How much the Stranger Things cast really earns: A complete look at their earnings since season 1
The young cast saw their earnings soar from modest early-season rates to major six-figure paydays as Stranger Things grew into a global phenomenon/ Image: X After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, dimension-hopping nightmares, and Hawkins chaos, Stranger Things is finally heading towards its grand goodbye, and the world is more than ready. Season 5 arrives in three waves: four episodes on 26 November 2025, another three on 25 December 2025, and a final standalone episode on 31 December 2025, turning New Year’s Eve into a full-blown global event. The season already had its world premiere in Los Angeles on 6 November 2025, cementing the beginning of the end. The anticipation around these final chapters is electric, but so is the curiosity about something fans have whispered about for years: just how much do the stars of Netflix’s biggest-ever cultural phenomenon get paid? The cast who once earned modest episodic fees in the early seasons now command figures that match the scale of the show’s success, and its famously massive production budgets. To put it into perspective, Stranger Things Season 4 reached US$30 million per episode, overshadowing some of Netflix’s biggest flagship titles, from Bridgerton to The Witcher and even The Crown. Only Amazon’s The Rings of Power has pushed further into budget extremes.
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Ahead of filming Season 5, nearly the entire ensemble renegotiated their contracts, locking in substantial rises across the board. These negotiations formalised the A, B and C Tier classifications among the cast, with Millie Bobby Brown standing apart entirely on her own overall deal. Below is the complete, detailed breakdown, using every figure and fact available, demonstrating how much each main actor earned across all seasons, and exactly what they are taking home for the final chapter.
Salaries across the seasons: Complete cast breakdown
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven / Jane Hopper)
- Season 1: $20,000 per episode
- Season 2: $20,000 per episode
- Season 3: $300,000 per episode
- Season 4: $300,000 per episode
- Season 5: Unknown (covered under exclusive overall Netflix contract)
As the show’s defining force, Millie Bobby Brown’s pay trajectory is unlike anyone else’s. Initially placed in the B Tier with the other child actors, she earned $20,000 per episode through the first two seasons and later received the same $60,000 Season 1 bonus granted to the young cast after the show became a global smash. During the lead-up to Season 3, her team renegotiated aggressively, moving her out of B Tier entirely. Reports place her earnings at $250,000–$350,000 per episode, with insiders pinpointing $300,000 as the likely midpoint — about $2.4 million for Season 3. Since then, she signed an exclusive, multi-project Netflix contract that shields her Season 5 salary from disclosure. Combined with major roles like Enola Holmes and significant brand sponsorships, her estimated net worth sits at $20 million.
Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)
- Season 1: $20,000 per episode
- Season 2: $20,000 per episode
- Season 3: $250,000 per episode
- Season 4: $250,000 per episode
- Season 5: ~$875,000 per episode (over $7 million total)
Finn Wolfhard started on the same B Tier rate as the other kids, $20,000 per episode plus the $60,000 Season 1 bonus. For Season 5, the B Tier actors secured a deal exceeding $7 million for all eight episodes, which works out to around $875,000 per episode.
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson)
- Season 1: $20,000 per episode
- Season 2: $20,000 per episode
- Season 3: $250,000 per episode
- Season 4: $250,000 per episode
- Season 5: ~$875,000 per episode (over $7 million total)
Following the exact B Tier pattern, Gaten Matarazzo also began with $20,000 per episode and the $60,000 Season 1 bonus, before rising to $250,000 during Season 3 negotiations. Season 5 sees him at the same $875,000 per episode level as his fellow B Tier co-stars.
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair)
- Season 1: $20,000 per episode
- Season 2: $20,000 per episode
- Season 3: $250,000 per episode
- Season 4: $250,000 per episode
- Season 5: ~$875,000 per episode (over $7 million total)
Caleb McLaughlin mirrors the exact same earning history as Wolfhard and Matarazzo: $20,000 per episode early on, $60,000 bonus, $250,000 from Season 3, and over $7 million for Season 5.
Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)
- Season 1: $20,000 per episode
- Season 2: $20,000 per episode
- Season 3: $250,000 per episode
- Season 4: $250,000 per episode
- Season 5: ~$875,000 per episode (over $7 million total)
Like the other Hawkins kids, Schnapp started in B Tier and followed the same salary progression. He also crosses the $7 million threshold for Season 5.
Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield)
- Season 2: Unknown
- Season 3: Unknown
- Season 4: $250,000 per episode
- Season 5: ~$875,000 per episode (over $7 million total)
Sadie Sink joined the cast in Season 2, though her early earnings haven’t been disclosed. It’s believed she started at roughly $20,000 per episode, though she didn’t receive the Season 1 bonus. She is now fully aligned with the B Tier group, earning $250,000 in Season 4 and more than $7 million in Season 5.
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)
- Season 1: $100,000 per episode
- Season 2: $100,000 per episode
- Season 3: $350,000 per episode
- Season 4: $350,000 per episode
- Season 5: $1,187,500 per episode ($9.5 million total)
Winona Ryder entered the series as its most established name and its highest-paid actor, earning $100,000 per episode in the first two seasons. As an A Tier star, her salary rose dramatically during the Season 3 renegotiations to $350,000 per episode, around $2.8 million for that season, and $3.15 million for Season 4. For Season 5, she and Harbour each secured a contract worth $9.5 million total, just under $1.2 million per episode.
David Harbour (Jim Hopper)
- Season 1: $80,000 per episode
- Season 2: $80,000 per episode
- Season 3: $350,000 per episode
- Season 4: $350,000 per episode
- Season 5: $1,187,500 per episode ($9.5 million total)
Before Stranger Things, Harbour was respected but not a marquee name, reflected in his initial $80,000 per episode salary. As part of A Tier, he matched Ryder with $350,000 per episode for Seasons 3 and 4. Season 5 brings him the same $9.5 million package — almost $1.2 million per episode.
Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler)
- Season 1: Unknown
- Season 2: Unknown
- Season 3: $150,000 per episode
- Season 4: $150,000 per episode
- Season 5: $750,000 per episode (over $6 million total)
A C Tier performer, Natalia Dyer’s early salaries were never revealed, though they were likely below the kids’ Season 1 rate. By Season 3 she secured $150,000 per episode, rising to a Season 5 contract worth more than $6 million, or approximately $750,000 per episode.
Joe Keery (Steve Harrington)
- Season 1: Unknown
- Season 2: Unknown
- Season 3: $150,000 per episode
- Season 4: $150,000 per episode
- Season 5: $750,000 per episode (over $6 million total)
Joe Keery’s pay scale matches Dyer’s exactly, including the same C Tier classification, the $150,000 per episode rate across Seasons 3 and 4, and the $6 million+ Season 5 deal.
Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers)
- Season 1: Unknown
- Season 2: Unknown
- Season 3: $150,000 per episode
- Season 4: $150,000 per episode
- Season 5: $750,000 per episode (over $6 million total)
Heaton follows the same pattern as Dyer and Keery: undisclosed early pay, $150,000 as of Season 3, and onward to $750,000 per episode for Season 5.
Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley)
- Season 4: $150,000 per episode
- Season 5: $750,000 per episode (over $6 million total)
Since joining in Season 3, Maya Hawke quickly became a fan favourite, though her exact starting salary remains unknown. By Season 4 she was earning $150,000, and Season 5 places her on the same C Tier contract exceeding $6 million total.
Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna / Henry Creel)
- Season 5: $750,000 per episode (overall $7 million for season)
Jamie Campbell Bower arrived in Season 4 but solidified his presence as the franchise’s final big bad, Vecna. Falling into Tier 2, he earns $750,000 per episode, totalling $7 million for Season 5. His existing net worth sits at $3 million, buoyed by major franchises like Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, and The Mortal Instruments.
