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Big followings mean big opportunities for today's teenage stars.
Where the child actors of yesteryear required big names like Disney to boost their families into wealth, social media apps and platforms like YouTube and TikTok now serve as a way to secure riches, fame, and a healthy work-life balance outside of lending their young personas to Hollywood projects.
A 2023 Morning Consult report revealed that some 57% of Gen Z expressed a desire to become social media influencers, with media and entertainment becoming the leading industry that Gen Z wants to break into largely due to the creativity and flexibility these positions offer.
Creativity is overflowing among the wealthiest self-made teenagers. Whether it be through excellence in acting performances, utilization of social media platforms to stand out, or business opportunities presented in a unique way online, these teens are not content to follow the beaten path—and clearly, that discontent has paid off.
Stacker compiled a list of 15 of the richest self-made teenagers, ranked by their most recently available net worth—in 2024, for most teens. Those ranked were under age 20 as of June 10, 2024. If a net worth was only available as a range, the teen was ranked based on the low end of that range; a few were listed as unranked because consistent net worth estimates could not be found. The list is limited to teens who live or work in the U.S.
Read on to learn more about some of the richest self-made teens in the U.S. in 2024.
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- Net worth: Unknown
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Acting
While her net worth is unknown, Cailey Fleming made hundreds of thousands of dollars starring on AMC's "The Walking Dead," growing up in front of the camera as young Judith Grimes on the series. She's also appeared in the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" as Young Rey and on Disney+'s "Loki" as Young Sylvie.
- Net worth: Unknown
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Lemonade
Mikaila Ulmer's exact net worth is unknown, but she made an $11 million deal with Whole Foods back in 2016 and published a book in 2020, potentially putting her in line with her peers on the list. The young entrepreneur began a lemonade business in Austin, Texas, that has grown into a brand distributed among over 1,500 major retail locations. The mission behind her beverage company, Me & the Bees Lemonade, is sweet and simple: working to save bees from endangerment with the purchase of every bottle.
- Net worth: Unknown
- Age: 16
- Source of wealth: Acting
Like several other child stars on this list, Darby Camp got her big break on television by starring on HBO's "Big Little Lies." In 2022, she appeared on episodes of the TV miniseries "Gaslit" and in such films as 2021's "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and 2023's "The Slumber Party."
- Net worth: $1.2 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Social media
Donald "Donlad" Dougher is a YouTube star with half a million subscribers as of July 2024. On the platform, he posts lifestyle vlogs, prank videos, and viral challenges. The Californian describes himself as the "Richest Kid in America" and has achieved viral success by showing off his lifestyle and paid product promotions on his social media accounts.
The source of Dougher's income is unclear, though he's claimed publicly that he makes thousands of dollars per month through his social accounts and earns income from stock trading. In the U.S., children must have a guardian open a brokerage account for them. The YouTube personality hasn't posted much since 2022, when the stock market took a serious haircut.
- Net worth: $1.5 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Acting
Marsai Martin is perhaps best known for her role as Diane Johnson on ABC's hit comedy show "Black-ish." Her performance garnered critical acclaim and earned Martin accolades from the Image Awards and BET Awards. Martin is also Hollywood's youngest executive producer, thanks to her work on the 2019 film "Little," which she pitched and saw through not only to completion but financial success, with a box-office gross of almost $50 million.
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- Net worth: $2 million
- Age: 18
- Source of wealth: Acting
Like many other child stars in recent decades, Emmy-nominated McKenna Grace's promising acting career blossomed thanks to early roles with Disney. Grace has appeared on the hit Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale," in the Oscar-nominated Tonya Harding biopic "I, Tonya," the 2021 legacy sequel "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," and its follow-up, 2024's "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." She's cut her teeth in the film industry portraying young versions of A-list actors like Margot Robbie and Brie Larson.
- Net worth: $2 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Fashion design, media
Isabella Barrett is a self-styled millionaire teen designer who has participated in New York Fashion Week. She caught the public eye as a young girl on the TLC reality TV series "Toddlers & Tiaras." These days, Barrett runs the brand House of Barretti, where she designs suits for teenage girls.
- Net worth: $2.5 million
- Age: 15
- Source of wealth: Acting
Mia Talerico has barely started high school, yet the young actor is estimated to be worth over $1 million. Since getting her start on Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie" in 2010 as the younger version of the eponymous lead character, Talerico's parents helped manage her social media channels, where she plugs her personalized apparel.
- Net worth: $3 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Acting
Actor Noah Schnapp is perhaps best known for portraying Will Byers on the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things." Boasting nearly 23 million Instagram followers as of July 2024, Schnapp co-founded a snack food and beverage company called TBH, which stands for—you guessed it!—"to be honest." He and his "Stranger Things" co-star Millie Bobby Brown have collaborated to promote her cosmetics brand alongside his company, which mainly produces a chocolate spread that competes with Nutella.
- Net worth: $5 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Acting
Zackary Arthur is best known for stepping into a leading role on the television show "Chucky" before turning 18. Arthur's performance as Jake Wheeler earned him two nominations for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series at the Saturn Awards. It isn't Arthur's only role, though: He's also starred alongside Chloë Grace Moretz in 2016's "The 5th Wave" and acted on the Amazon Prime Video series "Transparent."
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- Net worth: $5 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Music
Steven "BabySantana" Lewis, also known as "tana," is a rapper and online personality from Columbus, Georgia. Born in 2006, tana started creating and posting music online to his YouTube account in 2018 when he was only 11. By 17, tana had signed to Republic Records and Galactic Records. Besides boasting 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, tana has been a supporting act on world tours and released two studio albums and several EPs.
- Net worth: $6 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Candy
At just 10 years old, Alina Morse began a candy company that made the teen a millionaire. The Michigan-based company Zolli Candy produces a sugar-free lollipop that became a bestseller on Amazon in 2013. Morse said she had the idea for the company when she realized she wanted to eat candy that wasn't bad for her. The name Zollipops is a play on the sugar replacement used to sweeten them, xylitol.
- Net worth: $6 million
- Age: 15
- Source of wealth: Acting
Iain Armitage is the face of the CBS original series "Young Sheldon," in which the teen portrays a younger version of Sheldon Cooper from the hit 2000s sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." The son of an actor and a theater producer, Armitage also has his own YouTube channel where he posts critiques of theater productions. The young star has even worked with entertainment critic Perez Hilton on the red carpet.
- Net worth: $12 million
- Age: 18
- Source of wealth: YouTube
Since his very first upload to YouTube over 12 years ago, Evan Moana—whose online alias is EvanTubeHD—has amassed over 7 million subscribers, not including those on his side channels, EvanTubeGaming and The Tube Family. Moana's mass appeal is largely due to his endearing personality, creative videos, and the inclusion of his family in all of his content. Despite his large following, in June 2024, Moana announced he was taking a break from YouTube to attend college in Los Angeles, where he is studying film writing.
- Net worth: $18 million
- Age: 14
- Source of wealth: Acting
Brooklynn Prince has established herself as a star on the rise ever since her breakthrough performance as Moonee in Sean Baker's 2017 hit film "The Florida Project," a performance given when Prince was only 7 years old. Since then, Prince has acted in projects like the blockbuster comedy "Cocaine Bear," the Paramount+ drama "Little Wing," and the Apple TV+ series "Home Before Dark." Prince has spoken publicly about her desire to become a film director as she gets older.
Additional writing by Sofia Voss. Story editing by Chris Compendio. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
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