Since 19 Kids & Counting first premiered on TLC in 2008, the Duggar family has practically become an institution on reality TV. Though they definitely struggled for money in the beginning — and lived on the mantra "buy used and save the difference" — these days, with Counting On as successful as it is, things are a lot different for this giant family. They seem to be doing well for themselves, and it's safe to say that the Duggars are officially millionaires. Who knew?!
Of course, the paychecks from their TV show isn't the only way they make money — though even if it was, it would still be a pretty decent living. The Duggars have several different streams of income that all add up to what they're worth, and that number only seems to grow year after year. And what's most impressive? With so many people living under one roof — even after their oldest have grown up and moved out — their expenses are likely high, and they still have solid finances.
How much is the Duggar family actually worth — including their adult children — and where does all of their income come from? Read on to find out!
What the Duggars Are Worth
Because their reality TV run has spanned well over a decade, it's no surprise that the Duggars have built up a sweet fortune. Though the contents of Jim Bob and Michelle's bank account aren't public knowledge, according to Celebrity Net Worth, the Duggars are worth an estimated $3.5 million. Not too shabby, even if we split that between all 21 members of the fam!
'19 Kids & Counting' & 'Counting On'
Of course, one of the most significant sources of income for the Duggars has been their reality shows. Before 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, they even starred in smaller, one-off specials for TLC, too. An official number has never been revealed, but back in 2009, a reality TV producer told E! News that the Duggars were likely making somewhere between $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. Since that was over 10 years ago, there's a good chance that figure has gone up since then.
Book Deals
Thanks to their reality TV fame, the Duggars have managed to publish a couple of books that have sold decently well. Jim Bob and Michelle themselves have written two books: The Duggars: 20 and Counting! and A Love That Multiplies. Then, the older Duggar daughters wrote their own book that was published in 2014 called Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships.
Speaking Engagements
On the shows, we've seen the family take on speaking engagements at various conferences around the country, and that's something that continues to bring them even more cash. According to Celebrity Talent International, Jim Bob can be booked for a fee of $7,500 to $14,000 for a speaking engagement in the US — that's not cheap!
Real Estate
Aside from the show, real estate has always been one of the Duggars' main gigs. Not only are several members of the family licensed realtors — including Michelle, Jim Bob, Joseph, and Jeremiah — but they've also flipped houses and owned investment properties for years, and even sold a mansion they'd flipped for $1.5 million in February.
Instagram Sponsorships
Over the years, we've seen various members of the Duggar fam share sponsored Instagram posts to their feeds and stories — though, once in a while, they do lose those sponsorships. This is yet another stream of income for them, especially for the older daughters who are now on their own and raking in the followers by the thousands.
Working in Politics
Another source of income for the Duggars over the years has been their political careers. In the early 2000s, Jim Bob served in the Arkansas state house, having a relatively short career in local politics, which would have been a paid position. His son, Jed Duggar, tried to follow in his footsteps in the 2020 race, but didn't win the election.
Josh Duggar Selling Cars
Though Josh himself briefly had a political career in Washington, D.C., before and after that period in his life, he has worked as a salesman at a family-owned car dealership. Though The Sun reports that Josh's dealership closed earlier in 2020, he and Anna have since seemingly started four new businesses together.
House Flipping & Remodeling
Though Jim Bob was the first to get in on the real estate game, many of his older sons have joined in. In fact, Jason Duggar started his own company, Build Master construction, and several of his brothers have been seen helping him out on the job. Looks like this is definitely one of the Duggar fam's most lucrative income streams.
Joy-Anna Duggar & Austin Forsyth Flipping Houses & Doing New Construction
Speaking of flipping houses, Joy-Anna and her husband, Austin, have built their wealth on the same foundation, and Austin even runs his own company now. Not only do they purchase homes to remodel and then re-sell, but Austin has also recently gotten into new construction builds, too, and they seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.
Jinger Duggar & Jeremy Vuolo's Life in LA
Though Jinger certainly has Instagram sponsorships of her own — and Jinger and Jeremy both host their own podcast, The Hope We Hold — Jeremy's main gig is being a pastor. He's currently continuing his path in the seminary, and according to what we've seen on Counting On, their home is being rented to them by the church he's working for in LA.
Ben Seewald & Jessa Duggar Are on a Similar Path
Though, like many of the other women in the Duggar family, Jessa stays home with her children during the day, Ben has talked about wanting to become a pastor — like Jeremy. For now, though, it seems like Ben has continued to work with Jim Bob — though he hasn't shared in what capacity — but he's definitely help contribute to the family's overall net worth.
Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard Are Independent
Jill and Derick are, to a degree, estranged from Jill's family, but they've managed to make their own way. Jill did tell People magazine that she had to get a lawyer involved in order to get her parents to fork over the cash she earned while filming Counting On, and Derick is currently in law school, and driving for Doordash and other food delivery services in his spare time.
Jana Duggar's Income
Jana Duggar still lives with Jim Bob and Michelle and doesn't seem to have any concrete plans for leaving the nest anytime soon — even though she's now in her 30s — but thanks to her Instagram following, she's also been able to add to the family's net worth with sponsorships of her own. On the app, she's also admitted to her interest in interior design, so it would make sense if she was working on starting her own business herself.
Their Financial Future Is Bright
Though Jim Bob and Michelle's kids are growing up, interest still seems to be pretty high in their family, which means Counting On could continue to have a future on TLC for years to come. And with their multiple streams of income, it looks like this family is pretty set in the money department unless something changes.
