Neil deGrasse Tyson’s net worth is $5 million. The American scientist earned his fortune from different avenues, working as an astrophysicist, lecturer, researcher, author, science communicator, and actor.
Neil started making money as early as age 15 when the then-teenager started lecturing people about astrology. After he completed his master’s degree, the blossoming astrophysicist went into full lecturing and became a researcher. He then went on to work for A-list organizations like the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City and got into the movies, TV series, radio and TV hosting, podcasting, and more.
How Much Money Did Neil deGrasse Tyson Make?
Neil deGrasse Tyson has made a fortune through his multi-faceted career. At the last check, his net worth was pegged at a tidy $5 million. His fortune accrued from an annual remuneration of $500k, which has been appreciating as the years rolled by.
Major Sources of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Net Worth and Income
Neil earns his keep from diverse sources. He is a certified astrophysicist, an accomplished author, a celebrated science communicator, a respected lecturer, and an acclaimed actor.
Apart from the aforementioned, the astrophysicist has worked in different prestigious organizations where he held exulted positions. He has also handled a lot of governmental jobs through special appointments. His social media handles have proved to be quite successful, with millions of followers, and that is another major income source for Neil.
Neil Started Earning Income from an Early Stage
Right from his formative years, Neil deGrasse Tyson was already displaying interest in astronomy, and by the time he attained 15 years of age, the American scientist was already knowledgeable in the field. Thus, he started giving astronomy lectures. Needless to say, he was earning some change from his early teaching efforts, though it was not much.
When the time came for Neil to proceed with higher academic qualifications, he chose to join Harvard against the advice of famed astronomer Carl Sagan who did his best to convince the then-teenager to attend Cornell University.
In 1980, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in physics and proceeded to the University of Texas at Austin; he completed his master’s in astronomy in 1983. Following this, Neil rekindled his lecturing career, and his services were employed by the University of Maryland in 1986, a position he maintained for the ensuing year; Neil left his lecturing job in 1987.
One year later, in 1988, Neil deGrasse Tyson got into Columbia University to complete his astronomy graduate program, graduating with MPhil in 1989; his major was astrophysics.
At this point in his career life, the astronaut was already associated with NASA and ARCS, and through their foundation, he was able to secure enough funds for his doctoral thesis while completing his Ph.D. Professor R. Michael Rich played a huge role in securing the funds for Neil.
With the funding he got, the doctoral student was able to attend important international meetings in different parts of the world, including Europe, South Africa, and South America. The money he got also made it possible for Neil to hire the services of students who did an extensive job for him on data reduction.
By the time he completed his Ph.D. studies in astrophysics in 1991, Neil deGrasse Tyson acquired a great understanding of Type 1a Supernovas, leading to the enhanced measurement accuracy of what is referred to as the Hubble constant as well as dark matter.
With his academic journey done and dusted, the Astrologist continued earning his keep as a professor and researcher at several other universities, including Princeton University. He quickly gained recognition for his achievement in astrophysics. Neil is gifted with an unusual ability to understand and explain complex scientific concepts in a manner that will be comprehensible to a general audience.
Even after he attained the height of his career as an astronaut, the Harvard alum still engages in research. He is currently with the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Physics as one of their research associates.
He is best known as an Astrophysicist
From the education field, Neil deGrasse Tyson went on to launch a professional career as an astrophysicist. Luck smiled on the scientist when the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City hired his services to work at Hayden Planetarium. Neil started with the organization in 1994 in his capacity as a staff scientist and rose through the ranks very fast.
He was barely one year at Hayden Planetarium when his status was elevated to the rank of acting Director in 1995. Neil’s good luck streak continued in 1996 as the Harvard alum was finally pronounced the director of the Hayden Planetarium.
During Neil’s tenure as a director, he took charge of overseeing the organization’s $210 million dollar reconstruction project. He did excellent work with the project, which came to a conclusion in 2000.
It is worthy of note that the Rose Center for Earth and Space is connected to the American Museum of Natural History, where Neil functions as a research associate and established its Department of Astrophysics, which came into existence in 1997.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is currently rated the fifth head of the renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York. He is equally the initial occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship.
The globally famous astronaut is also associated with the Planetary Society, where he has served in different capacities as the president, vice president, and board chairman. All these positions are high-end jobs that rake in handsome remunerations, and it is not surprising that they are credited for contributing a huge portion of Neil’s bank balance.
Neil Also Makes Money as a TV Host
Neil deGrasse Tyson kick-started his career on television as a host in 2004 when he hosted Origins – PBS Nova’s four-part series. In 2009, he also was back on PBS narrating the documentary entitled 400 Years of the Telescope. He has worked with the History Channel, regularly appearing on the set of its popular series, “The Universe.”
Between 2006 to 2011, Neil hosted the NOVA ScienceNow – a popular documentary on TV. In 2014, National Geography Channel turned the show into a late-night talk show.
Neil recorded a lot of keynote speaker appearances, including his presence at occasions and events like film festivals. He was later mandated to resurrect The Cosmos: A Personal Voyage – a defunct iconic series previously hosted by Carl Sagan. He completed the job in 2014 when the groundbreaking series entitled, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” finally hit the airwaves.
The program was quite interesting, airing on both National Geographical Channel and Fox. After hosting the first season, which comprised 13 episodes, Neil deGrasse Tyson said he may not be opportune to host season two. However, he returned on the 9th of March 2020 to host the follow-up season called Cosmos: Possible Worlds.
His weekly podcast called StarTalk, which evolved into a radio show, also became a late-night show on National Geographic Channel. On the set of the show, which took off on the 20th of April 2015, we saw Neil interviewing A-list pop culture celebs on issues like science and their individual life experiences.
Movies and TV Series Also Contribute to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Net Worth
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one American scientist that is blessed with versatility. It is glaring that educational series and television documentaries are his forte, but he has also excelled in movies and TV series.
He was first seen on the small screen in 2008 as part of the cast of the Brain Storm episode of Stargate: Atlantis. The American scientist then went on to record cameo roles in production like The Big Bang Theory (he appeared in 2010 and 2018, respectively).
His other notable productions include The Jim Gaffigan Show in 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lazer Team, and The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time which aired in 2015. He was also seen in Martha Speaks, Family Guy, Zoolander 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and more.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has Authored a Plethora of Books
In the midst of his hectic schedule as a scientist, astrophysicist, lecturer, researcher, host, and actor, Neil deGrasse Tyson still finds time to write and publish interesting books on Astrology.
The world witnessed his debut publication in 1989, and it was titled Merlin’s Tour of the Universe. Neil’s next book was released in 1994 with the title Universe Down to Earth, and in 1998, he dropped a third book called, Just Visiting This Planet. His 2004 publication was The Sky Is Not the Limit: At Home in the Universe.
In 2007, he wrote and published Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, Neil released the book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry in 2017, and in 2019, his Letters from an Astrophysicist hit the book stand.
His book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, made it to the New York Times” Best Seller List and maintained its position for one full year, selling over one million copies.
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s best-known book to date is Origins: The Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution which he co-authored alongside Donald Goldsmith; it was thanks to this publication that the PBS mini-series, Origins was created.
His other notable books include The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist and One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos. In recent times, he has released books like The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet; this particular publication chronicled the astrophysicist’s experience in the eye of the storm. It also led to the controversy that emanated over Pluto’s planetary status.
All in all, the astrologist has written and published over 13 books; this number includes his personal memoirs.
List of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Books and Their Price Tags
- Cosmic Queries $14.99
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – $9.02
- StarTalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human
- Race, the Universe, and Beyond – $10.02
- Letter from an Astrophysicist – $9.99
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries – $9.04
- Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military $9.30
- Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour – $25.17
- Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry – $8.48
- A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour – $9.99
- Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution – $13.01
from what is listed above, it is glaring that Neil rakes in a lot of funds through the sales of his books and other publications, as the price tags are quite high. Also, Neil has revealed that he might be adding to the number anytime soon.
Neil has been Writing for Publication From the Onset
Neil deGrasse Tyson has written papers on different subjects ranging from dwarf galaxies to Hubble Space Telescope, and the mainstream media has hired his services to write special columns.
From 1995 to 2005, he was the columnist behind the Universe column of Natural History magazine; bits of this work eventually went into the creation of some of his books. He has also made contributions to numerous scholarly publications.
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Radio Talk Show
Neil deGrasse Tyson created his StarTalk podcast in 2009, and after it aired for 13 episodes, it evolved into a one-hour radio talk show of the same name. The show was co-hosted alongside comedian Lynne Koplitz and took off in May 2009.
Eventually, the show was syndicated on both WHFS in Washington, DC, and KTLK AM in Los Angeles. Though it later died down, it was revamped in December 2010 with Chuck Nice and Leighann Lord as the co-hosts. It accepted guests like celebrities, scientists, and more. It was made accessible via live stream, opening another income source for Neil.
The show was quite popular; at a point in 2015, it aired on National Geographic Channel.
The Astrophysicist Recorded Several Media Appearances
With his elevated status, it came as no surprise that Neil deGrasse Tyson went on to record a plethora of media appearances.
He has been spotted on the set of The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Rachel Maddow Show.
Others include Real Time with Bill Maher, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Preston and Steve, Ron and Fez, The Opie and Anthony Show.
He has graced the set of several podcasts, including The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe, Skepticality, Radiolab, The Joe Rogan Experience, and Symphony of Science.
Does Neil deGrasse Tyson work for NASA?
Neil deGrasse Tyson is associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); he is an advocate for expanding the organization’s operations. The astronaut has continuously spoken in favor of NASA, exposing the fact that it is usually underfunded, which does not permit it to do what it needs to do.
In 2004, he was bestowed with the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration later appointed him to join the Advisory Council of the agency in 2004. Beyond that, he was one of the people that served on a government commission on the prospect and future of the United States aerospace industry in 2001. Neil was also part of the 2004 Moon, Mars, and Beyond Commission.
He Earns Tons of Wealth Through Social Media
Another avenue through which Neil deGrasse Tyson generates massive income is social media. Thanks to his popularity on different platforms, the American astrologist has amassed millions of followers on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more.
Neil enjoys the most popularity on Twitter, where he has accumulated over 14.7 million followers. His handle at @neiltyson has seen 8,093 posts since he joined Twitter in January 2009.
Friday June 14. Happy Matariki to all Kiwis – a new national holiday in New Zealand, commemorating the Pleiades star cluster as it emerges in their Winter skies and starts the Maori New Year. pic.twitter.com/o8SCEYMAQm
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 14, 2023
Next in popularity is Neil’s TikTok page @neildegrassetyson, which can currently boast 5.2 million followers, and so far, he has accumulated 57.4 million likes.
@neildegrassetyson Replying to @scadadalin
The astrophysicist’s Instagram handle follows closely behind with 1.9 million followers. He can be located at @neildegrassetyson with 216 posts.
All these social media activities generate a lot of advert income for the American scientist.
