Elvis Presley’s Net Worth Is Impressive: How the Singer Built His Fortune and What His Estate Earns Today

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Elvis Presley’s Net Worth Is Impressive: How the Singer Built His Fortune and What His Estate Earns Today

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Elvis Presley‘s net worth comes from his prodigious talent and hard work. Born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Miss., in 1935, he grew up part of a “close-knit, working class family, consisting of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins,” who all lived close to one another in Tupelo, according to the official website of Presley’s home, Graceland. “There [was] little money, but [Presley’s parents] Vernon and Gladys [did] their best to provide for their son, who [was] the center of their lives.”

Presley got a guitar in 1946 and honed his musical skills enough that soon after he graduated high school in 1953, he cut a demo as a birthday present for his mom. His official debut single arrived in 1954, and within a few years, he was the biggest rock ‘n’ roll star and a huge movie draw. Tragically, Presley died in 1977 at the age of just 42 from a heart attack.

However, his legacy lives on via Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages his former home of Graceland, as well as music reissues, licensing and high-profile pop culture items like Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis, a 2022 biopic about Presley’s life. EPE generates quite a bit of income per year.

Here’s a look at Elvis Presley’s net worth, both during his life and today.

Related: How Did Elvis Die? The Truth—And the ‘Suspicious Minds’ Behind the Conspiracies

How much did Elvis Presley make in his lifetime?
During his lifetime, Elvis Presley made—and spent—quite a bit of money. In 1956, The Wall Street Journal reported he had sold a staggering $22 million in merchandise in the preceding months—that’s over $266 million in today’s money. In 1973, Presley sold the royalties to more than 1,000 songs in his catalog for $5.4 million, worth over $41 million today. What’s more, the Los Angeles Times noted that he made a cool $250,000 in royalties for each album released.

However, Presley also opened his wallet freely.

“Priscilla had never gotten involved with budgets during her six-year marriage to Elvis, but she knew that the only thing Elvis ever did with money was spend it,” the Los Angeles Times reported in 1989, noting that Presley “didn’t just buy things for himself. He also loved giving friends—and even strangers—Cadillacs and other things he knew they couldn’t afford.”

Presley bought himself cars and other fancy things, but also had an expensive drug habit and was contractually obligated to give a large chunk of his musical earnings to his manager, Col. Tom Parker.

Related: 8 Fascinating Facts You May Not Know About Elvis Presley

How much did Elvis Presley make per concert?
Elvis Presley earned a good living being on the road. According to the Los Angeles Times, his “average concert gross in the mid-’70s was $130,000 a night,” which puts him in the $800,000 range or so in modern dollars.

How much did Elvis Presley make per movie?
In addition to being a music superstar, Presley easily crossed over into acting. The Los Angeles Times noted he commanded $1 million per movie role, and he made a staggering 31 movies between 1956 and 1969, including Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock and Blue Hawaii. In other words, he racked up multiple millions of dollars thanks to the silver screen.

Related: Lisa Marie Presley’s Net Worth at the Time of Her Death Will Surprise You

How much did Elvis Presley pay for Graceland?
Graceland was Elvis Presley’s sanctuary. In 1957, he bought the property for $102,500 (roughly $1.2 million today). The 23-room mansion in Memphis became not just where he lived, but also the home of his parents and paternal grandmother. Graceland was expensive to keep up, reportedly $480,000 a year in the late 1970s (more than $2.5 million today), due to taxes, insurance and, eventually, around-the-clock security for Presley’s grave.

Over time, the property (and Presley’s belongings) grew into a popular tourist attraction. The space was opened to the public in 1982, allowing people to see the house’s first floor, as well as Presley’s sizable gun and car collection. Rolling Stone reported that Graceland drew 3,000 people on the first day it was open and would attract 700,000 visitors annually.

What was Elvis Presley worth at the time of his death?
At the time of his death in 1977, Elvis Presley’s net worth was around $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That’s around $26.5 million today. This figure was complicated by expenses related to Graceland and the fact that his record label was making money off his music, not Presley’s estate or relatives. The star also had a less-than-optimal deal with his manager, Col. Tom Parker, who received 50% of Presley’s concert and music income, much higher than the industry norm.

Who inherited Elvis Presley’s money?
Elvis Presley left his money to his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who was 9 years old at the time of his death, while his dad, Vernon, was the estate’s executor. Vernon died two years after Presley, leaving Presley’s ex-wife, Priscilla, and the family accountant, Joseph Hanks, to keep the estate going.

Lisa Marie died in 2023, triggering a contentious legal battle between Priscilla and Lisa Marie’s oldest daughter, Riley Keough. Keough ultimately ended up with full control of both her mother’s and grandfather’s estates.

The estate’s worth fluctuated over time. According to the Los Angeles Times, Presley’s estate was only bringing in about $1 million in 1979. However, in 1989, the estate was worth more than $75 million—over $196 million today—and generated an estimated $15 million annually in gross income. In 2010, Forbes reported the estate amassed $60 million over a year, or roughly $89.4 million in current dollars.

Still, the Los Angeles Times reported that Authentic Brands Group spent $145 million “entering a deal” in 2013 with Elvis Presley Enterprises to oversee “all proceedings involving the Presley name and likeness.” The business arrangement proved lucrative: A 2020 Rolling Stone feature quoted a Presley executive as revealing the estate was “estimated to be worth between $400 million and $500 million.”

Related: Riley Keough’s Net Worth Is Worthy of a Presley

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2020?
Elvis Presley still makes an impressive amount of money. In 2020, he generated $40 million thanks to licensing, music and more, according to Rolling Stone. “Forty million a year for a guy who died over 40 years ago is f–king incredible,” an unnamed executive working for a big classic rock act told the outlet.

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2021?
Forbes‘ 2021 list of the highest-paid dead celebrities estimated that Elvis Presley’s estate brought in about $30 million over the course of a year.

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2022?
In 2022, Forbes estimated that Elvis Presley’s estate raked in $110 million over 12 months. This is likely due in part to the Elvis biopic released the same year. Not only did the film itself generate income, but it likely sparked renewed interest in his music and other intellectual and copyrighted properties.

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2023?
In 2023, Forbes reported that the Elvis Presley estate earned $100 million over 12 months. Now that Lisa Marie Presley is gone, that money goes to her daughter (and Presley’s granddaughter), Riley Keough.

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2024?
Forbes‘ 2024 list of top-earning dead celebrities put the Elvis Presley estate’s earnings at $50 million over 12 months. The estate was beset by a scam that year when a Missouri woman, Lisa Jeanine Findley, attempted to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland. Findley was arrested on federal charges related to the scheme. She later pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to over 4 years in federal prison.

How much did Elvis Presley make in 2025?
Forbes put the Elvis Presley estate’s annual earnings at $17 million in 2025. That’s a significant decline from previous years.

How much does Elvis Presley make selling perfume?
Although Presley has been dead for almost 50 years, his estate still makes money from his name. In 2022, Macy’s launched an exclusive line of Elvis Presley LEGEND perfumes inspired by the King. It’s unknown how much the estate earned from perfume sales, but celebrity-branded fragrances have become big business in recent years, with many stars attaching their names to signature scents.