What is Pete Buttigieg's Net Worth and Salary?
Pete Buttigieg, an American politician, boasts a net worth of $500 thousand. A Harvard graduate, Buttigieg served in the United States Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017. Notably, in 2011, he was elected as the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with a population exceeding 100,000, serving two terms in South Bend.
As mayor, Buttigieg was recognized for progressive policies aimed at revitalizing South Bend's downtown and enhancing public transportation. His 2020 presidential campaign drew national attention, marking him as the first openly gay person to win delegates in a major U.S. presidential primary.
In February 2021, Buttigieg was confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Joe Biden's administration, becoming the first openly gay person to hold a Cabinet-level position. As Secretary of Transportation, he oversees the nation's transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and airports.
Salary and Financial Disclosures
As Mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg earned an annual salary of $149,000. A financial disclosure in May 2019 revealed he received a $75,000 advance for his book. The disclosure indicated that Pete and his husband, Chasten, owned up to $50,000 in Apple stock and up to $15,000 in Google stock. Additionally, Pete holds between $100,000 and $350,000 in student loan debt.
The most recent financial disclosures show that Pete and Chasten Buttigieg's net worth is between $100,000 and $1 million. As the Secretary of Transportation, Pete earns a salary of $221,400 annually.
Early Life
Pete Buttigieg was born on January 19, 1982, in South Bend, Indiana. He is the son of Joseph and Jennifer Anne Buttigieg. His father, a Maltese immigrant, was a professor of literature at the University of Notre Dame for 29 years after studying to become a Jesuit priest. Pete attended St. Joseph High School and graduated as valedictorian in 2000. During his senior year, he won the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's Profiles in Courage essay contest. His essay, which praised the integrity of then U.S. Representative Bernie Sanders, led to him meeting members of the Kennedy family.
Buttigieg attended Harvard University, majoring in history and literature. He led the Student Advisory Committee of the Harvard Institute of Politics and contributed to the institute's annual youth political attitudes study. His undergraduate thesis focused on the influence of puritanism on U.S. foreign policy, as reflected in Graham Greene's novel The Quiet American. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 2004, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.
During college, Buttigieg worked as an investigative intern for WMAQ, Chicago’s NBC News affiliate, and interned for various Democratic campaigns. In 2007, he graduated with first-class honors in philosophy, politics, and economics from Pembroke College, Oxford, where he also edited the Oxford International Review and co-founded the Democratic Renaissance Project, a debate group.
Consulting Career
Buttigieg worked as a conference director for The Cohen Group (2004-2005) and later as a consultant at McKinsey & Company (2007-2010). His responsibilities covered energy, retail, economic development, and logistics. He also worked on campaigns for several Democratic candidates.
(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
Military Career
Joining the U.S. Navy Reserve through the direct commission officer program in September 2009, Buttigieg became an ensign in naval intelligence. In 2014, he took a seven-month leave from his mayoral duties to serve in Afghanistan, focusing on disrupting terrorist finance networks and serving as an armed driver for his commander. Buttigieg received the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award before being honorably discharged in 2017.
Political Career
Buttigieg ran unsuccessfully for State Treasurer of Indiana in 2010. He became the 32nd Mayor of South Bend in 2012, at age 29, and was re-elected in 2015 with over 80% of the vote. He did not seek a third term and instead ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election, ultimately endorsing Joe Biden. Buttigieg supports universal healthcare, gun control, labor unions, LGBT rights, environmental protection, and the DACA program.
Secretary of Transportation
Under President Joe Biden, Buttigieg was nominated and confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
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Personal Life
In June 2015, Buttigieg publicly came out as gay in the South Bend Tribune, making him Indiana's first openly gay elected official and the highest elected official to come out in the state. He is also the first openly gay Democratic presidential candidate. On June 16, 2018, Buttigieg married Chasten Glezman, a junior high school teacher. They met on the dating app Hinge in August 2015 and got engaged in December 2017. They married at the Cathedral of St. James in South Bend, where Chasten took Pete’s last name.
Pete Buttigieg is multilingual, having learned Norwegian and possessing knowledge of Spanish, Italian, French, Maltese, Arabic, Dari, and Persian, in addition to his native English.
Real Estate
In 2009, a 27-year-old Pete purchased a foreclosed home in South Bend, Indiana, for $125,000. The 2,500 square-foot, four-bedroom house has since doubled in value.
