Measuring the metrics that matter
2025 Diocesan Publication Report
2025 Diocesan Publication Report
80% of Roman Catholic dioceses in America continue to produce a print publication for parishioners, reflecting a deep commitment on the part of bishops to communicate directly with their flocks. But how can diocesan leaders measure the value of these publications?
Two simple metrics can help bishop-publishers determine whether a magazine or newspaper fulfills its dual mission of communication and evangelization:
80% of Roman Catholic dioceses in America continue to produce a print publication for parishioners, reflecting a deep commitment on the part of bishops to communicate directly with their flocks. But how can diocesan leaders measure the value of these publications?
Two simple metrics can help bishop-publishers determine whether a magazine or newspaper fulfills its dual mission of communication and evangelization:
Magazines reach more Catholic households than newspapers.
Using data from The Official Catholic Directory, the Catholic Media Association, the US Religion Census, and FAITH Catholic’s proprietary research, Content Evangelist calculated the average reach — that is, the percentage of Catholic households in a diocese receiving a diocesan publication — as well as the average cost per household. While newspapers offer more issues per year, averaging 27 editions, their average reach is only 43 percent of Catholic households. Magazines publish fewer issues, averaging eight editions per year, but reach 65 percent of Catholic households. Moreover, only 14 percent of diocesan newspapers reach 100 percent of Catholic households, while 27 percent of all diocesan magazines reach every diocesan household.
Magazines from FAITH Catholic perform even better, with an average reach of 70% of Catholic households, and 30% reach every Catholic household in their diocese.
Households reached by the average diocesan newspaper: 43%
Households reached by the average diocesan magazine: 65%
The annual cost per household of a diocesan magazine is about 1/3 the annual cost of a diocesan newspaper.
Using national averages of 28,000 households and 27 issues per year for frequency, dioceses that publish newspapers spend an average of $24.05 per household. Those publishing magazines with FAITH Catholic, with an average circulation of 50,000 and an average frequency of eight issues per year, spend $8.07 per household. These average costs include everything from personnel costs, freelance fees, and photography, to production, printing, and postage.
Evangelization First
The obvious difference between the two print formats is frequency. Newspapers land in parishioners’ mailboxes more often than magazines, presumably to fulfill their news function. But the average diocesan newspaper’s annual cost-per-household is three times the cost of the average magazine from FAITH, and magazines from FAITH average 27% greater reach. If a bishop’s priority is evangelization, and considering most people consume news online rather than in print, a print magazine is a more cost effective way to reach a higher percentage of Catholics with evangelizing content. And since magazines have a longer shelf life than newspapers, they are more likely to be used by readers as tools for evangelization.
Top 15 Diocesan Publications by Circulation
The largest circulation diocesan print publication in the nation with the greatest reach is the Diocese of Cleveland’s quarterly magazine, Northeast Ohio Catholic, reaching 100 percent of 229,300 Catholic households. Twelve of the top 15 circulation diocesan publications in the nation are magazines.
| 1. | Diocese of Cleveland | Northeast Ohio Catholic | Magazine* | 229,300 |
| 2. | Archdiocese of Hartford | The Catholic Transcript | Magazine* | 166,000 |
| 3. | Archdiocese of St. Louis | Catholic St. Louis | Magazine* | 158,000 |
| 4. | Diocese of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Catholic | Magazine* | 156,000 |
| 5. | Archdiocese of Cincinnati | The Catholic Telegraph | Magazine | 133,000 |
| 6. | Archdiocese of Seattle | Northwest Catholic | Magazine | 111,000 |
| 7. | Diocese of Arlington | Arlington Catholic Herald | Newspaper | 110,000 |
| 8. | Diocese of Bridgeport | Fairfield County Catholic | Newspaper | 105,000 |
| 9. | Diocese of St. Petersburg | Gulf Coast Catholic | Magazine* | 100,000 |
| 10. | Diocese of Rochester | Catholic Courier | Newspaper | 90,857 |
| 11. | Diocese of Green Bay | On Mission | Magazine* | 90,000 |
| 12. | Archdiocese of Denver | Denver Catholic | Magazine | 83,872 |
| 13. | Diocese of Manchester | Parable | Magazine* | 81,000 |
| 14. | Diocese of Austin | Catholic Spirit | Magazine* | 81,000 |
| 15. | Diocese of Raleigh | NC Catholics | Magazine* | 81,000 |
*FAITH Catholic publishing partner
Total diocesan print publications
78 newspapers
65 magazines
Total diocesan print circulation: 5.3 million
Magazine Reach (all magazines)
Total number of diocesan magazines: 65
Total magazine circulation: 3,165,314
Average circulation: 49,000
Actual circulation (number of magazines in each segment):
- Under 10k: 3
- 10K - 25K: 23
- 26K - 50K: 18
- 51K - 100K: 14
- Over 100K: 7
Average frequency: 8x per year
Actual frequency (number of magazines in each segment):
- Quarterly: 16
- Bimonthly: 30
- Monthly: 17
- Semimonthly: 2
Average reach of Catholic households served by dioceses that publish magazines: 65%
Percentage of magazines that reach 100% of Catholic households: 27%
Percentage of magazines that reach 10% or fewer Catholic households: 6%
Newspaper Reach
Total number of diocesan newspapers: 78
Total diocesan newspaper circulation: 2,186,084
Average circulation: 28,000
Actual circulation (number of newspapers in each segment):
- Under 10k: 14
- 10K - 25K: 35
- 26K - 50K: 18
- 51K - 100K: 9
- Over 100K: 2
Average frequency: 27x per year
Actual frequency (number of newspapers in each segment):
- Fewer than once a month: 8
- About monthly: 16
- Twice a month: 31
- About weekly: 23
Average reach of Catholic households served by dioceses that publish newspapers: 43%
Percentage of newspapers that reach 100% of Catholic households: 14%
Percentage of newspapers that reach 10% or fewer of Catholic households: 27%
Publication cost per household
Magazine from FAITH
- 32-page magazine
- 8 times per year
- 50K households
- Total annual cost including production, printing, postage, personnel, freelancers, and photography: $403,460
Annual cost per household: $8.07
Average diocesan Newspaper
- 24-page newspaper
- 27 times per year
- 28K households
- Total annual cost including production, printing, postage, personnel, freelancers, and photography: $673,396
Annual cost per household: $24.05
Measure for measure
The average diocesan newspaper annual cost-per-household is three times the cost of the average magazine from FAITH, but magazines from FAITH reach almost thirty percent more households.