The highest paid YouTube star is... MrBeast! The 23-year-old earned $54 million in 2021, almost doubling what he made last year. It's also the most of any YouTuber ever, including Jake Paul despite his many past scandals. Paul does come in second with $45 million, followed by Markiplier with $38 million.
Collectively in 2021, YouTubers earned about $300 million, which is up from 40% and a record amount. About half of YouTubers earnings came from ad revenue. The rest comes from a mix of branded merch, revenue from other platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, Twitch, podcasts, and NFTs. Some have also signed deals with "Spotter" which is an LA startup that buys rights to old YouTube vids.
Here is the top ten list.
- MrBeast - $54 million (up from the list)
- Jake Paul - $45 million (returned to the list)
- Markiplier - $38 million (up from last year)
- Rhett and Link - $30 million (up from last year)
- Unspeakable - $28.5 million (new to the list)
- Nastya - $28 million (up from last year)
- Ryan Kaji - $27 million (down from last year)
- Dude Perfect - $20 million (down from last year)
- Logan Paul - $18 million (returned to the list)
- Preston Arsement - $16 million (down from last year)
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