The creator economy may be booming, but most creators aren’t seeing the cash. A report from CreatorIQ published Wednesday found that brand and agency investment in creator marketing increased 171% year-over-year — an increase that was more than the last four years combined. But while that growth has happened, only the top ranked creators have reaped the rewards.
CreatorIQ partnered with Sapio Research to survey 300 creators. Out of those respondents, the average creator reported earning $44,293 over the past year. Only 11% of surveyed creators reported earning a six-figure income from their work.
This wealth disparity translates to the specific deals creators are making. In an additional study that featured 14,400 creators, CreatorIQ found that when it came to campaigns with direct payments in 2025, creators earned an average of $11,400 per campaign. However, the median creator only earned $3,000 per campaign. This shows that a small percentage of creators still capture a disproportionate amount of the total spend into the creator economy.
CreatorIQ also found that the top 10% of creators received 62% of the total volume of creator payments. While this disparity was taking place, total dollars paid to creators increased by 59% in 2025 and the number of creators participating in campaigns grew by 183%.
Frustration over brand deals was also one of the most common creator complaints. When asked what the greatest barriers to their success were, 18% of those surveyed listed “Platform algorithm changes or volatility.” That was followed by 17% of creators citing “Lack of consistent brand deals” as a major challenge and 16% listing “Low pay or undervaluation of creator content.”
Further emphasizing these struggles, CreatorIQ’s report emphasized how beneficial the creator ecosystem has been for brands. From January through August of 2025, Fortune 100 brands published 77,000 posts on their own channels across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. During that same period, creators produced 2.5 million posts featuring these brands, generating 33 times more content as well as 11 times as many impressions and 14 times as many engagements.
The report also shined a light on how the creator economy has evolved to become more collaborative. Overall, 62% of creators said they worked with operational support, while 38% said they worked alone. For those who worked with others, 12% worked with one or more full-time employees, 17% worked with one or more part-time freelancers and 33% outsourced specific tasks like video editing or copywriting.
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