As Mr. Mag says, there are more publications out there than you think. Quite of few of the New Times weeklies will occasionally go up to 5,000 or sometimes more, as will the few truly independent alt. press weeklies out there. In the past the Chicago Reader has run stories above 10,000. The better regional magazines such as Texas Monthly, Los Angeles etc. regularly approach 10,000 words, as do the few remaining Sunday supplements. Some of the better literary quarterlies (New Letters, Creative Nonfiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, Southern Review, etc.) will often run nonfiction essays of more than 10,000 words.
All that being said, no question there are fewer publications willing to go long form now than 5, 10, or 15 years ago - but some on line outlets don't even blink at length.
With the pending cuts in ad pages looming due to this recession, however, look for all the above to cut back - way back - on magazine style stories of any length. When I broke in at Big City magazine a lifetime ago, every issue was 400-500 pages and they were desperate for content. Four years later, in a little mini-recession, they were down to about 150 pps. and wouldn't even return my calls.
Turnover for longform writers can be pretty dramatic. There are many many writers whose bylines I saw regularly ten years ago who I thought were bulletproof who can't get a story published today.
