Print circulation at the largest U.S. newspapers dropped sharply over the past year, with average daily circulation falling 12.5% through September 2025, according to new data from Alliance for Audited Media.
The decline was widespread, with only one of the top 25 newspapers posting a year-over-year increase in print circulation. The data, provided to Press Gazette, does not fully capture digital subscriptions, and AAM noted it introduced new digital reporting standards in February 2026.
Among major papers, The Washington Post saw the steepest drop, with print circulation falling 21.2% to 87,576 in the six months ending September 30, 2025. The decline came amid significant subscription cancellations tied in part to editorial decisions during the presidential race. Los Angeles Times recorded the second-largest decrease, down 19.8% to 63,492.
The period also coincided with major cost-cutting at The Washington Post, including workforce reductions in 2025 and layoffs exceeding 300 journalists in early 2026, according to The New York Times.
Overall, the newspapers analyzed averaged 1.74 million daily print copies during the six-month period, down from 1.97 million in 2023—a decline of 11.7%. The figures include publications such as the Tampa Bay Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, which publish limited weekly print editions.
Top-circulation papers also posted declines. The Wall Street Journal remained the largest but fell 12.9% to 412,428, followed by The New York Times, down 8.6% to 228,755, and the New York Post, down 4.2% to 117,037.
The only paper to buck the trend was The Villages Daily Sun in Florida, which saw print circulation rise 4.2% to 48,716.