U.S. Magazine Industry - Statistics & Facts

Magazine retail sales have dropped from about 103 million in the end of 2014 to about 75 million by the end of 2016. Americans spent an average of 18 minutes reading magazines on a daily basis in 2010. This figure is forecast to decline to 15 minutes by 2018. Although the time spent with magazines is declining, the number of magazine readers in the U.S. has slightly increased since 2012. The number of magazines in the U.S. has also stayed fairly constant over the years, varying from around 7,100 to 7,300 since 2008.

The success of a magazine can be measured in a variety of ways such as circulation, digital replica circulation, revenue by platform, revenue, and annual growth. domino, an American home magazine, was the fastest growing magazine brand in the U.S. in 2016. Men’s magazine Esquire and women’s fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar are also among the list of fast growing magazine brands. ESPN The Magazine, a biweekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network, has the largest reach among popular magazines in the U.S. People Magazine has the second largest reach in the country, followed by Forbes. These leading magazines are also strengthening their presence on digital platforms. ESPN The Magazine is also the magazine with largest online audience in the U.S followed by Forbes in second place.

Although some magazines also showcase their content on digital platforms, print is projected to account for the majority of magazine advertising spending in the coming years. In 2018, print magazine advertising spending is forecast to amount to 15.23 billion U.S. dollars, while digital magazine ad spend is expected to stand at 4.34 billion U.S. dollars during the same period. In total, about 12.5 billion U.S. dollars were invested in consumer magazine advertising in the U.S. in 2016. Amongst all mediums, only outdoor has a lower ad spend in the country than consumer magazines. In regards to ad spend, cosmetics French company L'Oréal was the leading magazine advertiser in the U.S. in 2015. That year, L'Oréal spent 725.9 million U.S. dollars on magazine ads. Procter &Gamble, ranked second, spent about 540 million U.S. dollars on magazine advertising. Other leading magazine advertisers include pharmaceutical company Pfizer, fashion and luxury powerhouse, Louis Vuitton, and consumer goods manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.