Search "Drew Starkey net worth," and you'll get a different number on every page: $300,000 here, $3 million there, $750,000 somewhere in between. None of those sites tells you why the numbers don't match. Once you understand how Netflix actually pays its rising stars, the gap makes a lot more sense — and so does Drew Starkey's real financial picture.

Starkey spent four years as a supporting Pogue on a teen mystery series before landing in a Daniel Craig film directed by Luca Guadagnino. That jump from streaming ensemble to awards-season cinema is the single biggest thing moving his number right now, and it's the part most "net worth" roundups skip entirely.

How Much Is Drew Starkey Worth in 2026?

Because Starkey isn't a public company and doesn't file financial disclosures, no outlet — including this one — can hand you an audited figure. What can be said is that the range cited most consistently across entertainment outlets puts his estimated net worth somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million as of 2026, built almost entirely from acting income rather than business ventures or sponsorships.

That's a modest number next to some of his castmates, and there's a simple reason: Starkey joined Outer Banks as a recurring player, not a lead, which means he started lower on the pay scale and is still catching up even as his film career outpaces theirs.

From Hickory to Hollywood: A Quick Career Timeline

Starkey grew up in Hickory, North Carolina, and graduated from Western Carolina University with a double major in English and theater performance. He picked up small supporting parts in Love, Simon and The Hate U Give before Netflix cast him as Rafe Cameron in Outer Banks in 2020 — the role that turned him into a recognizable name and, eventually, opened the door to Queer.

This slow-build pattern — small roles, then a long-running ensemble series, then a gradual rise in earning power — isn't unique to Starkey. Philippa Northeast's net worth followed a similar arc after years on Australia's long-running soap Home and Away, where wealth accumulated season by season rather than from any single breakout paycheck.

Drew Starkey's Outer Banks Salary: How Netflix Pay Actually Scales

Here's the part most celebrity finance pages get wrong: they treat an actor's per-episode rate as a fixed number. It isn't. Netflix renegotiates ensemble contracts season by season, and the increases follow a fairly predictable pattern across the platform's young-adult dramas.

For first-time series regulars, industry reporting on Netflix dramas — including outlets like Capital FM covering the Outer Banks cast — consistently cites a starting rate in the $20,000 to $40,000 per episode range for Season 1. That number typically climbs with each renewal as a show proves its viewership, often doubling or more by Season 3 for cast members central to the story.

So, how much did Drew Starkey get paid for Outer Banks? Reported figures place him in that same starter bracket in early seasons, scaling upward as Rafe Cameron grew from a side character into one of the show's most talked-about arcs. With ten episodes per season, even mid-tier per-episode rates compound into six-figure season paychecks — which is the real engine behind his net worth, not any single windfall.

This tiered structure is also why two actors on the same show can have wildly different reported net worths. A character's screen time, storyline weight, and how early they signed their contract all change the math.

The Queer Effect: Moving From Streaming TV to Feature Films

Queer (2024), Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novella, marked Starkey's first major lead role opposite Daniel Craig. He was cast as Eugene Allerton after his audition tape reached Guadagnino through a producer connection — and reportedly won the part after a breakfast meeting with the director and costume designer Jonathan Anderson. A24 picked up U.S. distribution rights, putting Starkey's name on a real awards-season marquee for the first time.

Feature film deals like this don't pay like Netflix ensemble episodes — they're typically structured as flat fees, sometimes with backend bonuses tied to box office or streaming performance. Queer underperformed commercially, but the credibility it bought Starkey has clearly paid off in better-quality follow-up work, which matters more for long-term earnings than any single paycheck. He's not the only young actor making that jump from genre television into prestige film: Monica Barbaro's net worth saw a similar lift after she moved from supporting TV work into Top Gun: Maverick and an awards-season lead in A Complete Unknown — proof that one well-chosen film can reshape an actor's earning trajectory far more than years of steady episodic pay.

Brand Visibility and Other Income Streams

Unlike co-stars Madelyn Cline and Madison Bailey, who've signed visible ambassador deals with brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Fenty, Starkey doesn't have a confirmed traditional endorsement contract. His financial upside from fashion has come a different way: working with Loewe and JW Anderson creative director Jonathan Anderson on Queer's costume design put him in front of the fashion press in a way few Netflix actors achieve, and that kind of visibility tends to translate into future styling deals, campaign interest, and red-carpet invitations rather than a single line-item paycheck.

What's Next: Drew Starkey's Upcoming Projects

This is where his earnings trajectory looks the most promising. Starkey has signed on for several A24 projects, including Deep Cuts alongside Cailee Spaeny, directed by Sean Durkin, and Onslaught, an action-thriller from Adam Wingard also starring Adria Arjona and Dan Stevens. He's also been cast opposite Margaret Qualley and Michael Shannon in Jeff Nichols' Southern gothic horror film King Snake, plus the Apple TV series Lucky alongside Anya Taylor-Joy. Landing three to four feature roles in quick succession is a strong signal that his per-project rate is climbing well past his Netflix starting point.

Lifestyle, Cars, and Where He Lives

Starkey is reported to be based in Los Angeles, and multiple profiles describe his lifestyle as notably low-key for someone with his level of visibility — no flashy car collection, no publicized real estate purchases, and a social media presence built around hiking, photography, and travel rather than luxury flexing. Take any specific claims about a mansion or car collection with skepticism; none have been verified through primary sources, and that absence of confirmed detail is itself telling about how private he keeps his finances.

Age, Height, and Personal Life

Drew Starkey was born on November 4, 1993, making him 32 as of 2026. He's commonly listed at 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall across multiple celebrity profiles, though, as with most height figures for public figures, this comes from secondary sources rather than an official record.

Is Drew Starkey currently single? He hasn't confirmed a relationship status publicly. He's been linked by entertainment outlets, including Just Jared, to actress Odessa A'zion, whom he met filming Hellraiser in 2021 — the two have been spotted supporting each other at industry events, but neither has confirmed a romance, so there's no verified answer to whether Drew Starkey has a wife or girlfriend right now. Earlier reports also linked him to actress Claire Holt Van der Linden, similarly unconfirmed.

As for his religion, this isn't something Starkey has discussed in interviews or on the record, and claims you'll see on some biography sites aren't sourced to anything he's actually said. The honest answer is that it's simply not public information.

Who Is the Richest Outer Banks Actor?

It depends on how you define "the cast." Among the core young ensemble, Madelyn Cline is the most frequently cited as the wealthiest, with recent estimates ranging from roughly $1 million to as high as $3 million, driven by her Outer Banks salary growth, a role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and modeling deals with brands like Versace and Tommy Hilfiger. Chase Stokes' reported figures vary the most wildly of anyone on the show, from under $1 million to upwards of $6 million, depending on the source, which says more about how unreliable these estimates are than anything else. Jonathan Daviss is typically estimated in the $400,000 to $500,000 range. If you widen the lens to the full cast, veteran actor Charles Esten — known for Nashville — tops the list with an estimated $4 million, reflecting decades in the industry rather than Outer Banks alone.

The Bottom Line

Drew Starkey's net worth tells a story about timing more than total dollars. He's not the highest earner from Outer Banks, but his move into A24's roster of films — paired with a packed 2026 slate — puts him on a steeper earnings curve than almost anyone else from that cast right now. The number reported today is likely to look conservative within a year or two.

FAQ

What is Drew Starkey's net worth in 2026?

Estimates commonly range from $500,000 to $1 million, based on his Outer Banks salary and feature-film work. No official figure has been confirmed.

How much did Drew Starkey get paid for Outer Banks?

Reported per-episode rates for the cast started around $20,000–$40,000 in early seasons, with increases typical of Netflix renewal contracts as the show grew in popularity.

Is Drew Starkey currently single?

He hasn't publicly confirmed a relationship. He's been linked to actress Odessa A'zion since 2021, but neither has addressed the rumors directly.

Who is the richest Outer Banks actor?

Among the young core cast, Madelyn Cline is most often cited as the wealthiest. Including supporting cast, veteran actor Charles Esten's estimated $4 million tops the list.

What is Drew Starkey's religion?

This hasn't been publicly disclosed by Starkey himself, and claims circulating online aren't sourced to anything he's said on record.

What movies and shows is Drew Starkey doing next?

He has Deep Cuts and Onslaught, both with A24, Jeff Nichols' King Snake, and Apple TV's Lucky lined up.