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The adult entertainment industry has long been shrouded in secrecy when it comes to the financial compensation of performers. While there are plenty of rumors and myths surrounding the salaries of pornstars, there is little concrete data available to provide a clear picture of what these individuals earn.
In this statistical piece, we will analyze the salaries of pornstars based on more than 3.400 unique paychecks and industry insights. By delving into this often-taboo topic, we hope to shed light on an industry that has long been clouded in mystery and misinformation. So, just how much do pornstars make? Let’s find out.
Key Findings
- Average Annual Salary in the US: Pornstars in the US earn an average of $63,000 per year.
- Global Average Salary: Worldwide, the average annual salary for pornstars is $44,000.
- Comparison with Median Household Income: The median income for an American household is $74,580 yearly.
- Cam Girl Earnings: The average yearly salary for a cam girl is around $70,000, slightly more than the average pornstar.
- Salary Range: Pornstars can expect to earn between $25,000 to $82,000 annually.
- Earnings for New Pornstars: A new pornstar’s average earnings in the first year are around $10,000.
- First Video Pay: The expected pay for a porn actor’s first video/shoot is $250.
- Importance of Popularity: 8 out of 10 porn instructors emphasize popularity as the key factor in earning potential.
- Male vs. Female Salaries: Male pornstars typically earn $500 – $900 per scene, while females earn $800 – $1,200 per scene.
- Top Performers’ Earnings: The top 10% of performers can earn $1,800 – $2,000 per scene.
- Earnings of Top 20 Pornstars: Popular pornstars like Riley Reid and Johnny Sins earn over $100,000 annually, including income from various sources.
- Amateur Pornstar Earnings: Amateurs, who often start as hobbyists, can earn an average of $10,000 in their first year.
- Income from Pornhub: The average rate per 1,000 video views on Pornhub is $0.70, with an 80% payout to the content creator.
- Factors Influencing Earnings: Experience, popularity, niche, gender, production company, and industry trends are key factors affecting a pornstar’s earnings.
Earnings Revealed
Here you have all our key takeaways from analyzing the paychecks from porn actors around the world. A scene/shoot/video/movie is synonyms and means the same – in other words, it’s a whole video typically from 5 – 40 min.
- $63,000 pr. year is the average annual porn star salary in the US.
- $44,000 pr. year is the average annual porn star salary for the world.
- The median income for an American household is $74,580 yearly.
- The average yearly salary for a cam girl is around $70.000, meaning that a cam girl right on average earns more than pornstars.
- The interval of $25,000 to $82,000 is the expected annual salary for a porn star.
- A new porn star earns on average $10,000 the first year.
- $250 is the expected pay for a porn actor’s first video/shoot.
- 8 out of 10 porn instructors say that: “The most important parameter for how much earn as a porn actor is popularity”
- Male pornstar salaries are typically paid: $500 – $900 (top 10% up to $1,500) pr. scene.
- Female pornstar salaries are typically paid: $800 – $1,200 (top 10% up to $2,000) pr. scene
How much do pornstars make per scene/shoot/video/film/movie
| Job | Salary |
|---|---|
| Female Performer, Man/Woman Scene | $300 – $1,500 |
| Female Performer, All-Woman Scene | $700 – $1,200 |
| Male Performer, All scenes (also gay porn) | $500 – $1,500 |
| Top 10% of male and female performers | $1,800 – $2,000 |
| Extreme scenes | $1,800 – $2,500 |
| Director | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| Cameraperson | $500 – $700 |
| Sound Technician | $300 – $400 |
| Production Assistant | $100 – $250 |
| Writers | $250 – $400 |
| Still Photographers | $500 |
| Makeup Artists | $500 |
How much do the top 20 pornstars make?
The most popular porn stars are also the ones with the highest net worth. Not all of them are known on screen but they did make their money in the industry. We have listed the top 20 most valuable porn stars below, and some of them might surprise you. But bear in mind that the below listing includes everything, so: sponsorships, social media collaborations, merchandise selling, strip clubs, money earned from porn videos, etc.
- Most popular porn stars such as; Riley Reid, Johnny Sins, etc. earn more than $100,000 every year (taking merchandise, only fans, etc. into account).
- Top 20 pornstars by net worth and popularity:
| # | Porn actor | Net worth | Instagram Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenna Jameson | $25,000,000 | 7390 |
| 2 | Lana Rhoades | $24,000,000 | 16,400,000 |
| 3 | Riley Reid | $16,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 4 | Tera Patrick | $10,000,000 | 26,900 |
| 5 | Jesse Jane | $8,500,000 | 166,000 |
| 6 | Johnny Sins | $8,000,000 | 33,700 |
| 7 | Kimmy Granger | $7,500,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 8 | Traci Lords | $5,500,000 | 122,000 |
| 9 | Mia Khalifa | $5,000,000 | 27,600,000 |
| 10 | Nicole Aniston | $4,500,000 | 3,700,000 |
| 11 | Peter North | $4,000,000 | 1,568 |
| 12 | Jenna Haze | $4,000,000 | 438,000 |
| 13 | Lexington Steele | $3,750,000 | 6,442 |
| 14 | Maria Takagi | $3,700,000 | N/A |
| 15 | Brandi Love | $3,500,000 | 189,000 |
| 16 | Dillion Harper | $3,250,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 17 | Adriana Chechik | $3,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 18 | Mia Malkova | $3,000,000 | 11,300,000 |
| 19 | Katie Morgan | $2,500,000 | 366,000 |
| 20 | Eva Elfie | $2,300,000 | 3,400,000 |
- Overview of the top pornstar’s salary pr. video:
| The Best Pornstars | Paid pr. scene/shoot/video |
|---|---|
| Top 10% | $1,800 – $2,000 |
| Top 5% | $2,500 – $4,000 |
| Top 2% | $5,000 – $7,500 |
| Top 1% | >$7,500 |
How much do gay pornstars make?
- The Gay porn salary is $500 – $1,500 – it’s the same as a heterosexual porn salary. One of the reasons is that the demand is lower for gay porn than for heterosexual porn.
- The popular gay porn star, Joey Mills, says: “When performing for a studio you get around $1,000 pr. scene. I have heard about new young actors getting cheated by well-known studios. Simply because they don’t know what they can ask for”
- Armond Rizzo said: “When I started I got $500 pr. scene”.
How much do amateur pornstars make?
The definition of an amateur is that you’re not getting paid for it, so by default amateurs are getting $0 for it – it’s for the most a hobby. Some amateurs do e.g. start a channel on pornhub, and then slowly build a Brand, e.g. LeoLulu, or Notsoamateur. They then start to get some subscribers that pay for their content, either on only fans or pornhub premium. The average pay for an amateur’s first year is $10,000.
How much do pornstars make on pornhub?
The average RPM (rate per 1,000 video views) on pornhub is $0.70, and you get paid 80% of that. So if you have 5 videos that have 1,000 views each; so 5,000 in total. This will generate (80% x 0.70) = $0,56 x 5 = $2.8. So you get 2.8 dollars for 5,000 views.
Besides this income, you can also set up a fan page where your subscribers pay $5 pr. month to see your content. So if you have 50 fans that’s 5 x 50 = $250 pr. month in recurring revenue.
A user that has succeeded on pornhub is; LeoLulu (mentioned before). They said:
“It took us around half a year to get traffic, and then slowly build up our fan base. The primary thing that influences your profit is your number of views”.
They have more than 931,000,000 views. That’s only from the views that they have an income of 931,000,000 x 0,56 / 1,000 = $521,360
Read more about how to become a pornhub partner here: https://www.pornhub.com/partners/models. If you’re interested in more pornhub-related statistics. Check this article here.
What influences a pornstar’s earnings?
Several factors can influence a porn star’s earnings. Some of the main factors include:
- Experience: Experienced performers who have been in the industry for a longer time and have established a reputation for themselves can command higher rates than new or less experienced performers.
- Popularity: Porn stars who are more popular and have a larger fan base can charge higher rates for their scenes, as their name recognition and demand increase.
- Niche: The type of scenes that a performer is willing to do can also impact their earnings. For example, performers who are comfortable with performing in more extreme or niche categories may be able to charge higher rates.
- Gender: Male performers typically earn less than female performers, due to various factors such as demand, availability, and the types of scenes they are willing to do. It’s known that men are 4 times more likely to watch porn than women.
- Production company: The production company a performer works for can also impact their earnings. Some companies may pay higher rates than others, and some may offer more frequent work opportunities.
- Industry trends: The overall state of the industry can also impact a performer’s earnings. For example, changes in consumer demand or shifts in the popularity of certain performers or genres can affect the rates that performers can charge.
It’s important to note that these factors can vary depending on the specific performer and their circumstances. Ultimately, a performer’s earnings are influenced by a complex interplay of these and other factors, as well as their negotiation skills and business savvy.