Katie Ledecky’s Net Worth is Impressive, but Her Swimming Talent is Priceless
Katie Ledecky has earned over $370,000 from her Olympic gold medals alone.
Published July 31 2025, 9:21 a.m. ET
Being involved in professional sports definitely has its perks, especially if you’re really good at what you do. Not only are you pushing your body to peak physical fitness, but you’re also gaining recognition and, of course, getting paid for it.
Obviously, some athletes earn more than others based on their skill level, like Katie Ledecky, who is widely considered one of the most decorated female swimmers in history.
In 2025, she collected yet another medal after winning the 1,500-meter freestyle gold at the World Aquatics Championship in Singapore, marking her 22nd world gold. And chances are, there’s more to come.
With Katie’s status in the sport, you’re probably curious about her net worth, because who doesn’t want to know how much you can make being one of the best swimmers out there? Here’s a breakdown of her earnings.
Katie Ledecky’s net worth is impressive, but her talent might be even more valuable.
Katie Ledecky has an estimated net worth of $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Most of her earnings come from competing in the sport, including her Olympic wins, and her growing list of endorsement deals.
She’s partnered with major brands like Athletica, TYR, and Panasonic. While Katie swam for Stanford, NCAA rules prevented her from cashing in on endorsements, but once she went pro in 2018, that all changed.
Her first major deal came from TYR, a leading competitive swimwear company, which reportedly signed her to a $7 million contract over six years, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Katie Ledecky
Professional swimmer
Net worth: $5 million
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky, or just Katie Ledecky, may be best known as one of the greatest female swimmers of all time, dominating the Olympic Games and other international competitions. But there are a few fun facts you might not know about her. For instance, Katie enjoys playing both the piano and saxophone, and she’s a big hockey fan. In fact, one of her top teams is the New York Islanders, which her uncle, Jon Ledecky, happens to co-own.
Birthdate: March 17, 1997
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Education: Little Flower School (K-8), Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (high school), Stanford University
Relationship Status: Single (as far as we know)
Since then, she’s added even more big names to her roster, including Adidas, American Girl, Hershey’s, Ralph Lauren, and Visa. So yeah, you could say Katie is paid, even when she’s not freestyling in the pool.
She also ranks as the second highest-paid athlete in terms of total Olympic medal earnings across all sports. As of this writing, Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Simone Biles, and Jenny Thompson round out the top five highest Olympic medal earners, according to Spotrac.
Katie Ledecky won her first gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Most Olympic medalists start their careers young, and Katie Ledecky is no exception. From an early age, she proved just how skilled and talented she is. At just 15 years old, she won her first Olympic gold medal by dominating the 800m freestyle at the London 2012 Games.
Since then, she’s expanded her competitive range to include everything from the 200m to the 1500m, according to her Olympic bio.
While we're still on the subject of her early years, Katie attended Little Flower School through eighth grade, then went on to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, where she graduated in 2015. She later attended Stanford University from 2016 to 2021.
But Katie wasn’t just a standout in her early years, her success continued well beyond college. By 2024, she was recognized as holding the record for the most Olympic gold medals in swimming by a female athlete. Globally, she also holds world records in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle events.