Study reveals the average income and education levels of wrestling fans
A study done by Wrestlenomics last week revealed the average income and education levels of pro wrestling fans who watch weekly wrestling TV shows
Here are the median incomes found per show viewership:
AEW Dynamite with $61,500
AEW Rampage with $59,700
WWE RAW with $54,300
AEW Collision with $51,200
WWE NXT with $48,900
WWE Smackdown with $47,900
WOW with $42,800
NJPW with $41,700
IMPACT Wrestling with $37,600
Here is the percentage of college educated viewers for each show:
Rampage is 25% college graduates
Dynamite: 24%
Collision: 24%
Raw: 20%
NXT: 19%
Smackdown: 18%
Despite good viewership, FOX dropped WWE Smackdown because high level advertisers are not interested in buying ad space on wrestling shows due to low income and education levels among the viewership.
Exactly how did they come up with these numbers?
To get full access to the study (https://wrestlenomics.com/2023/12/05/audience-composition-income-and-education-demographics-for-wwe-aew-impact-new-japan-wow/), which would explain the methodology, you need to either sign up for a 7-day trial or subscribe to their Patreon. From the graph they posted on X, it looks like they relied on Nielsen data, which would mean it’s based on Nielsen households (and therefore in the United States) that watch wrestling.
For context, Forbes and Ziprecruiter both estimate average American individual income at just below $60k, or close to the Raw and Rampage figures. On the other hand, the Census Bureau estimates that about 37.7% of Americans have at least a bachelor’s degree (so, not including associate’s/community college degrees, trade certifications, etc.; I’m not sure if the same is true for the study but I assume so), so no show is exactly winning there.
This might be useful in aggregate, but at the micro level things become less clear. What does this say, for instance, about someone who watches both Dynamite and Smackdown regularly? Also, is the difference in education level from WWE to AEW significant or is it a margin-of-error thing, especially when differences in number of viewers are taken into account? (Using this site’s 2023 average ratings, for instance, the actual number of college-educated viewers is about 350k for Raw, 125k for NXT, 400k for Smackdown, 210k for Dynamite, 95k for Rampage and 120k for Collision.)
Sorry, I don’t get to dust off my number-nerd skills on here very often. 🙂 But apparently according to advertisers wrestling fans are too stupid to bother marketing to, so what do I know.