Remember when the Stranger Things kids were complete unknowns, making pocket change per episode? Those days are long gone. The final season transformed these young actors into some of television’s highest-paid performers, with salaries reaching a jaw-dropping $875,000 per episode. That’s a 4,275% increase from where they started back in 2016.
With Season 5’s total budget hitting nearly $480 million, Netflix didn’t just spend big on special effects and production. The streaming giant poured serious money into keeping its breakout stars happy, and the numbers tell quite a story about how streaming success can completely transform young careers.
Four-Tier Salary System
When Season 5 negotiations wrapped up in 2023, Netflix established a clear hierarchy that mirrored each actor’s value to the show. At the very top, veterans Winona Ryder and David Harbour each secured $9.5 million for the eight-episode season. That works out to roughly $1.19 million per episode, which makes sense given their decades of Hollywood experience and drawing power.
The original kids, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Sadie Sink, landed in the second tier at approximately $7 million each. Sink’s inclusion here is particularly noteworthy since she started the series earning less than her male co-stars. Her Season 4 breakout performance, especially in that emotional “Dear Billy” episode, clearly convinced Netflix she’d earned the promotion.
Third-tier deals went to the slightly older cast members, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Maya Hawke, who pulled in about $6 million each (around $750,000 per episode). Their characters might not drive the main storylines, but they’re crucial to the show’s appeal.
Then there’s Millie Bobby Brown, who operates on a completely different level. She’s got a separate overall deal with Netflix covering multiple projects, including the Enola Holmes films and other productions. Her Stranger Things salary is basically bonus money at this point.
When Stranger Things premiered, those unknown kids earned just $20,000 per episode, standard rates for child actors on an unproven show. Ryder commanded $100,000 per episode as the only established name, while Harbour got $80,000.
After the show became a cultural phenomenon, Season 2 salaries barely budged. Netflix threw everyone a $60,000 bonus, but that was it. The real breakthrough came before Season 3 in 2018, when the young cast saw their rates explode to $250,000 per episode. That’s a 1,150% jump and represented one of TV’s largest raises for child performers.
Adult leads moved to $350,000 per episode, while Brown negotiated herself into a special middle tier around $300,000-$350,000. She’d become the show’s face, and her team ensured she was paid accordingly.
Season 4 maintained similar structures but featured dramatically longer episodes, with the finale exceeding 150 minutes. This created tension heading into the final season negotiations. Cast representatives even argued that California’s seven-year contract rule meant the original 2015 agreements were technically void. Netflix disputed this, but the studio still significantly increased its offers.
The final deal guaranteed payment for 10 episodes, even though Season 5 has only 8, providing flexibility for potentially lengthy runtimes and sweetening the pot for negotiations.
Who’s Made The Most Money?
Winona Ryder tops the wealth charts with an estimated $18-22 million net worth. But that’s not just from Stranger Things. She’s been working steadily since the 1980s, with iconic roles in Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands. Her 2024 return for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” reportedly added another $2-3 million, and she owns valuable real estate in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Millie Bobby Brown’s estimated net worth of $14-20 million is remarkable, given that she’s the youngest principal cast member. Beyond an estimated $43 million in total Netflix earnings, she built Florence by Mills into a beauty empire. The brand expanded from skincare into fragrances, coffee, and luggage, achieving 7x revenue growth since 2020. Add endorsements with Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, and Samsung, and you’ve got a highly diversified income.
David Harbour sits at around $6 million, which might seem low compared to Ryder despite identical Stranger Things pay. The difference? He didn’t have the same established career before the show. His recent Marvel work as Red Guardian should change that significantly, especially with Thunderbolts and Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon.
Among the younger cast, Gaten Matarazzo has accumulated roughly $5 million through the show, plus Broadway work and hosting Netflix’s Prank Encounters. Finn Wolfhard built a net worth of $4-5 million thanks to the IT franchise, the Ghostbusters films, and his music career with bands like The Aubreys.
Sadie Sink holds about $4 million now, but her confirmed Marvel casting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Secret Wars could dramatically increase that figure. Noah Schnapp maintains a net worth of $3-4 million while attending the Wharton School of Business. His vegan snack company, TBH, raised over $1.2 million in crowdfunding and achieved a $15 million valuation. Caleb McLaughlin rounds out the group at approximately $3 million, with lead roles in Concrete Cowboy expanding his opportunities.
Season 5 Broke Production Budget
The final season’s estimated $400-480 million budget, roughly $50-60 million per episode, makes it one of the most expensive TV productions ever. That’s more than Avengers: Endgame’s theatrical budget and represents a 900% increase from Season 1’s $48 million.
Production ran from January 8 through December 20, 2024, nearly twelve continuous months at Cinespace Studios in Atlanta. The eight episodes were released in three volumes: Episodes 1-4 dropped on November 26, 2025; Episodes 5-7 arrived on Christmas Day; and the series finale premiered on New Year’s Eve with a limited theatrical release.
Industrial Light & Magic handled visual effects, eating up roughly one-third of the total budget. With movie-length episodes potentially exceeding two hours, Netflix clearly decided to go out with a bang.
Stranger Things salaries rank near the top but aren’t alone in the stratosphere. Henry Cavill earned about $1 million per episode for The Witcher Season 2. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren each command the same for Paramount+’s 1923. Amazon paid Chris Pratt approximately $1.4 million per episode for The Terminal List.
