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Neil Degrasse Tyson Net Worth – How Much Does He Make?

Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth is approximately $5 million.

Tyson earns his income from many sources, including working as an author, speaker, and scientist.

Neil Degrasse Tyson Net Worth

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He has acted in many Hollywood projects and appeared in many television series.
These include; Family Guy, Mission Force One, The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gravity Falls, Stargate: Atlantis, and Sesame Street, to name but a few.

In addition, Tyson has had a successful career admired by many scientists and artists.

Who Is Neil Degrasse?

Neil Degrasse Tyson is an American science communicator, planetary scientist, astrophysicist, and author.

Tyson appears on many radio and television shows and other media channels as a multi-talented communicator.

He has received many honors, honorary doctorates, and awards for his contributions to science, including the Dunlap Prize, Klopsteg Memorial Award, Science Writing Award, NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the Medal of Excellence, awarded by Columbia University, NYC.


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Neil Degrasse’s Career

Neil Degrasse Tyson's Net worth

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Neil Degrasse has an impressive career backed by many successes. He has built his career over many years. And focused on the stellar formation, bulges, galactic astronomy, stellar evolution, and cosmology.

Tyson has held many top positions at leading institutions, including the Hayden Planetarium, the American Museum of Natural History, Princeton University, and the University of Maryland.

Take a look at his timeline and how Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth was built.

1994 – Because he was so interested in astronomy, he sought and was then employed as a staff scientist at Hayden Planetarium.

1995 – He started writing his first astronomy book, “The Universe.” The book has to this day, sold many copies.

Tyson has authored many astronomy books.

1995 – Neil Degrasse Tyson had an opportunity to write for the “Natural History” magazine, to which he contributed monthly.

1995 – He worked hard at the Hayden Planetarium institution until he was promoted to acting Director.

1996 – Neil then became the Director of the institution.

While working, he continued writing for many scientific journals.

The former US President, George W. Bush, even chose him to take a role in the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry. This commission conducts studies on issues related to the future of the aerospace industry in the US, including the national and economic security of the US.

2000 – As the Director of Hayden Planetarium, he was in charge of the reconstruction project of the institute that cost a whopping $210 million.

2002 – Neil Degrasse Tyson coined the word “Manhattanhenge” (the Manhattan Solstice) to describe the two days in the year when the rising sun or the setting sun aligns with the east-west Manhattan street grid. When this alignment takes place, the sun is visible along the side streets when rising or setting.

2016 – Neil Degrasse Tyson appeared in the films “Zoolander 2,” “Lazer Team,” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

2016 – Additionally, Tyson appeared in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and the following year, he appeared in “The Jim Gaffigan Show.”

2018 – Tyson appeared in “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time” and in many other TV series, including:
“The Big Bang Theory” and “Stargate: Atlantis.”

He has also done voiceovers for “The Simpsons,” “BoJack Horseman,” “Family Guy,” and “Ice Age: Collision Course.”

Currently, he’s the Director of the Hayden Planetarium (Rose Center for Earth and Space).

He’s also a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in the department of astrophysics.

Tyson is a favorite figure in pop culture. He regularly appears on late-night talk shows and radio shows dealing with pop culture.

Tyson is the chief host of “Nova ScienceNow.” This series is a regular on the History Channel “The Universe.”
Neil Degrasse Net Worth Estimate

The 2022 figures indicate that Neil Degrasse Tyson’s net worth is about $5 million. His annual income is estimated to be $500,000.

He is involved in many activities that provide him with multiple income streams.

Some of these activities include:

As A Scientist

As already mentioned, Tyson worked as the director of the Hayden Planetarium. He also writes a monthly column for the magazine “Natural History.”

Neil Degrasse Tyson has served on many commissions.

He has also served as chairman, vice president, and president of the board of the Planetary Society.

In the US, research scientists earn an average of $81,636, meaning Tyson must have made a substantial amount working as a scientist. Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth did not just come from him working as a scientist he has done many other things which I am going to list below.

As A Speaker

Being a top scientist and astrophysicist, Tyson is usually invited to speak at events and talk shows.

In 2006, he was invited to speak at a symposium organized by Beyond Belief.

Then, in May 2009, Neil Degrasse Tyson launched StarTalk, a 60-minute radio talk show.

In April 2011, at the 93rd International Convention of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Tyson was invited as the keynote speaker.

He has made substantial amounts of money from these invites.

As An Author

Tyson is a famous author of scientific books and journals.

1989 – Neil published his first book. The book is titled “Merlin’s Tour of the Universe.”

1994 – He published another book titled “Universe Down to Earth.”

1998 – Followed by another book, “Just Visiting This Planet.”

Tyson has authored many other books too:

2000 – He published two books:
One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos
Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge

2002 – City of Stars: A New Yorker’s Guide to the Cosmos

2003 – My Favorite Universe

2004 – Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution. Neil Degrasse Tyson co-authored this book with Donald Goldsmith.

The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist

2007 – Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

2009 – The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

2012 – Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier

2016 – Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour. Neil Degrasse Tyson co-authored this book with J. Richard Gott and Michael A. Strauss.

2017 – Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

2018 – Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

2019 – Letter from an Astrophysicist

2021 – Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going.

Tyson has earned and continues to earn a lot of money from the books he has authored.


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Other Ventures

Neil Degrasse Tyson over the years has appeared in many television series and acted in various Hollywood films.

He has hosted shows, including the 2014 Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

In addition, Tyson and his cousin, wife, son, and daughter earned $25,000 for a charity show known as “Family Feud” hosted by Steve Harvey.

Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth will continue to increase as he is still active in his career, so he’s still making money.

Neil Degrasse’s Height And Weight

Height – 6’ 2” (180cm)
Weight – 176 lbs (80kg)

Degrasse’s Early Life

Neil Degrasse Tyson was born in Manhattan in October 1958 to Sunchita (Puerto Rican) and Cyril deGrasse, an African-American.

His father was a sociologist who became Jon Lindsay’s (NYC Mayor) human resources commissioner.

His mother was a gerontologist who worked for the US’s welfare, education, and health departments.

His parents were respectable, loving, and supportive, to all three of their children. As a result, Tyson’s interest in astronomy began at a tender age, and he began to lay the foundation for his future goals.

He grew up in Castle Hill, near the Bronx and in Riverdale.

Neil attended public schools from kindergarten through high school. He and his sister, Lynn Antipas Tyson, and brother, Stephen Joseph Tyson, all went to Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy, and they attended the Bronx High School of Science.

He was captain of the school’s wrestling team in high school, and the Physical Science Journal’s editor-in-chief.

Tyson graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, where he studied astrophysics, among other subjects. His interest in astronomy started when he was very young. This will explain why he enrolled in many science-related programs in college. As a result, college programs recruited him, and he received an invite to Cornell University courtesy of Carl Sagan.

Tyson attended Harvard University, where he majored in physics. He later moved to the University of Texas at Austin, earning his master’s degree in Astrophysics. Later on, he obtained another master’s degree and a doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University.

His astronomy journey began at age nine after visiting the Hayden Planetarium’s sky theater. He recalls that the imprint of the night sky was so overwhelming, and said that he’s confident he had no other choice on the matter because the universe had called him.

While in high school, he took astronomy classes, a period he describes as his formative years. He credits the Director of Hayden Planetarium, Mark Chartrand III, with his interest in astronomy and regards him as his first role model. He liked Mark Chartrand’s sense of humor and enthusiastic teaching style and said these are the two attributes that inspired him (Tyson) to teach astronomy the way Mark did.

Tyson studied astronomy for ten years, during which time he gained fame in this field. But, at the age of 15, he was already giving lectures.

Carl Sagan, an astronomer and faculty member at Cornell University, recommended Tyson join the institution for his undergraduate studies.

Instead, Tyson chose Harvard University, where he lived in Currer House, majoring in physics.

During his first year at the university, he joined the crew team but, later on, switched to wrestling and lettering during his senior year. In addition, Tyson was enjoyed different dance styles, including Latin Ballroom, Afro-Caribbean, ballet, and jazz.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Harvard in 1980.

He then moved on to the University of Texas for his Master of Arts degree in astronomy in 1983.

However, Tyson confesses that he never spent as much time as he would have spent in the research lab, and for this reason, his professor recommended that he try other alternative careers. As a result, the committee supervising his doctorate dissertation and studies was dissolved, which marked the end of his doctorate studies at the University of Texas.

From 1986 to 1987, Tyson was an astronomy lecturer at Maryland University.

Then, in 1988, Columbia University accepted him into the graduate program (astronomy), where he earned his master of philosophy degree in astrophysics in 1989. He earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the same university two years later. His supervisor was Professor R. Michael Rich.

Professor Michael obtained the funding for Tyson’s research from the ARCS Foundation and NASA. This enabled Tyson to attend international meetings in South Africa, Chile, Switzerland, and Italy. It also helped him hire students to help with data collection and reduction.

While working on his thesis, Tyson used the 0.91m telescope to obtain the Tololo/Calán Supernova Survey photos. The telescope was mounted at Chile’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.

While at Columbia University working on his thesis research, he became friends with Professor David Spergel at Princeton. The professor visited Columbia University to collaborate with Tyson’s thesis advisor on galactic bulges in the spiral galaxies.

Neil Degrasse’s Personal Life And Family

Neil Degrasse's Personal Life And Family

Image credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Neil Degrasse Tyson got married to Alice Young in 1988. He first met Alice in a physics class that they shared.

They have two children, Travis and Miranda.

Tyson and his wife, Alice Young currently live in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan.

He is not only doing well in his astronomy-related career, but I am also a “Wine Spectator” and wine connoisseur. Because of this, both the World of Fine Wine and the Wine Spectator have featured his collections.

Therefore, it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that he’s living a lavish and comfortable lifestyle, enjoying his wealth with his wife and children.


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Allegations Against Neil Degrasse Tyson

In 2018, four women accused Tyson of sexual misconduct. Even though he denied the claims, most of his projects were stopped to pave the way for investigations.

Tsuchiya Amet El Maat accused him of drugging then raping her while they were graduate students in 1984 at UT Austin.

In 2009, a Bucknell University professor, Katelyn Allers, accused him of touching her inappropriately during the American Astronomical Society meeting.

In 2018, his assistant at Cosmos alleged that he made inappropriate intimate advances to her, which she further claimed made her resign from her position.

A fourth woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, alleged that he made improper comments to her during a holiday party at the American Museum of Natural History, in 2010.

Tyson was proved innocent of all the allegations, and his projects resumed. He continued working hard and won many awards for his achievements.

Neil Degrasse’s Media Appearances

Neil Degrasse is not new to the media. He has appeared on leading media channels as a guest or host. He’s a regular guest on the show The Colbert Report.

In his comedic book titled “I Am America (And So Can You!”), the show’s host, Colbert Stephen, refers to him as a well-intentioned, decent person.

Tyson has appeared on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and has also made appearances on Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night, Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show, as well as Conan O’Brien’s Late Night.

Tyson has appeared as a key interviewee on many episodes of The Universe, the history channel of science.

In 2015, he took part in an NPR radio program called “Wait Wait.. Don’t Tell Me. He participated in the same program again in 2015. And, in the same year, Tyson appeared in many episodes of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

Neil Degrasse Tyson has spoken on The Opie and Anthony Show, SiriusXM’s Ron and Fez, 93.3 WMMR, and Preston and Steve, Philadelphia’s morning show.

He has also appeared as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, Skepticality, Radiolab, and The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe.

Tyson lived close to the World Trade Center, and witnessed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He wrote a letter detailing what he saw. The letter was widely circulated. The video he captured on that day formed part of the documentary film 102 Minutes That Changed America, released in 2008.

In 2007, he was invited to be the keynote speaker when the Deerfield Academy held a ceremony to dedicate their new science center, in Massachusetts. The center was named the Koch Center in honor of David H. Koch. During that ceremony, Tyson discussed the role science will play in the 21st century and explained that, even though investment in science is costly, its returns will pay off in the future in the form of advancement in technology and knowledge gained.

Tyson was again invited as the guest speaker at a skepticism and science conference called The Amazing Meeting. The James Randi Educational Foundation hosted this meeting.

In 2011, he was a guest speaker on The Political Science of the Daily Show, a StarTalk Radio show. He donates all his earnings from this show.

Tyson also appeared as himself in a Martha Speaks episode.

In addition, he’s a regular participant in Reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA), where he’s taken three of the top 10 most popular Ask Me Anything of all time.

In January 2013, Tyson participated in Action Comics #14. This comic was published in November 2012.

In 2018, Tyson appeared as a guest in the Big Bang Theory’s episode “The Apology Insufficiency” and the Stargate Atlantis’ episode “Brain Storm.” He appeared alongside Bill Nye and as an authentic version of himself.

The film called “Europa Report” uses archive footage of Tyson.

Neil Degrasse Tyson Net Worth & Bio Summary

Tyson is living the kind of life he has dreamed about since childhood. Since Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth is estimated to be about $5 million at age 63, there is no doubt that he has done better than many of his generation.

He’s one of the best scientists globally and continues to earn from his knowledge and the books he authored.

He is also an inspiration to young people who want to become scientists. He is like a rock star of the science world and makes being a scientist look cool.

Along with his many awards and his successful career, Neil Degrasse Tyson net worth can only keep growing.

NameNeil Degrasse Tyson
Date of Birth5 October 1958
Place of BirthManhattan, New York, USA
Height6'2" (180cm)
Weight176 lbs (80kg)
ProfessionAstronomer, Astrophysicist, Writer, Actor, Author, Science Communicator
Marital StatusWife - Alice Young (m. 1988)
ChildrenDaughter - Miranda Tyson
Son - Travis Tyson
ParentsFather - Cyril Degrasse
Mother - Sunchita
SiblingsSister - Lynn Antipas Tyson
Brother - Stephen Joseph Tyson
Net Worth Estimate$5 million