It’s said that gold fever is never-ending, and there is no demonstrated proof of it than the stars of Discovery’s “Gold Rush”. Ever since the show’s inception in 2010, miners from across the US have faced all types of adversities to make a living out of their mining operations, even when that meant a huge financial risk.
Out of all the miners, Parker Schnabel stands out from the rest, not only for having started very young in the business but also for his quick rise at doing so. These days, Parker is one of the most popular stars of “Gold Rush” for his unmatched skills at finding gold and managing and growing his million-dollar-worth operation.
Given Parker’s success in mining, many fans of the series inevitably want to know more about him, his fortune, and all the things he’s investing in these days. If you’re one of those fans, then keep with us to get all your answers about Parker Schnabel answered here!
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Net Worth
According to several online sources, Parker Schnabel has a net worth between of at least $8 million. While this estimation is based on Parker’s historical earnings as seen in “Gold Rush” and its many spin-offs, it’s fair to assume that his net worth goes well above that number.
This assumption comes from “Gold Rush”’s 14th season, in which Parker wrote a $15 million check to acquire Dominion Creek in Yukon, Canada. As the then-anxious Parker confessed on screen, the deal was the biggest one in his career, and many viewers were undeniably shocked to see him committing such a huge amount, though not without some hesitancy.
While that money is now invested in a claim expected to produce so much more in the coming years, the whole ordeal demonstrates that Parker’s work has paid off financially, and that he’s not afraid of risking it all for more, that is ‘speculate to accumulate’.
Last but not least, Parker has also gained thousands from his participation in the “Gold Rush” franchise, among other investments.
His Biggest Investment To Date
From the first season to this date, viewers have seen Parker Schnabel rising to mining stardom for his unmatched knack for finding gold wherever he goes. This isn’t a matter of luck alone on Parker’s side, as the man grew up in his grandfather’s operation, years later expanding it on his own with his good sense and strategic thinking.
More than ever, these skills came into play in the 14th season of “Gold Rush”, when Parker signed the aforementioned $15 million check to buy the historically gold-rich Dominion Creek. It wasn’t an easy decision, as Parker admitted in front of cameras that he was barely able to afford to pay that much, which went against his best financial judgment.
Despite Parker’s initial hesitancy, the deal was done, and he then split his time between that claim and Australian Creek. The latter is an unexploited apparently gold-rich area, part of a royalty agreement he made with the company Metallic Minerals Corp. in early 2023.
According to reports, Parker’s company Little Flake Mining is expected to extract a minimum of $1 million of gold annually to keep his part of the Australia Creek royalty deal going.
How Much Has Parker Earned So Far?
There’s no denying that Parker Schnabel knows how to make business, easily demonstrating his knack since becoming a mining boss in the second season at his family’s claim in Big Nugget Mine.
Five of the biggest gold nuggets in the world were discovered in Australia including the biggest ever found – called The Welcome Stranger weighing 72kg.
Parker Schnabel (@goldrushparker) hunts for Aussie gold on the season premiere of @Gold_Rush: #ParkersTrail tonight at 8P. pic.twitter.com/51yG0wQh4n
— Discovery (@Discovery) March 13, 2020
Slowly but surely, Parker has steadily grown his earnings at the same time he improved his knowledge of the mining business. Back in the second season, he became the show’s second-biggest earner by extracting 34 ounces of gold, which made $55,000 at the time. The third season saw those earnings increase tenfold, and it didn’t take him long before taking the show’s mining lead the next season. In season five, Parker had extracted $3 million of gold and never made less than that ever since.
Fast forward to the 14th season, Parker made $15 million in total, making it his best mining season ever. However, it’s worth noting that lots of the money he earns from mining is put back into the claims, equipment, and paying his employees. This makes it hard to calculate how much mining money Parker has actually put into his pockets during his career, but leaves no doubts about how much effort and commitment it has taken him to go this far.
Properties & Other Businesses
One thing about Parker Schnabel is that he keeps most of his personal business away from the cameras, whether that is his romantic life or his properties unrelated to mining. That said, the purchase of Dominion Creek in the 14th season came with a small house adjacent to the mining operation, the first Parker has ever owned.
As seen in the show, a small welcoming party was organized by Parker alongside some members of his crew and friends. Not much of the house was featured in the show except for its master’s bedroom and a bathroom which was described by Parker as ‘weird’.
Outside of the Dominion Creek house and his mining claims, it’s assumed that Parker doesn’t own any other properties. However, the same can’t be said about his business, as he now has a partnership with the jewelry maker Chasing Mammots, and the house product brand Alaska Creations.
How Much Does The Show Pay Him?
Despite the inherent openness of reality TV regarding certain topics, it’s a different story when it comes to money. That leaves viewers wondering how much their favorite TV stars make out of their shows.
In the case of “Gold Rush”, there’s no confirmed information about how much the show’s stars make per season and episode. However, some online reports state that the number might be as much as $25,000 and as low as $10,000, assuming that the highest wage is paid to cast members as popular as Parker Schnabel or Tony Beets, just to name a pair.
That said, Parker’s fame is so massive that his Facebook page has over 1.8 million followers, while his Instagram is close to reaching the 600,000 followers mark. Though these numbers could allow Parker to make some extra money by taking social media sponsorships and the likes, all his accounts are devoid of that type of content, and he’s mostly focused on sharing elements about his social life, trips, and rare pics from the mine.
All in all, Parker has already surpassed a lot of people on the mining ground, and the best part of it is that his career is still very young. Only time will tell where life will take him now, but Parker Schnabel is already a winner in everyone’s books.
