Elon Musk makes $14.39 billion a year. This is based on his escalating net worth over the last ten years. But how did he earn all that money? And is it all in cash? Or is it tied up in company assets? Read on for the full answer.
Before we jump into his finances, let's get your finances on track. We've created multiple templates from budget trackers to debt payoff tools, but this is our favorite one 👇
The debt snowball or the debt avalanche? This template will give you answers 💡
This template is:
Compare which method works for YOU
Fully automated and beginner-friendly
Includes both, debt snowball and debt avalanche templates in one with all the features!
What is Elon Musk worth?
How we used different calculation methods to figure out how much he makes a year.
How to wrap your head around his immense wealth.
See related questions and answers:
How Much Does Elon Musk Make a Year
The quick answer—Elon Musk makes $14.39 billion per year. This is based on the net worth he amassed over the last decade that brought him to $146.5 billion in early 2023. Elon made $135 billion in 2020, and an additional $112 billion in 2021, reaching the peak of $320 billion at one point.
In January 2023, he became a Guinness World Record holder for the largest loss of personal fortune in history—he lost an estimated $182 billion since November 2021.
Not as wealthy as Elon Musk, but still looking for exclusive investments? We first recommend Crowdstreet who reported an 18.8% return as of late (detailed review here). If the $25,000 minimum investment is a bit too rich, then turn to the next best option, Yieldstreet.
Elon Musk: Net Worth, Age, and Other Key Facts
Let’s take a closer look at what the most famous billionaire makes in a year.
Elon Musk’s Profile:
FULL NAME | ELON REEVE MUSK |
|---|---|
Date of birth | June 28, 1971 |
Occupation | Investor; CEO of: Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, and others |
Net worth | $146.5 billion |
Yearly income (average) | $14.39 billion |
Income in 2021 | $112 billion |
Highest recorded net worth | $338 billion (May 11, 2021) |
Place of birth | Pretoria, South Africa |
Residence | Austin, Texas, USA |
Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA in Economics; BS in Physics) |
Family | Single; 10 children Parents: Errol and Maye Musk Siblings: Kimbal Musk, Tosca Musk |
Elon Musk’s yearly income: how we calculated it
We’ve decided to focus on averages.
1. Elon Musk’s average income (2013–2023)
Elon Musk first became a billionaire in 2012—ending the year with $2.6 billion and gracing the pages of Forbes Billionaires list for the first time.
At the time of writing, his net worth’s $146.5 billion. We know it’s not rocket science—but he’s been making $14.39 billion a year on average.
2. How Elon Musk’s net worth changed in the Pandemic
While the global COVID outbreak was disastrous for many of us, it was a blast for the filthy rich. Elon Musk raised his net worth by 1,000% in less than two years during the pandemic.
He made $135 billion in 2020, and an additional $112 billion in 2021—reaching unprecedented $338 billion at one point.
Visualizing Elon Musk and his net worth
It might be hard to grasp how much money Elon Musk actually has (human brains are notoriously bad at big numbers). So let’s simplify:
Elon Musk is so rich, his net worth is larger than the nominal GDP of 150+ countries—including Slovakia, Morocco, and Iceland.
Elon Musk is wealthy enough to end homelessness in America, and still have 90% of his fortune intact.
Elon Musk could end world hunger for the next five years.
Elon Musk’s net worth is so high he could buy 1.3 million of the most expensive Teslas (2023 Model S costs around $143,000 now).
He could “buy” Harvard, Yale, and Stanford—the top three American colleges by endowments.
Musk is richer than any fictional billionaire—including Scrooge McDuck, Tony Stark, and Jay Gatsby.
.jpg)
.jpg)
