TikTok RPM by Niche in the USA: 2026 Creativity Program Data

Based on creator reports and analysis from the TikTok creator community, here are approximate payment rates by content category for US-based qualified views:

Highest-paying niches ($0.80-$1.20+ per 1,000 qualified views):
- Personal finance and investing
- Business and entrepreneurship
- Technology reviews and tutorials
- Career advice and professional development
- Real estate

Mid-tier niches ($0.50-$0.80 per 1,000 qualified views):
- Education and study tips
- Health and wellness
- Cooking and food
- Travel
- Parenting and family
- Home improvement and DIY

Lower-paying niches ($0.30-$0.60 per 1,000 qualified views):
- Entertainment and comedy
- Dance and performance
- Gaming
- General lifestyle and vlogs
- Music and art

These rates are less well-documented than YouTube RPM because TikTok's Creativity Program is newer and TikTok does not provide niche-specific breakdowns in analytics. The data is aggregated from creator self-reports, so take individual figures with some margin of error.

The pattern mirrors YouTube's niche-based pricing for the same reason: advertisers pay more to reach audiences interested in high-value products and services.

While niche-based RPM differences exist on TikTok, they matter less to total income for several reasons:

TikTok's reach advantage offsets RPM differences:
A finance TikTok video might earn $1.00/1K views but reach 200K people. An entertainment TikTok video might earn $0.40/1K views but reach 2M people. The entertainment video earns more total ($800 vs $200) despite the lower per-view rate.

On YouTube, this dynamic is less pronounced because the algorithm does not push content as aggressively to non-subscribers.

Brand deals level the playing field:
Brand deal rates on TikTok are more influenced by follower count and engagement rate than by niche RPM. A comedy creator with 500K followers and 5% engagement rate commands $3,000-$5,000 per sponsored post — competitive with finance creators at the same audience size.

TikTok Shop transcends niche:
Affiliate commissions from TikTok Shop are based on product sales, not views. A creator in any niche can earn significant TikTok Shop income by promoting relevant products.

The strategic takeaway:
On YouTube, choosing a high-RPM niche is critical because ad revenue is the dominant income source. On TikTok, choosing a niche you can create consistently and build an engaged audience in matters more, because the income is more diversified across programs, brand deals, and e-commerce.

Even within a niche, creators can optimize their Creativity Program earnings:

Target US viewers specifically:
US-based qualified views pay more than international views. Post during US peak hours. Use US-specific references, examples, and contexts.

Optimize for qualified view conversion:
Not all views count as qualified. Maximize your qualified rate by creating videos that people watch from the For You page (not from search or profile visits) and that hold attention for the minimum watch threshold.

Create 1-3 minute content, not 60 seconds:
The Creativity Program rewards longer content because it generates more watch time. A 2-minute video that retains viewers earns more per view than a 1-minute video because TikTok factors in total engagement time.

Avoid copyright claims:
Using copyrighted audio without licensing can result in reduced distribution or demonetized views. Use TikTok's commercial music library or original audio.

Combine high-RPM topics with broad appeal:
A video about "5 tax deductions everyone misses" combines a high-RPM topic (finance) with broad appeal (everyone pays taxes). This approach gets high per-view earnings AND high total views.

Cross-niche content that pays well:
- "Money-saving" angles in any niche attract finance-adjacent ads
- "Productivity" angles attract business tool advertisers
- "Health" angles attract wellness and insurance advertisers
- Framing your content to touch high-CPM topics can boost your effective RPM

TikTok does not show RPM directly in creator analytics, but you can calculate it:

How to calculate your TikTok RPM:
1. Go to Creator tools > Creativity Program
2. Note your total earnings for a given period
3. Note your total qualified views for the same period
4. RPM = (Earnings / Qualified Views) x 1,000

Example: $350 earnings / 500,000 qualified views = $0.70 per 1,000 qualified views

Benchmarking:
- Below $0.40: Your content is in a low-paying category or your qualified view rate is low
- $0.40-$0.70: Average for most niches
- $0.70-$1.00: Above average, typical for educational and professional content
- Above $1.00: Excellent, typical for finance and business content

If your RPM is below your niche average:
- Check your qualified view percentage (if below 50%, work on retention)
- Verify your audience is primarily US-based (check analytics for viewer location)
- Ensure videos are over 1 minute (shorter videos earn $0 from the program)
- Review whether any videos are under community guidelines review (these earn nothing)

Monthly RPM tracking:
Build a simple spreadsheet tracking monthly earnings, qualified views, and calculated RPM. Look for trends over time. RPM should gradually increase as TikTok's ad business grows and you optimize content.