Pitbull Net Worth: Wild Wild Millions

The Pitbull net worth sum of $69.7 million comes from $137 million in pre-tax earnings. That’s $7 million from albums and singles, $60 million from concerts and $41 million from YouTube. The YouTube figure bears a second look. Very few stars get that kind of YouTube ad revenue, but Pitbull has a massive following with over 6 billion views on his Vevo channel. That translates to a lot of ad revenue. Also adding to the rapper’s net worth are $3 million from acting, $12 million from endorsements and $13 million from merchandise royalties and business ventures.

Pitbull has been quoted as saying he chose his stage name because the dogs lock their jaws, they’re very persistent and they’re too dumb to lose.

Pitbull Net Worth Facts

The Pitbull net worth total of $69.7 million stacks up pretty well against other rappers, not as well against mainstream musicians. Singer Drake has twice as much money as Pitbull with $130 million. Troubled rapper Kanye West has 10% more with $78 million. Pop diva Taylor Swift’s net worth of $310 million is five times bigger than Pitbull’s, while Justin Bieber’s $244 million is four times bigger. Meanwhile Chris Brown has a fortune of $48 million. That makes Pitbull’s net worth twice as big as Brown’s.

Outside the music world, selfie queen Kim Kardashian’s $150 million net worth is three times the size of Pitbull’s. Boxer Floyd Mayweather has $403 million. That’s six times more money than Pitbull. Finally, NBA legend LeBron James has five times more money than Pitbull at $311 million thanks to his massive salary and mind-boggling endorsement deals.

Pitbull Net Worth Timeline

The Pitbull net worth timeline above tells a story of someone who hung onto the dream despite his lack of early success. It’s hard not to admire a performer who sticks with his art despite a career that seemed to be headed nowhere for the first four years. In a way that’s a bit of a fudge, since it’s true Pitbull’s first album sold over 500,000 copies, winning a coveted RIAA Gold certification. That said, the star’s next three albums had very low sales, earning Pitbull slim financial rewards. In short, it looked like the rapper’s career was one and done at the outset. It wasn’t until 2009, fully five years after he launched his career, that he had his first Platinum single.

Pitbull’s net worth is a tale of moderate success turned to mega-stardom by hanging on against the odds. Certainly in 2007 it would have taken clairvoyance to see the mega millions the Latin rapper would one day earn.

Pitbull Net Worth Sources: Music, Merchandise, Acting, Endorsements

The sources of the Pitbull net worth fortune are deep and varied. The star doesn’t dabble and he doesn’t stick to the “do one thing and do it well” philosophy. Instead he attacks lots of targets, doing pretty well financially in most of them.

Pitbull has earned over $7 million from music sales and $60 million from concerts. His YouTube income tops $41 million while his acting chops give him another $3 million. He’s even a pretty good businessman, pulling down over $7 million from business ventures like a Vodka line, a food chain and a radio channel. He’s signed endorsement deals with companies from Kodak to Walmart to Pepsi. He’s starred in video games, movies and TV shows. Through it all he’s earned an average salary of $10 million a year, growing as high as $20 million by 2016.

Pitbull Net Worth from Albums: $3 Million

Albums add just $3 million to the $69 million Pitbull net worth pile. That’s only about 4%. After taxes it’s only about 2%. Why so small? People just don’t buy albums anymore. Before we go crying a river for the performers though, the same technology that killed the DVD is opening up new income streams through online streaming. A musician who can attract a lot of eyes (and ears) to a YouTube channel can earn real money that way. How much real money? A section further down shows how PitBull earned $41 million from YouTube ad revenue. That’s more than ten times what he earned from albums, despite having three Gold certified records and nine studio albums overall.

Since Pitbull writes some of his own music, his percentage of the total revenue is figured at 8.85%. In other words, his 2004 album M.I.A.M.I. sold 570,000 units at about $10.99 each. That gives total revenue of $6.2 million, of which Pitbull kept an estimated $554,391.

Pitbull Net Worth from Singles: $4 Million

Singles chip in $4 million to the Pitbull net worth story. That’s 25% more than the star earned from albums. That’s a little rare, but it’s made possible because the star is so prolific. From 2008 through 2014, Pitbull churned out 46 singles. That tied Kanye West. Though Pitbull’s sales are nowhere near as hot as Kanye’s, he still managed to lock down nine RIAA certified hits. The smallest of these was 2008’s Krazy with 570,000 units sold. the hottest was 2013’s Timber, a 6x Platinum song with nearly seven million views worldwide.

Pitbull Net Worth from Concerts: $60 Million

How much do concerts contribute to the Pitbull net worth figure? An estimated $60.3 million before taxes and expenses. Pitbull has performed in six world tours since 2009. It’s noteworthy that the star didn’t appear in his first major concert tour until fully five years after he launched his career. That tour was the Rebelution Tour that spanned the years from 2009 through 2011. With 51 shows at venues averaging 6,500 seats each, the show earned about $16.5 million at $50 per ticket. Pitbull kept an estimated 80% of that or $13.2 million.

Pitbull earned less in some shows. For example, he only got an estimated 40% of the take from the 2013 North American Tour, thanks to sharing the stage with superstar Kesha. He got an even smaller 15% from his 2014 tour with Enrique Iglesias. His hottest earning tour was his 2015/16 Pitbull: Time of Our Lives tour. That tour saw 93 shows and earned an estimated $23 million, putting $18.6 million in the Pitbull’s pocket.

Pitbull Net Worth from YouTube: $41 Million

YouTube chips in $41 million to the Pitbull net worth number before taxes and expenses. The rapper may not get a huge amount of money from sales of his albums and singles, but he gets a phenomenal amount from YouTube. It’s been estimated that a YouTube view pays about $0.0076 in ad revenue. That’s less than one cent. Put another way, it’s $7.60 for every 1,000 views. Pitbull has a huge following for his Vevo channel, scoring over six billion views. That’s nearly half the views of #1 YouTuber PewDiePie. At that rate, he’s earned $41.2 million from YouTube ad revenue.

Pitbull Net Worth from Endorsements, Acting, Business, Merchandise

Pitbull’s earnings sources are almost too many to list in a short article. Endorsements alone have added $11.7 million to the Pitbull net worth sum before taxes. The rapper has inked deals with Kodak, Dr. Pepper, Bud Light, Walmart and Pepsi, to name just a few. To date he most likely earns over $3 million a year from endorsements alone.

Pitbull also makes money from merchandise royalties and business deals. His merchandise earnings are estimated at about 10% of his concert income for items like tee shirts, hats, hoodies and other Pitbull gear. His businesses include Voli Vodka, the Miami Subs Pizza and Grill, his Pitbull’s Globalization Radio station and his PITBULL Premier Fragrance. The combined total of all these sources adds an estimated $7.2 million to Pitbull’s net worth.

One more way Pitbull makes money is by acting. He has had several roles over the years, though the biggest by far was in the 2013 film Epic. He has also appeared on 117 different talk and news shows, plus the 2006 video game Scarface: The World is Yours.

Pitbull Net Worth Calculations

It would be nice for all of us if earnings and net worth were the same thing. Unfortunately that’s not the case. In the highest 39.6% federal tax bracket, Pitbull has paid $54 million of his earnings in U.S. income taxes. As a resident of tax-free Florida he doesn’t have to worry about state income tax, but nobody gets away from expenses. Pitbull pays an estimated 15% for things like agent fees, management, concert production and other costs. That adds up to a lifetime total of just over $20 million.

Investment income is the salve that soothes the wounds of cash payouts, pumping 6% per year back into the Pitbull net worth total. That’s $7.5 million since 2004. The table below shows Pitbull’s earnings by year after all these adjustments are made.

If you liked reading about Pitbull’s net worth, try this post about Jay Z’s net worth or this one about Dr. Dre’s net worth. All Pitbull net worth data in this article are based on our analysis of income streams, tax, expense and investment calculations, estimates and media reports and are provided here for entertainment purposes only.