As of the end of the January 2014 MRH issue release period (just before the Feb issue was released), MRH had 111,111 unique website visits for the duration of that issue and 28,605 subscribers as of Feb 3rd, the day before the Feb issue released.

Comparing MRH to the other top magazines in the hobby we have:

Model Railroader:
131,981 total paid circulation; 97,940, total paid subscriptions

Railroad Model Craftsman:
41,177 total paid circulation; 21,973 total paid subscriptions

Model Railroad Hobbyist:
73,333 total unique audience "circulation equivalent*"; 28,605 subscribers

This makes MRH the #2 magazine in the hobby. Our "circulation" is 78% larger than RMC, and our subscriber base is 30% larger than RMC. MRH has 56% of the circulation of MR and 29% of the subscriptions of MR.

*Estimated circulation equivalent for our eZine is computed from Monthly unique device views for the January issue:
111,111 unique device views for January issue ...
Then factoring out the 34% of our readers who told us in the 2013 reader survey they read MRH on multiple devices, then gives us:

111.111 x 0.66 = 73,333 total unique audience ("circulation equivalent")

MRH
Readership
Last year, 73,333 (De-dupe factor=66% of total unique device views: 111,111)
This year, 76,590 (De-dupe factor=65% of total unique device views: 117,831)
up 4.4%

Subscribers
Last year, 28,605
This year, 31,376
up 9.7%

Railroad Model Craftsman
Readership
Last year, 41,177
This year, 31,391 (includes 370 digital issues)
down 31%

Subscribers
Last year, 21,973
This year, 13,201
down 60%

Model Railroader
Readership
Last year, 131,981
This year, 125,108 (includes 9,501 digital issues)
down 6.2%

Subscribers
Last year, 97,940
This year, 93,598
down 4.4%

Comments: RMC going through its demise and rebirth caused the magazine to take an awful hit. I'm expecting it will make something of a comeback and experience positive growth in 2015.

Meanwhile MR continues its downward annual slide of -5% or so, while MRH is now growing more slowly than in past years at just over +4%.

Note: MRH unique device views de-dupe factor comes from reader surveys where we ask how many read MRH on more than one device, which means this is an estimate. The subscriber number comes from readers who give us their email address and opt-in to receiving weekly emails from us.

Emails that bounce or are otherwise dead get removed from the MRH subscriber number each week. Also, MRH subscribers can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link that's in each weekly email. The subscriber number is the current net active subscribers.

Joe, are there Jan or Feb 2015 numbers on circulation?
Alan

Joe, are there Jan or Feb 2015 numbers on circulation?
Alan

You're looking at it. The numbers posted in the previous post are from early Feb, which is always the high point of the year. The hobby is seasonal and the numbers always peak in the late winter. The numbers will drop off now through August when they bottom out and then they'll climb again to new peaks from Sep - Feb next year.

We always look at year-over-year numbers to see how we're doing and so far every year we've grown, unlike the paper magazines which have dropped 4-6% every year since 1993 when the Internet first became popular.

Interesting comments Joe. I recently picked up an issue of RMC and must say of print magazines I have seen it is very high quality paper and printing. Content is good but like all the print magazines just a page count it falls far below the MRH magazine. When you toss in the links to video on the computer MRH is far and away the best magazine. Add in the benefit of one of the best form venues I have seen anywhere and it is far superior to everything else.

As to the print magazines I am thinking of subscribing to RMC as it seems to be more to my interest than MR. After multiple offers from MR the last one coming in at less than two dollars per issue I renewed and still am not sure if it is worth it from a content standpoint. 

Suggestion, it would be nice if one could add a product review section to your monthly regulars. The news is great as are the tips etc and the layout visits when you get to do them. I know there are only so many layouts to visit but those are always welcome. The dcc section that Bruce does is always good. I imagine the work for the testing would be extensive but it would be nice to see in the best model railroading publication.

I would expect the MRH magazine will eventually surpass the others in circulation. The thing that holds it back now are the number of folks that do not have internet connections or computers. I talk to several folks that do not participate in the computer age yet and they are over 60 and not likely to change but suspect as folks get older and join the hobby many more will be bringing their computers. I suspect that is the growth for MRH and the decline of the others.

As I like to tell folks, we can only publish what we get. If you want more product reviews, send in one. Or two, or three.

If even 1% of those who read this sent in a product review, we'd be buried in product reviews we could publish.

,posts on them. (Free of charge) I am waiting on some Super-trees and Silfor items I could do.

While MR is good for beginner and intermediate modelers I find MRH to be much more geared towards high intermediate to expert. I use to read MR exclusively but now I find many of their articles repetitive and well under my expertise. But I have gained a lot more knowledge reading MRH and participating in the reader forums. Maybe thats why MRs circulation is dropping. More experienced modelers are finding other venues and the younger generation is more interested in running trains on computers than building something with their own hands.

We don't exactly have the funds to buy supplies. I get birthday and Christmas only if I am lucky. Many of our parents are against "wasting" space and money on this hobby and it really annoys me! So if you want to buy all the materials needed for a model railroad for the kids who can't go ahead. (I don't mean this rudely but in my opinion the digital ones have the advantage of: Space, Time and Money which I don't have) I model digitally but I really do like hands on also, many just don't get the chance.

Sorry if it sounded like I was knocking the younger generation. That was not my intent. I just suggested that because they are more tech savvy then us all fa**s, they prefer computer railroading to modeling. I'm sure there are many that are also modelers. Just doesn't seem like as many.