YouTube Seasonal Earnings Guide: When US Creators Earn the Most (and Least)

YouTube CPMs in the US follow a remarkably consistent annual pattern driven by advertising budget cycles:

January: The worst month. CPMs drop 30-50% from December as advertisers reset annual budgets. Many companies have fiscal years starting January 1 and take weeks to allocate new budgets. A channel earning $5,000 in December might earn $2,500-$3,500 in January with identical views.

February-March: Gradual recovery. Valentine's Day and early spring campaigns begin. Tax preparation services advertise heavily (Tier 1 CPM boost for finance channels). CPMs climb to 80-90% of the annual average.

April-May: Above average. Tax season ends, spring retail campaigns launch. Mother's Day drives spending in gifting, beauty, and lifestyle niches. CPMs reach roughly the annual average.

June-July: Slightly above average. Summer product launches, travel advertising, and back-to-school prep begins. CPMs hold steady or dip slightly in late July.

August-September: Strong. Back-to-school is a major US advertising event. Tech launches (Apple, Samsung) boost tech niche CPMs. Retailers begin pre-holiday inventory pushes.

October-November: Rapid climb. Halloween, early holiday shopping, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday drive CPMs sharply upward. November CPMs are typically 20-40% above the annual average.

December: Peak. The first three weeks of December represent the highest CPMs of the year — often 40-60% above the annual average. CPMs drop sharply in the final week as campaigns end.

Based on aggregated data from creator reports and Statista digital advertising data, here is an approximate monthly multiplier relative to the annual average (1.0x = average month):

- January: 0.55-0.70x
- February: 0.75-0.85x
- March: 0.85-0.95x
- April: 0.95-1.05x
- May: 1.00-1.10x
- June: 0.95-1.05x
- July: 0.90-1.00x
- August: 1.00-1.10x
- September: 1.05-1.15x
- October: 1.10-1.25x
- November: 1.20-1.40x
- December: 1.40-1.60x

Example for a channel averaging $3,000/month:
- January earnings: ~$1,650-$2,100
- June earnings: ~$2,850-$3,150
- November earnings: ~$3,600-$4,200
- December earnings: ~$4,200-$4,800

The difference between January and December can be $2,000-$3,000 for a mid-size channel — solely from CPM variation, with no change in viewership. For a large channel earning an average of $20,000/month, December might bring $28,000-$32,000 while January brings $11,000-$14,000.

Strategic content planning can amplify the natural CPM advantage of high-spending periods:

Q4 strategy (October-December):
Save your best video ideas for Q4. Gift guides, year-end reviews, holiday-themed content, and product recommendations perform well AND coincide with peak CPMs. The combination of higher views and higher CPM can make Q4 worth 35-45% of annual revenue.

Finance creators should publish tax planning content in November-December, when CPMs are high and the topic is timely. Tech channels should align with holiday buying guides.

Q1 strategy (January-March):
Use this period for experimentation, evergreen content, and building your video library. Views may be similar to Q4 but earnings will be significantly lower. New Year's resolution content performs well in January (fitness, finance, productivity) and can partially offset the CPM dip.

Mid-year strategy (April-September):
Maintain your regular upload schedule. This is a good time for collaborations, channel growth initiatives, and building the audience that will watch your Q4 content. Summer travel and back-to-school content aligns with advertiser spending.

Budget planning tip: If you earn $50,000/year from YouTube, budget as if you earn $4,000/month (the average). But recognize that January might bring $2,500 while December brings $6,500. Avoid making financial commitments based on Q4 earnings.