[2] Although an exact number for circulation is not published by the American Radio Relay League, the organization claimed 158,238 members at the end of 2021, almost all of whom receive the magazine monthly, in addition to issues delivered to libraries and newsstands.

In April 1917, the United States government, following its entrance into World War I, banned all amateur radio activities, and a large percentage of the magazine's subscribers had entered military service.

At a meeting in New York on March 29, a group that included Maxim, Tuska, and nine others decided to finance its return in this form and make a plea for membership and subscription renewals.

Finally, in July 1919, QST resumed its previous format, although amateurs were not permitted back on the air until that fall,[a] when a supplement to the October 1919 issue proclaimed “BAN OFF”.

Publication continued throughout World War II, despite amateur radio's repeated wartime hiatus by order of the U.S. government.