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By the Numbers: Community Newspapers

1,408

Number of daily newspapers

7,000-plus

Number of nondaily community newspapers

70.3

Percentage of nondaily community newspapers with circulation less than 15,000

8,125

Average circulation of nondaily community newspapers

34,515

Average circulation of daily newspapers

150 million

Weekly readership of nondaily community newspapers

38.95

Average number of minutes spent with each edition of the local community newspaper

73

Percentage of community newspaper readers who read all or most of their weekly publication. Local news is the most frequently read topic among those readers.

65

Percentage of community newspaper readers who say newspaper ads are influential in making purchasing decisions

81

Percentage of community newspaper readers who read classified advertising

51.8 

Percentage of community newspaper readers who rely solely on the community newspaper for local news

71

Percentage of community newspaper readers who believe their newspaper’s accuracy is good to excellent

75

Percentage of community newspaper readers who believe their newspaper’s coverage of local news is good to excellent

Sources: National Newspaper Association database 2010; Editor & Publisher; NNA/Reynolds Journalism Institute annual readership research