The Wall Street Journal tops US newspaper circulation ranking

The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, has topped the list of the most-circulated newspapers in America with a reported average circulation of 2,096,169 copies on weekdays.

Taking the second spot is USA Today with an average circulation of 1,784,242 per weekday. The New York Times took the third spot with 1,150,589 weekday copies circulated and 1,645,152 circulated on Sundays. The Daily News of New York landed in fourth place with 605,677 copies on a weekday, which includes 4,580 branded editions and 667,638 on a Sunday (of which 746 are branded editions). The Los Angeles Times ranked No.5 with 572,998 weekday copies and 905,920 copies circulated on Sundays. Other US newspapers that made it to the top 10 most-circulated papers include the San Jose Mercury News, New York Post, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News. The list of the top 25 US newspapers with their corresponding circulation numbers from April to September can be viewed here. Declining newspaper circulation in recent years has forced publishers to close print editions and switch to online editions to save on cost due to declining advertising revenue. The continued decline in print circulation is largely due to changes in consumer reading habits which have been influenced by free online news. Early this year, the New York Times announced it generated more than 100,000 paid subscribers. The New York Times' new subscription plan was launched amid opposition from those at one of the most popular news organizations in the world.