In early November, Skate Bylines published the Skateboarding Media Demographics survey designed to account for the experiences of those whose output contribute to journalistic coverage of skateboarding or work in skateboarding media. In doing so, Skate Bylines seeks to understand who contributes to skateboarding’s publishing landscape and gain insight as to where there is room for growth in terms of regional, class, age and gender representation.
So far, nearly 100 people have completed the survey and the responses have been insightful and resounding.
If you’re one of those who completed the survey, you have our thanks. But if you work in skateboarding media and are yet to do so, or are only just discovering it, you can find it here.
A month into conducing this research, we wanted to share a few of the interesting findings so far:
— The majority of people working in skateboarding media are aged 31 – 50. Those under age 30 account for less than 20% of contributors to the media landscape.
— The majority people working in skateboarding media earn only a quarter (1/4) or less of their annual income from skateboarding.
— The lowest amount of money people have been paid to produce skateboarding media ranges from $0 – $100 for writing, photographs, footage and design work. The highest common figure across various creative disciplines is $10,000.
— The most common role in skateboarding media is as a journalist or writer, followed by photographer or videographer. Marketing and/or communications roles are also common and actually double the number of people working in arts or design.
— Occupations outside of roles in skateboarding media are diverse and include people in positions of: accountant, architect, barista, bartender, construction worker, data analyst, director of photography, lawyer, librarian, teacher (from high school to university level), and more.
— Although gender diversity has grown in skateboarding’s sponsored ranks over the past decade, the media landscape has a long way to go. Less 10% of the skateboarding media contributors are female.
We’ve had responses from contributors to almost all major skateboarding publications including Thrasher, Quartersnacks, Free Skate Mag, Jenkem, Vague and Skate Jawn as well as upstart, notable, niche and regional publishers including Village Psychic, Closer, The Skateboarder’s Companion, PLANK and 2001.
There has also been a wide range of input from people working in the media output of skate brands across footwear, clothing and hardgoods, namely: Supreme, Nike SB, Vans, Converse, New Balance Numeric, Asics, Quasi, HUF, Deluxe, Polar, Pass~Port and more.
Please note, these findings are only representative of participants from November – December 2025 and do not reflect the full scope of the survey, which is ongoing.
Skate Bylines aims publish a completed report within Q1 of 2026.
