This scatter plot displays the annual circulation data for all magazines associated with the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) in 2012, which is the most recent publically available data. The x-axis represents subscriptions, and the y-axis, single copy sales. The inset bar graph identifies the ten companies that spent the most money on advertisements in those magazines; ad data are from 2013.

Some magazine subscriptions (including both AARP publications) are included when you have a membership with an association. As such, those subscription numbers are likely much higher than if the publication were separately purchased.

Aside from the AARP magazines, Game Informer, Better Homes and Gardens, and Reader’s Digest are the top three for subscriptions. Cosmopolitan, Woman’s World, First for Women, and People are by far the most purchased off the newsstand.

Procter & Gamble and L’Oreal spend the most on advertising; together, they paid just over $1.9 billion. This is more than the sum from the next seven highest contributors. It would be interesting to see the advertising data broken down by magazine (e.g., how much does Pfizer advertise in AARP; does L’Oreal ever push makeup in Game Informer?), but those numbers are for AAM members only.

Data source: http://www.magazine.org/insights-resources/research-publications/trends-data/magazine-industry-facts-data