What is Bernie Sanders’ net worth?

For decades, Bernie Sanders has built a political platform that advocates for taxing the extremely wealthy and rallies against the prominence of oligarchs in the U.S. government. More recently, this has culminated in Sanders’ ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour — a series of rallies co-hosted by the Vermont Senator and fellow progressive politician, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

The multi-date tour will take the pair to stops in Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada, and is said to be a gathering for those who are “who are profoundly disgusted with what is going on in Washington,” according to a promotional video shared on Sanders’ Instagram page. Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have been critical of Donald Trump’s affiliation with billionaires like Elon Musk, and have warned of the onset of an oligarchy as a result of the current administration. 

Naturally, the name of the tour as well as Sanders’ long-running advocacy against oligarchy and income inequality, has led to questions around Sanders’ own wealth, including his salary and net worth. 

Bernie Sanders amassed much of his wealth from his best-selling books. 

Bernie Sanders on how he earned his money: I sold lots of books on capitalism…pic.twitter.com/SODSN1lzPR

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) January 30, 2025

According to online sources, Bernie Sanders has an estimated net worth of $3 million as of 2025. Much of this is derived from Sanders’ book advances and royalties, since he has written or republished multiple books over the past decade. Forbes reported that according to his financial disclosures, Sanders made $2.5 million between 2011 and 2023 from book advances and royalties alone.

Within that time frame, the royalties have ranged from as much as $850,000 in 2017 to as little as $170,000 in 2022. Sanders addressed his high-earnings from his royalties in 2019, when the release of ten years of his tax returns confirmed his status as a millionaire. “I wrote a best-selling book,” he told The New York Times. “If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.” 

Bernie Sanders’ also earns a salary.

i love people still using the “bernie is a millionaire!” argument lol. he’s been making nearly $200k a year as a senator since 2007. are you able to do math

— kelbin (@pissboymcgee) February 20, 2020

In addition to his income streams as an author, Sanders also earns a salary as a U.S. Senator. The federal payroll for that position puts Sanders as earning $174,000 per year, but his political career didn’t always pay so handsomely. As Mayor of Burlington in the 1980s, Sanders reportedly earned just $33,700 per year, but that received a sizable bump when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1990s. 

At that time, Sanders was reportedly earning $96,000 per year, but that salary again grew to nearly double ($165,000) when he joined the U.S. Senate. In addition to his yearly salary, Sanders receives receives two pensions, from the U.S. Senate and from the city of Burlington, and has two joint bank accounts with his second wife, Jane O’Meara. The reported balances of those bank accounts have ranged between $15,001–$50,000 and $100,000–$250,000.

Bernie Sanders owns two homes.

WATCH: Socialist millionaire and professional politician Bernie Sanders lists his THREE HOUSES!

“I work in Washington—House 1.”

“Live in [Vermont]—House 2.”

“I do have a summer cabin—forgive me for that.” pic.twitter.com/CEPJi893Iu

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) February 20, 2020

Also contributing to Sanders net worth is his property ownership. As of 2024, Sanders and his wife own two properties in Vermont, with the first being a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath Burlington home that he purchased back in 2009. According to real-estate marketplace Zillow, that home is valued at around $699,000. In 2016, Sanders purchased a second property, a 4-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Champlain. He reportedly bought that home for $575,000, but according to Zillow, it appreciated to $909,000 in 2023.