YouTube Stars Take Google To The Bank: How Much MrBeast, Jake Paul, Other Content Creators Make In A Year

Not only are the biggest YouTubers some of the most popular people on the planet, but they're also raking in large sums of money as content creators.

In an increasingly digital world, big-time companies are turning to influencers for brand exposure. 

Alphabet Inc's (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) YouTube has more than two billion users. People watch billions of hours of videos that collectively generate billions of views on a daily basis.

Alphabet generated close to $30 billion in YouTube ad revenue last year, and the company gives creators a nice slice of the pie. 

When people watch ads that play during videos, advertising revenue is generated. Creators who have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past 12 months are eligible for compensation.

YouTubers can also monetize their channels via paid memberships, super chat and super sticker features, and merchandise sales through the platform.

In 2021, the top five earners on YouTube all made more than $28 million, per Forbes. Here's a look at the highest-paid YouTube stars.

1. MrBeast: YouTube sensation Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his creator name "MrBeast," is known for dishing out lots of cash and high-value prizes to random subscribers. He's also been ramping up efforts on his Beast Philanthropy channel recently, which launched in late 2020. At the time of writing, MrBeast has 153 million subscribers, which helped him to make $54 million in 2021.

2. Jake Paul: The younger brother of YouTube star Logan Paul, earned $45 million and has 20.3 million subscribers, but the real reason he made the list is due to his boxing career. He was more active on YouTube in the past, but now he mainly uses the platform to promote his upcoming fights. He is 6-1 in his boxing career and was undefeated until losing by a split decision to Tommy Fury at the beginning of the year. He also recently signed an MMA contract with the PFL.

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3. Markiplier: Popular YouTuber Mark Fischbach earned $38 million in 2021 thanks to strong merchandise sales from his Unus Annus brand. He mainly focuses on gaming content on his channel which boasts nearly 35 million subscribers, but he's also a film director. He filmed a television thriller in 2021, and he is leading production on a new film "Iron Lung," which is set to mark his theatrical debut.

4. Rhett And Link: Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Neal III aptly call themselves "internetainers" as the internet entertainers they are. They are best known for their popular Good Mythical Morning show. They have more than 18 million subscribers on the show's channel, and they have another 5 million subscribers on their self-named channel. The dynamic duo also has other smaller channels that are all unique extensions of their brand. In 2021, Rhett and Link brought in $30 million.

5. Unspeakable: Thanks to a handful of YouTube channels, Nathan Graham made $28.5 million in 2021. He has 15.5 million subscribers on Unspeakable, another 11 million on UnspeakableReacts, more than 7.5 million on UnspeakablePlays and 2 million on Unspeakable Studios. He mainly posts videos of himself playing Minecraft and other popular video games. In 2020, he sold his old YouTube videos to independent content owner Spotter, which helped him make the Forbes list of highest-paid YouTubers the following year.

While Forbes does not include YouTubers in their traditional "Top Celebrities" list, often referred to as the "Celebrity 100" list, MrBeast, Jake Paul and Markiplier would have all made Forbes' Celebrity 100 list in 2021. MrBeast, the highest earner, would have been ranked in the top 40 of all celebrities in 2021 and his subscriber count has accelerated higher in recent years. 

Read Next: MrBeast Just Hit 150M Subscribers On YouTube: Here's How Much He Makes

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