Salary
Average Salary: $100
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $4,175
Some YouTube personalities, like Let's Play king PewDiePie, make around 18 million a year just for being themselves (source). We're sorry to be the ones to break this to you, but you're (probably) not going to be one of them. No offense, we're sure you're great—your buddy Rick assures us that you're truly one bodacious dude—but the stars of statistics just aren't aligned in your favor. Not for you, and not for pretty much anyone else.
Sure, someone out there is going to make it, but if you want a realistic look at your chances, gaze no further than real deal "top-ten" YouTube personality Olga Kay. Olga's "salary" is often quoted as ranging between $100,000 and $300,000 a year. She's a prime example of someone making this whole professional YouTube thing work (source). While Olga may earn that much in gross revenue, that number was calculated before her costs.
You might be saying, "What costs? She just presses 'record.' Anyone can do that." Au contraire, faithful Shmooper. The first major cost for any YouTube personality is Google. They're taking 45% right off the top. Then you have editing costs, which in Olga's case are about $600 a week (source). Subtract from that about 25% going to the IRS and, boom, $200,000 becomes $56,500 in short order.
Of course, $56,500 is pretty good (especially for doing what you love), but remember: Olga has over 1,250,000 subscribers (source). That means each one of them is worth less than a nickel a year.