The creator economy is now valued at $250 billion, and projections estimate this number could double to $500 billion by 2027. Some, like MrBeast, Khaby Lame, and Kai Cenat, have branched out with ventures into fast food, fashion, tech and other industries.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average content creator earns around $9,717 per month — or about $56 an hour. This income rate exceeds many traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
Forbes recently revealed its Top Creators 2024 list, highlighting the massive earnings of some of the biggest stars in social media. The 2024 honorees earned an estimated $720 million combined over the past year. For the rankings, Forbes not only looked at income and total number of followers but also engagement and entrepreneurship.
The Social Media Millionaires
At the top of the rankings is MrBeast (real name James Donaldson). He raked in a whopping $85 million in annual income, with an impressive 500 million followers. He had 9 billion YouTube views in 2024 alone. Known as the YouTube philanthropist, MrBeast is known for his mega giveaways and stunt videos, among other content. Despite his social media success, the content creator is caught up in a financial scandal. According to a report by Loock.io, MrBeast has allegedly been involved in “pump and dump” crypto schemes using various crypto wallets. The report claims he earned up to $23 million by purchasing crypto tokens, promoting them to increase their value, and then selling them for substantial profits.
With 162.7 million followers, Khaby Lame is the most-followed person on TikTok, and came in number 10 on the Forbes list. He had earnings of $20 million in 2024, with total followers across social media platforms clocking in at 255 million. Lame, whom Forbes dubbed the Charlie Chaplin of digital media, has garnered 2.5 billion likes on his mime videos. He has also inked brand deals with Hugo Boss, Fortnight, and Sony Pictures. And Walmart is selling his line of unusual cooking tools like a Khaby-branded garlic press and a taco holder. According to Lame, who is based in Italy, he’s picky about his brand deals.
“I want to work clean. I’ve never worked with an alcohol company, cigarettes, or anything bad for you because a lot of kids follow me,” he told Forbes in 2023.
Georgia native Druski (Drew Desbordes) is ranked high at No. 11, earning $12 million. Known for his comedy sketches, Druski’s earnings are bolstered by partnerships with Google and Microsoft, as well as a highly successful live comedy tour.
Twitch sensation Kai Cenat took the No. 24 spot with $8.5 million in earnings. He’s also snagged collaborations with Nike, McDonald’s, and T-Mobile commercials. With 48 million followers, Cenat set a new North American Twitch record earlier this year with 712,600 concurrent viewers when he streamed with Kevin Hart and Druski, Forbes reported.
Known — and feared — for his hardcore tech reviews Marques Brownlee, No. 17, has earnings of $10 million and a total following of 32.4 million. His YouTube channel alone has 21 million subscribers.
Young housewife and fashion model Nara Smith, known for making most of her meals from scratch while wearing outrageously fabulous outfits, earned $6.5 million in 2024 and has 13 million followers. Her brand partners include Calvin Klein, Alo, and Marc Jacobs.
At No. 41 is beauty creator Monet McMichael with $8 million in earnings and 5.5 million followers. She has sponsorships from companies such as Google, MAC, and L’Oreal Paris and recetnly dropped collabs with eyewear brand Dezi and perfume maker Snif.
Jordan The Stallion (Jordan Howlett) is at No. 43. He has $4.5 million in earnings and 15.3 million followers. He went viral for revealing the “secret” recipes for fast-food companies like Chipotle, Taco Bell, and McDonald’s. He has sponsorship deals with YouTube, State Farm, and H&R Block.
Drea Knows Best’s comedy skits has taken her to No. 49 on the Forbes list. The Nigerian-American has earnings of $2 million and total followers of 7 million. She graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with an industrial engineering degree, she has partnered with brands such as Bumble, Nissan, Google, Coca-Cola, Disney, McDonald’s, Netflix, and Google.
