Educational publishing accounts for 31.28% of the publishing industry’s revenue as of 2022. While the educational segment bounced back from the terrible 2020, it’s still growing slower than the industry overall.
- As of 2022, educational books generated over $8.79 billion in sales revenue in the United States.
- Textbook sales grew by 9.46% compared to 2021, continuing the growth of this segment after the drop during the pandemic-affected 2020 calendar year.
- 2022 was the second-best year for educational sales over the past 10 years, trailing only $9.12 billion generated during 2014.
- Overall, educational book sales grew by 25.04%% over the last 5 years and 1.62% since 2013.
- Educational book sales are growing slower than book sales overall, as the publishing industry has grown by 11.3% over the last 5 years and 8.35% since 2013.
| Year | Educational books revenue ($ billion) | Growth |
| 2013 | $8.65 | |
| 2014 | $9.12 | 5.43% |
| 2015 | $8.64 | -5.26% |
| 2016 | $7.69 | -11.00% |
| 2017 | $7.65 | -0.52% |
| 2018 | $7.03 | -8.10% |
| 2019 | $7.68 | 9.25% |
| 2020 | $6.97 | -9.24% |
| 2021 | $8.03 | 15.21% |
| 2022 | $8.79 | 9.46% |
| 5-year growth | 25.04% | |
| 10-year growth | 1.62% |
- Educational book revenue accounted for 31.87% of the total publishing revenue in the United States in 2022, an increase from 28.24% a year before.
- Educational books had the biggest share in the publishing revenue in 2022 ever since 2014.
- Over the last 5 years, the share of the educational segment in the industry’s revenue grew by 16.53%.
| Year | Educational books revenue ($ billion) | Book industry revenue ($ billion) | Share of educational book sales |
| 2013 | $8.65 | $27.07 | 31.95% |
| 2014 | $9.23 | $27.96 | 33.02% |
| 2015 | $8.60 | $27.80 | 30.94% |
| 2016 | $7.60 | $26.27 | 28.92% |
| 2017 | $7.63 | $26.35 | 28.94% |
| 2018 | $6.95 | $25.41 | 27.35% |
| 2019 | $7.99 | $26.04 | 30.67% |
| 2020 | $6.85 | $26.11 | 26.22% |
| 2021 | $8.28 | $29.33 | 28.24% |
| 2022 | $8.96 | $28.10 | 31.87% |
| 5-year growth | 28.86% | 10.59% | 16.53% |
| 10-year growth | 3.54% | 3.80% | -0.25% |
PreK-12 book sales are on the rise within the educational sector, while higher-ed book sales have been declining over the last decade:
- In 2022, K-12 books generated $5.61 billion in revenue in the United States. This was a 16.63% increase compared to 2021, which also had a huge growth compared to 2020.
- Higher-ed book sales were at $3.18 billion in 2022, declining by 1.24% compared to 2021.
- Since 2019, K-12 textbooks have started generating more sales revenue than higher-ed textbooks in the United States.
- K-12 textbook sales have grown by 67.46% over the last years and 46.09% since 2013.
- At the same time, higher-ed book sales are declining – dropping by 13.59% over the last 5 years and over 33.89% since 2013.
| Year | K-12 sales revenue ($ billion) | K-12 growth | Higher-ed sales revenue ($ billion) | Higher-ed growth |
| 2013 | $3.84 | $4.81 | ||
| 2014 | $4.27 | 11.20% | $4.85 | 0.83% |
| 2015 | $4.11 | -3.75% | $4.53 | -6.60% |
| 2016 | $3.73 | -9.25% | $3.96 | -12.58% |
| 2017 | $3.64 | -2.41% | $4.01 | 1.26% |
| 2018 | $3.35 | -7.97% | $3.68 | -8.23% |
| 2019 | $4.38 | 30.75% | $3.30 | -10.33% |
| 2020 | $3.84 | -12.33% | $3.13 | -5.15% |
| 2021 | $4.81 | 25.26% | $3.22 | 2.88% |
| 2022 | $5.61 | 16.63% | $3.18 | -1.24% |
| 5-year growth | 67.46% | -13.59% | ||
| 10-year growth | 46.09% | -33.89% |
- As of 2022, preK-12 books account for 62.64% of the educational revenue in the US, while the share of college textbook revenue stands at 37.36%.
- For the first time over the last 10 years, K-12 books account for more than 60% of the educational revenue in the country. This is also the fourth year in a row where K-12 sales revenue represents the majority of the educational revenue in the US.
- Over the last 5 years, the share of K-12 book sales revenue in the educational segment increased by 29.96%, and the growth is over 41.10% over the last 10 years.
- On the other hand, the share of college book sales revenue in the educational segment declined by 27.87% over the last 5 years and more than 31% over the last 10 years.
| Year | K-12 share | K-12 growth | College share | College growth |
| 2013 | 44.39% | 55.61% | ||
| 2014 | 46.25% | 4.19% | 53.75% | -3.34% |
| 2015 | 47.78% | 3.30% | 52.22% | -2.84% |
| 2016 | 49.09% | 2.76% | 50.91% | -2.52% |
| 2017 | 47.73% | -2.78% | 52.27% | 2.68% |
| 2018 | 48.20% | 0.98% | 51.80% | -0.89% |
| 2019 | 54.84% | 13.77% | 45.16% | -12.81% |
| 2020 | 56.09% | 2.28% | 43.91% | -2.77% |
| 2021 | 58.07% | 3.54% | 41.93% | -4.53% |
| 2022 | 62.64% | 7.86% | 37.36% | -10.89% |
| 5-year growth | 29.96% | -27.87% | ||
| 10-year growth | 41.10% | -32.81% |
The price of textbooks over time
- Between 1977 and 2015, the cost of textbooks increased by over 1000%.
- Textbook costs rose 67% from 2008 to 2018.
- Hardcopy books can cost as much as $400.00, with the average price between $80 and $150.
- The price of textbooks increases by an average of 12% with each new edition but can cost up to 50% more.
- New editions come out every 3-4 years on average.
Who makes money from college textbooks?
- The average higher-ed textbook costs around $105.37.
- From the sales of the average college textbook:
- The publisher receives 66%, of which 7% is profit.
- The author receives 11.60% royalties.
- The campus store receives 22.40%, of which 4.50% is profit.
- McGraw-Hill’s profit margin is 25%, whereas Pearson’s is 10%
The impact of the price of textbooks on a student’s education
- Students purchase an average of 10 textbooks over an academic year
- 65% of students admit they have skipped buying a textbook because they are so expensive
- 90% of students believe not buying textbooks can have a serious impact on their grades
- 21% of students have skipped buying access codes to online textbooks and resources due to price
- Access codes also provide access to homework assignments and quizzes, meaning forgoing access codes directly impacts grades.
- 82% of students who have skipped a meal due to their financial situation have also skipped buying textbooks due to the cost
- 38% of students who have skipped a meal due to their financial situation have also admitted skipping access codes — almost twice as many as the national average of 21%
- 58% of college students share textbooks with friends
- 33% have used financial aid for their textbooks
- 19% of students have stated the cost of books has influenced their decision on what classes to take
- 71% of colleges believe new editions of textbooks are rarely justified