As the final season of Stranger Things hits screens, reports have confirmed that cast members received substantial paychecks. Top names reportedly earned up to around $1.18-$1.25 million per episode, while many regulars from the younger cast made $875K per episode, representing a dramatic increase over the early seasons.
Stranger Things season 5 has just hit Netflix screens and is already the talk of the town. The show, which boasts a massive fan base, once again amazed fans with its fantasy and psychological tropes, continuing in Hawkins, Indiana.
However, what also shocked fans was the salary of each Stranger Things cast member in season 5, who earned a stellar amount for each episode.
Stranger Things Cast Salary In Season 5 Explored
As per StyleCaster, Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, is making $1.25 million per episode, seeing a massive jump from her salary in Season 3, which was $300K. Other younger kids of Hawkins town – such as Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), along with other recurring teen/young adult cast, reportedly earned around $875K per episode for Season 5. That’s reportedly over $7 million for the season.
Previously, in Seasons 1 and 2, these young actors were reportedly paid only about $20K–25K per episode. By Season 3, their pay had already jumped to around $250K per episode, reflecting the show’s growing success.
According to The Express Tribune, Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) reportedly topped the pay scale, each earning $1.18 million per episode in Season 5, a contract reportedly worth around $9.5 million across the eight episodes. This marks a substantial rise from their earlier salary of around US$350K per episode in Seasons 3 and 4.
Supporting actors such as Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), and Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley) reportedly received about $750K per episode for Season 5.
Their pay had previously been much lower, as in Season 3–4, many were reportedly earning around $150K per episode.
David Harbour and Winona Ryder will reportedly both get paid $9.5M for #StrangerThings5
(via @PuckNews) pic.twitter.com/BzEiA74RLd
— ScreenTime (@screentime) January 6, 2023
What Made Stranger Things Season 5’s Salaries So High?
Multiple sources report that Season 5 of Stranger Things secured a record-breaking production budget for a TV series, enabling cash-rich contracts for the cast. The surge reflects both inflation in production value and recognition of the show’s global success and cultural impact.
Industry analysts say the stellar pay raises are partly due to renegotiation after the show’s earlier success, especially as many cast members became international stars with their personal activities. By 2025, Stranger Things had become one of Netflix’s flagship titles worldwide, justifying such high payouts.
Stranger Things Season 5 reportedly cost a total of $460m, more than Avengers Endgame ($356m)
Netflix spent between $50-$60m per episode pic.twitter.com/GoUravj7hy
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) October 9, 2025
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