In 2021, the average weekday print circulation of The New York Times was approximately 343 thousand copies. This marks a significant drop from over 1.3 million a decade earlier and continues the downward trend which has been evident for the last few years. In 2014, the company ceased publishing its figures based on weekday circulation for print, online, and other digital platforms, and published only its print circulation.
The New York Times
The New York Times was founded in 1851 and has been a household name in the United States for decades. The newspaper has adapted well to changes in the media industry, and between the final quarters of 2014 and 2020, paid subscribers to The New York Times’ digital only news product increased from 910 thousand to over five million. The New York Times is also one of the world’s leading podcast publishers, with unique streams and downloads of the company’s podcasts reaching tens and sometimes even hundreds of millions per month.
Popularity and reliability
As one of the most popular news websites in the United States, the NYT has been known to achieve 70 million unique monthly visitors, outperforming the likes of NBC News, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. That said, like many news publications, The New York Times has been the subject of controversy over the years. From accusations of liberal bias to its hiring practices, the newspaper has faced challenges regarding not only its published content but also its employees. In spite of this, just 15 percent of respondents to a survey seriously doubted the credibility of The New York Times, with most finding the publication to be a reliable source.
Average paid and verified weekday circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021
(in 1,000 copies)
includes paid and verified circulation of the newspaper in print, online and on other digital platforms until 2013, all following years are print only
Supplementary notes
*Figures for 2014 to 2021 include paid and verified circulation of the newspaper in print only. In The New York Times' 2013 Annual Report, the company presented its weekday circulation figure thus:
'For the fiscal year ended December 29, 2013, The Times’s average circulation, which includes paid and verified circulation of the newspaper in print, online and through other digital platforms, was 1,926,800 for weekday (Mon. - Fri.)'.
A notable drop can be seen between 2013 and 2014. Whilst The New York Times does not give a precise explanation for why its reporting changed, the 2014 Annual Report simply states:
'For the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014, The Times’s average print circulation (which includes paid and
qualified circulation of the newspaper in print) was approximately 648,900 for weekday (Monday to Friday)', thus omitting 'paid and verified circulation online and on other digital platforms' as referred to in the 2013 report and all preceding reports.
Figures prior to that given for the current year come from previous reports.
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New York Times. (March 10, 2022). Average paid and verified weekday circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021 (in 1,000 copies) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/273503/average-paid-weekday-circulation-of-the-new-york-times/
New York Times. "Average paid and verified weekday circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021 (in 1,000 copies)." Chart. March 10, 2022. Statista. Accessed May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273503/average-paid-weekday-circulation-of-the-new-york-times/
New York Times. (2022). Average paid and verified weekday circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021 (in 1,000 copies). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 22, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273503/average-paid-weekday-circulation-of-the-new-york-times/
New York Times. "Average Paid and Verified Weekday Circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021 (in 1,000 Copies)." Statista, Statista Inc., 10 Mar 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/273503/average-paid-weekday-circulation-of-the-new-york-times/
New York Times, Average paid and verified weekday circulation of The New York Times from 2000 to 2021 (in 1,000 copies) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/273503/average-paid-weekday-circulation-of-the-new-york-times/ (last visited May 22, 2022)
