJ 2026 card, Issue #92, effective Jan 1 2026 |
| Direction of US print circulation | Down, year over year, two decades | Pew Research Center Newspapers Fact Sheet |
| Direction of print ad revenue | Down; digital share rising within the industry total | Pew Research Center Newspapers Fact Sheet |
| Who audits circulation | AAM (Alliance for Audited Media) | auditedmedia.com, ongoing |
Source: WSJ 2026 General Advertising Rate Card, Issue #92, effective Jan 1 2026, retrieved Jul 31, 2026. Precise Pew series values change with each fact-sheet revision; read them live at the source rather than trusting any site's frozen copy, including ours.
Why a shrinking audience cuts your price
Ad rates are ultimately rent on attention. When circulation falls and the rate card does not, the real price per reader rises, and desks know advertisers can do that division. The result is the negotiability this site documents throughout: published contract tiers (5 to 35 percent off open on the WSJ card), soft open rates at metro desks, remnant programs, and reps with quarterly targets. Decline is bad news for the industry and leverage for you; the negotiation page turns it into scripts.
How to read a circulation claim
Ask three questions: Is it audited (AAM) or self-reported? Is it print, digital, or blended? What is the vintage? A rep quoting “readership” (readers per copy times circulation) is quoting the most optimistic multiplier in the building.
Source: Alliance for Audited Media, retrieved Jul 31, 2026.
Where the recycled numbers come from
Most “newspaper statistics” pages recycle figures whose vintage died years ago; our cost guide teardown documents the two most-recycled ones. When a number has no date attached, treat it as decoration.
Deeper
The rest of the record
Who still reads, by age and income: readership demographics. Whether it works: the effectiveness evidence. What ads look like when it does: annotated examples.