Bernie Sanders is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Vermont, a seat he has held since taking office in January 2007. Born September 8, 1941, he is 85 years old. Despite decades in public office and two high-profile presidential campaigns, his net worth is modest by Senate standards — most estimates place it between $2 million and $3 million, built largely on book royalties rather than corporate wealth.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Bernard Sanders |
| Date of Birth | September 8, 1941 |
| Age | 85 |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York |
| Profession | Politician, Author |
| Known For | U.S. Senator from Vermont; progressive leader; presidential candidate |
| Wife | Jane O'Meara Sanders (married 1988) |
| Children | 4 (one son, three stepchildren) |
| Education | Brooklyn College; University of Chicago (B.A., political science) |
| Estimated Net Worth | $2M – $3M (estimates) |
Early Life
Bernard Sanders was born on September 8, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, the younger of two sons in a lower-middle-class Jewish family. His father was a paint salesman who had immigrated from Poland, and money was often tight — an experience Sanders has said shaped his lifelong focus on economic inequality.
He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, then spent a year at Brooklyn College before transferring to the University of Chicago, where he graduated with a B.A. in political science. As a student in the early 1960s, Sanders was an active civil rights organizer, participating in sit-ins and protests; he attended the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
After college he moved to Vermont, working odd jobs — including carpentry and freelance writing — before entering politics.
Political Career
Mayor of Burlington (1981–1989)
In 1981, running as an independent democratic socialist, Sanders was elected Mayor of Burlington by just 12 votes, unseating a five-term incumbent. He served four terms, earning a reputation for practical urban governance — downtown revitalization, affordable housing, and progressive taxation.
U.S. House of Representatives (1991–2007)
Sanders won Vermont's at-large House seat and served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, building a record as one of Congress's most outspoken critics of corporate power, the Iraq War, and widening income inequality.
U.S. Senate (2007–Present)
Elected to the Senate in 2006, Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history, though he caucuses with Senate Democrats. He has chaired major committees, including Veterans' Affairs, the Budget Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Re-elected in 2012, 2018, and 2024, he is currently serving his fourth Senate term, which runs through January 2031, and since January 2025 has been the Ranking Member of the HELP Committee.
After winning re-election in November 2024, Sanders told Politico that his fourth term would "likely" be his last — but in January 2025 he filed Federal Election Commission paperwork to run again in 2030, leaving his plans formally open. He has not endorsed a successor, and in June 2026 he said at the National Press Club that another presidential run in 2028 was unlikely, citing his age.
Presidential Campaigns
Sanders sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, winning 22 primaries and caucuses before losing to Hillary Clinton — a campaign that transformed him from a little-known senator into a national figure and moved the party's platform leftward. He ran again in 2020, emerging as an early front-runner before losing the nomination to Joe Biden after the Super Tuesday contests. After the 2016 campaign he founded the progressive organization Our Revolution.
Fighting Oligarchy Tour
In February 2025, Sanders announced the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour under the tagline "Fight Oligarchy: Where We Go from Here," launching rallies in early March opposing concentrated wealth and corporate influence in politics. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined him for a 15-state spring leg that drew some of the largest crowds of his career: about 36,000 people at Los Angeles City Hall on April 12, 2025 — his largest rally ever, per his team — and an estimated 30,000 to 34,000 at Denver's Civic Center Park on March 21. The spring leg closed on April 16, 2025, in Missoula, Montana, with about 9,000 attendees, and a running tally put the tour's total attendance at 261,100 as of November 2025. The tour drew scrutiny over spending on chartered campaign flights, which Sanders defended as a scheduling necessity when holding multiple rallies per week.
Sanders continued the Fight Oligarchy format into 2026, stumping for candidates ahead of the midterm elections — joining Democratic candidates in Maine in May 2026 and headlining an October 4, 2026, rally in Bakersfield, California, alongside House challenger Randy Villegas.
Wife and Family
Sanders married Jane O'Meara in 1988. Jane, who has worked in education administration and served as president of Burlington College, has been a central figure in his political life, advising his campaigns and managing his Senate office's outreach.
Sanders has four children: a son, Levi, from an earlier relationship, and three stepchildren from Jane's previous marriage. He was previously married to Deborah Shiling in the mid-1960s. The couple lives in Burlington, Vermont. According to his publisher's author biography, Sanders also has seven grandchildren.
Net Worth
Sanders' net worth is estimated at approximately $2.5 million (The Street/Forbes reporting, 2026), with most analysts placing the range at $2 million to $3 million. That figure is notably modest compared with many long-serving senators, reflecting a career built on public service rather than wealth accumulation.
The main components of his wealth:
- Senate salary — $174,000 per year
- Book royalties — Forbes reported he earned about $2.5 million from book advances and royalties between 2011 and 2023, across six books including Our Revolution and It's Okay to Be Angry About Capitalism; tax records showed over $800,000 in book income in both 2016 and 2017
- Real estate — three homes: a residence in Burlington, Vermont; a townhouse in Washington, D.C.; and a lakefront property in North Hero, Vermont
- Pensions and retirement accounts — including a City of Burlington pension
Before 2016, his net worth was estimated at under $500,000; the book income from his presidential campaigns materially changed his financial picture. All published figures are estimates drawn from public financial disclosures, never confirmed totals. His most recent Senate disclosure reported $148,750 in royalties from Penguin Random House and $6,221.52 from a City of Burlington pension, according to finance-monthly.com's 2026 review of his filings.
Books
Sanders is the author of seven books, with royalties forming the largest component of his personal wealth:
- Outsider in the White House (Verso Books, 2015)
- The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of our Middle Class (Bold Type Books, 2015)
- Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Thomas Dunne Books, 2016)
- Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution (Henry Holt and Company, 2017)
- Where We Go From Here: Two Years in the Resistance (Gale, 2018)
- It's Okay to Be Angry About Capitalism (Crown Books, 2023)
- Fight Oligarchy (Crown, October 2025)
His most recent book, Fight Oligarchy (Crown, October 2025), became a New York Times bestseller.
Health
On October 1, 2019, during his second presidential campaign, Sanders was hospitalized in Las Vegas with a myocardial infarction — a heart attack — and doctors placed two stents in a blocked coronary artery. He was discharged after three days in the hospital. In December 2019, his campaign released letters from three doctors declaring him fit to continue campaigning, and a treadmill stress test showed him performing about 50 percent higher than other men his age with a similar diagnosis. He resumed a full campaign and Senate schedule within weeks, and no new heart-related health episodes have been publicly reported since.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bernie Sanders' net worth?
Most estimates place it between $2 million and $3 million, with 2026 reporting centering on about $2.5 million — built mainly on Senate salary, book royalties, and three homes.
How old is Bernie Sanders?
Born September 8, 1941, he is 85 years old.
Who is Bernie Sanders' wife?
Jane O'Meara Sanders. They married in 1988; she has worked in education administration and advised his campaigns.
How many children does Bernie Sanders have?
Four — a son, Levi, and three stepchildren from his wife Jane's previous marriage.
Is Bernie Sanders a Democrat?
He is an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, and he sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He is often described as a democratic socialist.