How Senator Bernie Sanders Made His Millions
Bernie Sanders, an American politician born Sept. 8, 1941, is a U.S. Senator from Vermont who has served since 2006. He is the longest-standing independent in Congressional history and has made two bids for the Democratic Party’s nomination for U.S. President: in 2016 and 2020.
Prior to becoming a senator, Sanders represented Vermont as its sole Congressman in the House of Representatives for 16 years. And before his career in Congress, he was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981-1989.
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Besides his political career, Sanders has also authored a number of books. Here’s more on how Senator Bernie Sanders made his millions.
What Is Bernie Sanders’ Net Worth?
If you’re thinking Bernie Sanders has tens of millions of dollars in the bank, you’d be mistaken. Instead, the senator has a net worth of $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Still, that’s enough to qualify him as a millionaire a few times over.
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What Bernie Sanders Makes as a Senator
Bernie Sanders’ salary as a senator is $174,000 per year. His salary has remained unchanged since 2009. Over the past 17 years as senator, he has earned $2.96 million.
What Bernie Sanders Made as a Congressman
Sanders was a representative — also known as a congressman — for Vermont from 1991 to 2007, or for 16 years. His salary ranged from a low of $125,100 in 1991 to a high of $165,200 in 2007. During that time, he earned $2.44 million overall from his annual salaries.
What Bernie Sanders Earns via Public Speaking Appearances
It’s no secret that Sanders has voiced his distaste for political figures who make big bucks from public speaking appearances, and it’s safe to say that he hasn’t made millions doing so. Even so, Sanders has been paid for public speaking engagements.
However, the reported amount of $1,867.42 he earned for three separate speaking appearances in 2015 pales in comparison to the $675,000 Hillary Clinton was paid by Goldman Sachs for three speeches that same year.
What Bernie Sanders Has Made From His Book Deals
Sanders has raked in $2.5 million in book payments since 2011, according to Forbes. That’s an average of $227,273 per year. It’s evident that writing and selling books has contributed greatly to his current net worth.
But some years must be better than others. According to recent financial disclosure forms, Sanders received $170,000 in royalties from Penguin Random House in 2022. Even so, that royalty amount is close to being a match for the $174,000 Senate salary he earns for representing Vermont. Other examples of his book payment earnings include an additional $170,000 in royalties from Penguin Random House in 2020 and $391,000 in royalties from MacMillan in 2018.
Bernie Sanders’ Real Estate Holdings
At one time, Sanders owned three homes, but now it appears he owns only two.
The main residence of Sanders and his wife is 221 Van Patten Parkway, in Burlington, Vermont, which he purchased in 2009. The value of the property is currently estimated at $708,100 according to Zillow. However, Sanders’ most recent financial disclosure states that he has a mortgage between $250,001-$500,000, which may or may not be for this home.
In 2007, Sanders purchased a one-bedroom townhouse at 311 4th St. NE, in Washington, D.C., which is an address just blocks from the Capitol. However, this property, which is now estimated to be worth $612,200, is reported as being sold for $422,000 on April 20, 2021, so it appears that Sanders no longer owns it.
In 2016, Sanders bought a four-bedroom lakefront cabin at 310 Stone Gate Lane, in North Hero, Vermont. He still owns this property, which is estimated to be worth $929,800 on Zillow.
Sanders’ Investments and Retirement Funds
When it comes to Sanders’ investments and retirement funds, he has a modest pension from his time as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, which was reported on his most recent financial disclosure form as $5,752.68 for the year. He did not disclose any stocks and bonds in his name — only his wife’s.
However, he does have two joint bank accounts — one that earns dividends and one that earns interest. One has a balance between $15,001-$50,000, and the other has a balance between $100,001-$250,000.
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