County singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw perform onstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The richest country music stars

Written by:
October 23, 2020
Jeff Kravitz/ACMA2017 // FilmMagic for ACM

The richest country music stars

It's easy to see why today's country music stars have become multimillionaires. Big names in the industry account for hundreds of millions of album sales, with heavyweight Garth Brooks selling more than 170 million albums (that's more than Elvis Presley) while Dolly Parton has sold more than 160 million albums.  Country music accounted for 8.4% of the recorded music market in 2023, according to Billboard, a 7.8% bump from the year prior.  While country music album sales, both physical and digital, have declined in recent years, streaming numbers are up, thanks to millennials, Variety reported—and that means more money for country music's finest.

Like any other group of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, many country music stars have diversified income portfolios. Ticket and album sales aren't the only way that many of country music's wealthiest stars have made their money. The other sources of their fortunes? Memoirs, television hosting, acting in films, and smart real estate investments—among other pursuits—have led to the riches of many of today's country music singers with the highest net worths.

Stacker used data from Celebrity Net Worth—which aggregates publicly available information like real estate holdings, announced salaries, royalties, record sales, and endorsements—to curate a gallery of today's richest country music stars. Final net worth is created using a formula that eliminates expenses like manager and agent fees, estimated taxes paid, and other lifestyle expenses, boiling it down to a more accurate figure of a star's total assets.

One thing is clear looking at the lives at those at the top of country music: High figures in a person's bank account can't protect against relationship issues and health problems. That said, many of the musicians featured in this gallery have used those experiences as fodder for their music, turning painful moments into gold.

Keep reading to find out which "American Idol" star has already crossed the $85 million mark, and which country legend is worth half a billion dollars.

#44. Brandy Clark (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Despite being relatively new to the country music scene, up and coming country music star Brandy Clark is already worth a hefty $10 million. One of Clark's claims to fame? She is one of the first openly gay country music stars, following in the footsteps of talented musicians Cheryl Wright and k.d. lang.

#44 Tracy Byrd (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

One of country music veteran Tracy Byrd's latest sources of revenue was a nationwide tour in 2019 celebrating his 25 years in the business. Byrd's #1 track from a quarter-century ago was "Holdin' Heaven," released in 1993.

#44. Larry Gatlin (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Larry Gatlin has been around long enough to have experienced the highs and the lows of show business. The singer has said that despite being one of the biggest country music acts of the 1970s and 1980s, he experienced severe drug addiction that almost derailed his career.

#44. Paul Brandt (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Canadian star Paul Brandt's career has taken him away from home and back again. A former nurse in Canada, Brandt made it big in Nashville as a country music singer before deciding to move back to Canada again and continue his career there.

#44. Gary Allan (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Gary Allan's career has been as diverse as it has been long. Allan started singing in honky-tonk bars when he was 13 and became famous as a country music superstar. After his wife died from suicide in 2004, his music took a quieter and more contemplative turn.

#44. Lee Greenwood (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

One of Lee Greenwood's biggest hits is "God Bless the U.S.A." so it might come as no surprise that the singer has performed at various presidential inaugurations including those for Ronald Reagan, both Bush presidents, and Donald Trump. The country music veteran, who got his start singing in church when he was just 7 years old, turned 77 on Oct. 27, 2019.

#44. Terri Clark (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Terri Clark has been in the country music business for decades and in recent years has begun speaking out on issues of age and gender. Clark has pointed out how difficult it is for women—and specifically older women—to succeed in an industry she said often favors men.

#44. Dave Haywood (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Dave Haywood is one-third of the beloved band Lady A, and one half of a serious Nashville power couple. The singer and his wife, Kelli, were friends for several years before getting engaged just one month after they announced becoming a couple. Haywood proposed at his house, which he had decorated as a winter wonderland. "Will you marry me?" was spelled out with strand lights on the front of the home.

#44. Steve Wariner (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $10 million

Steve Wariner has been in the country music industry long enough to have known a series of successes and failures. Despite being one of the most popular country music stars of the 1980s, Wariner's popularity faded in the 1990s until his 1998 comeback track "What If I Said."

#43. Hillary Scott

- 2020 net worth: $11 million

The lead singer of Lady A, Scott struggled with an intensely personal decision surrounding what would become a pivotal career moment. The singer has noted that she was hesitant to put her Christian faith into her music, fearing that it might alienate some fans. She wrote the album anyway, and fans went wild.

#41. Chris Stapleton (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $12 million

Chris Stapleton may be worth $12 million today, but he has said that it took many years for many in the industry to take notice of his talent. It wasn't until he won three Country Music Awards for his first album that his career really took off into the stratosphere where it is today. Stapleton is up for three CMAs this year: Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Single of the Year for his fitting track "Millionaire."

#41. Darius Rucker (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $12 million

Superstar Darius Rucker is a rarity in many respects. He is one of the few crossover artists from rock into country music, and one of the few African American singers in country music. Some of his net worth comes from his previous musical career as the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish.

#40. Eric Church

- 2020 net worth: $14 million

Eric Church may be successful to the tune of $14 million today, but it hasn't always been so for the country superstar. He was famously kicked off a Rascal Flatts tour, for which he was the opening act, for playing too long. But he persevered and has been richly rewarded for his determination.

#39. Brantley Gilbert

- 2020 net worth: $15 million

Brantley Gilbert has a reputation for writing songs that draw heavily from his life. One of the most personal songs, "Bad Boy," details the relationship he had with his wife's mother, whom he tried to win over even though he was a heavy partier.

#38. Sara Evans

- 2020 net worth: $16 million

Sara Evans may be worth $16 million, but that's never kept her from keeping it real. On her hit 2000 album "Born to Fly," the then-new mother even sampled her infant son's laughter over the sound of electric guitars on the track "I Keep Looking." She has been delighting fans ever since.

#37. Josh Turner

- 2020 net worth: $17 million

Josh Turner's $17 million net worth hasn't kept the star from heartbreak. Turner's tour bus in September 2019 was involved in a deadly crash that killed one member of his tour crew and injured seven others. He won a Gospel Music Association Dove Award—his first—Oct. 15, 2019, for "I Saw the Light."

#36. Trace Adkins

- 2020 net worth: $19 million

Country music isn't generally as notorious as other genres for having a colorful cast of characters, but Trace Adkins is an exception. The superstar once worked on an oil rig and survived being shot through the heart and lungs by his second wife. Adkins in October 2019 married Victoria Pratt—his fourth wife—with Blake Shelton officiating at a ceremony in New Orleans.

#34. Charles Kelley (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $20 million

The Lady A bandmate Charles Kelley may be worth $20 million from his singing career, but he's got a good backup career, as well. Kelley has a business degree from the University of Georgia and even spoke at the school's commencement in 2019.

#34. Lee Ann Womack (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $20 million

Lee Ann Womack may be a famous country music star, but she has said she's having trouble recognizing the genre in recent years. Womack said she considers much of today's popular country music to be more similar to pop.

#30. Willie Nelson (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $25 million

Willie Nelson may be one of the most famous country stars in the world, but the singer has another area of life he's equally passionate about. He has said that marijuana saved his life, and claims to be high almost all the time now.

#30. Brian Kelley (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $25 million

Part of Brian Kelley's considerable net worth comes from real estate holdings. The star and his wife decided to pull their 70-acre Tennessee compound from the market, despite its listing price that could have netted them more than $6 million. Kelley, one-half of the duo Florida Georgia Line, in October 2019 signed on as producer of the upcoming production of the jukebox musical "May We All."

#30. Tyler Hubbard (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $25 million

Tyler Hubbard represents one-half of popular country act Florida Georgia Line—and his life story serves as the inspiration behind the duo's popular album "Dig Your Roots." That effort was in part derived from Hubbard's experience losing his father when the singer was just 20, which Hubbard expressed was one of the most painful moments of his life.

#30. Zac Brown (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $25 million

Zac Brown's $40 million net worth is the result of 22 years in the music business. He has said that many of the more difficult elements of his life and past are the inspiration for much of his music, including his divorce from his wife of 12 years, with whom he has five children.

#29. Dierks Bentley

- 2020 net worth: $30 million

Fans can't get enough of Dierks Bentley's music. Of the singer's 29 singles, 17 have gone on to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard charts.

You may also like: Best artists in country

#28. Trisha Yearwood

- 2020 net worth: $40 million

Trisha Yearwood's assets don't stop at her own estimated net worth. The singer is married to another country music icon, Garth Brooks, and has been for the past 14 years.

#25. Ronnie Dunn (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $45 million

One-half of the duo Brooks & Dunn, Ronnie Dunn is branching out on his own. The star released two singles—both covers—under his own name to diversify his musical portfolio. His solo album, "Re-Dunn," drops January 2020.

#25. Kix Brooks (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $45 million

Kix Brooks is one-half of the supergroup Brooks & Dunn, but that only accounts for part of his $45 million fortune. The singer has also hosted "American Country Countdown" since 2006.

#25. Dwight Yoakam (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $45 million

Dwight Yoakam is known for drawing fans to his music even among those who don't traditionally like country music. This has resulted in more than 25 million records sold, including the 3x platinum "This Time."

#24. Randy Owen

- 2020 net worth: $50 million

Alabama singer Randy Owen during the summer of 2019 canceled a number of tour dates due to health issues including vertigo and migraines. Those dates were rescheduled and the band celebrated in October 2019 with a heartfelt induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.

#19. Miranda Lambert (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $60 million

Miranda Lambert has a rare ability to connect with fans. Before an October 2019 concert in New Orleans, she told a crowd that the song she was about to sing was about her struggle to find acceptance with herself, and how her husband helped her find just that.

#19. Jay DeMarcus (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $60 million

Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts has the wild popularity of his band to thank for some of his riches, but music doesn't represent all his earnings. The singer also inked a memoir, in which he divulges personal details including putting his daughter up for adoption in his 20s.

#19. Joe Don Rooney (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $60 million

Not to be outdone by bandmate DeMarcus, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts has also announced a publishing deal. The worldwide deal was signed by Rooney and Reservoir, and will tap another side of writing skills from Rooney, who has provided songwriting for the likes of Reba MacEntire and Lee Brice.

#19. Gary LeVox (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $60 million

Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox's musical talent seems to run in the family: The singer's teenage daughter has been joining him onstage for several years, surprising and delighting fans. When he's not playing music, LeVox is on the move, literally: He's a partner with Black Tie Moving.

#19. Tanya Tucker (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $60 million

Tanya Tucker skyrocketed to fame in the early 1970s and is still making waves in the country music world. The singer's 2019 album "While I'm Livin'" was praised by the culture desk at the New Yorker as "the best of her long, underrated career."

#18. Keith Urban

- 2020 net worth: $75 million

Country music superstar Keith Urban is worth $75 million and married to Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman. The 52-year-old has said he likes to release music now as he finishes it, preferring to release singles rather than wait for entire albums to be complete before sharing them with the public.

#16. Faith Hill (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $80 million

Faith Hill has earned every cent of her $80 million, and had to work on her career and personal life all along the way. Hill's husband Tim McGraw admitted that his drinking grew so out of control at one point that Hill sat him down and issue an ultimatum: "Partying or family," she told him.

#16. Jason Aldean (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $80 million

Although he's worth $80 million, Jason Aldean isn't letting it get to his head. After buying a Mercedes as an impulse buy, the singer said he felt badly about it and considered taking it back to the dealer.

#13. Reba McEntire (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $95 million

Reba McEntire is one of the best-selling country music stars of all time. She has also been successful as a film and theater actress, including playing the title role in " Annie Get Your Gun" on Broadway.

#13. Alan Jackson (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $95 million

Being worth $95 million hasn't slowed Alan Jackson's work ethic one bit. The singer is engaged in a full and energetic tour schedule and shows no signs of slowing any time soon.

#13. Brad Paisley (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $95 million

Brad Paisley may be most famous for his music, but it isn't his only source of income. The singer also co-hosted the Country Music Awards with Carrie Underwood from 2008 to 2018 (this year Underwood hosts with Reba McEntyre and Dolly Parton) and has written a book about his life called Diary of a Player."

#12. Blake Shelton

- 2020 net worth: $100 million

Country music star Blake Shelton also has a gig on hit TV show "The Voice." But host Carson Daly hasn't always had the kindest words for his castmate, recently calling Shelton an "old dog" when asking a contestant whether she would prefer that or a "new trick."

#11. Linda Ronstadt

- 2020 net worth: $130 million

Linda Ronstadt's epic musical career has spanned more than half a century. She broke out in 1969 as a solo artist with "Hand Sown … Home Grown" and today has a portfolio that includes 28 studio efforts, a live album, more than 60 singles and several compilation albums. Her staggering career was cut short by a Parkinson's diagnosis in 2012 has rendered the talented Ronstadt unable to sing.

#10. Carrie Underwood

- 2020 net worth: $140 million

Carrie Underwood first rose to fame on American Idol in 2005. Since then, she's been turning out hits. And it appears talent runs in the family. Her mother joined the singer on stage in October 2019, where she surprised the crowd by rapping.

#8. Luke Bryan (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $160 million

Luke Bryan is a country music superstar dedicated to covering multiple perspectives in his songs. One hit song, "What She Wants Tonight," is told from the perspective of an in-charge woman who steals a date from another woman.

#8. Kris Kristofferson (tie)

- 2020 net worth: $160 million

Country music singer Kris Kristofferson first made it big with singles like "Me and Bobby McGee," which Janis Joplin covered, sending him to the top of the charts. Since, he has worked in television and film as well as in music, including in the Blade films.

#7. Tim McGraw

- 2020 net worth: $165 million

It took five years of singing in clubs and bars for Tim McGraw to make it as a country music superstar. He reached his goals with his hit " Indian Outlaw" in 1994, and today has 15 studio albums, a wife in fellow country music star Faith Hill, and two albums (1994's "Not a Moment Too Soon" and 2000's "Greatest Hits"), that have achieved 6× Platinum certification.

#6. Kenny Chesney

- 2020 net worth: $180 million

Country music superstar Kenny Chesney says he sometimes feels like he is being watched over by an angel. The singer said he was almost at the World Trade Center when the site was attacked Sept. 11, 2001, but that equipment delays postponed the shoot scheduled to happen that morning.

#5. George Strait

- 2020 net worth: $300 million

One of George Strait's most famous songs almost didn't make it into the world at all. After 10 years of a cool reception, the director of the movie "Pure Country" was looking for a song for the film's end, and was directed to Strait's "I Cross My Heart."

#4. Garth Brooks

- 2020 net worth: $330 million

Garth Brooks is worth $330 million and still hard at work. The superstar is still touring, and in 2019 broke a record for ticket sales at Neyland Stadium where he sold more than 75,000 tickets for a single show.

#3. Taylor Swift

- 2020 net worth: $365 million

The country singer turned international pop star has had a major 2020 with the release of her political coming out documentary and Sundance opener "Miss Americana" and mid-pandemic return to more humble roots via her newest album, "Folklore." Building on the tremendous success she's had since her discovery in Nashville at 15, Swift continues to stretch herself across new media ("Cats") and personally uncharted territory (social action) while using her growing wealth for good.

#2. Shania Twain

- 2020 net worth: $400 million

That Shania Twain has become one of the most successful country music stars of all time has not been because her path was always clear. The star had a vocal injury that resulted in the loss of her voice for 15 years, survived a violent childhood, and came out on top after an extremely difficult divorce.

#1. Dolly Parton

- 2020 net worth: $600 million

Dolly Parton is worth half a billion dollars today, but the singer has been upfront in her music that she comes from essentially nothing. One of 12 children growing up in Appalachia, Parton's family was poor—a reality she wrote about in one of her most famous songs, "Coat of Many Colors."

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