David Axelrod’s net worth 2025: David Axelrod is an American political consultant and analyst and former White House official. Curious to learn more about him? Read on as we take you through the biography, age, height, family, house, personal life, education, salary, earnings, and net worth of David Axelrod. As a bonus, you’ll also learn how David Axelrod made his fortune.
Who is David Axelrod and How Much is He Worth?
| Full Name | David M. Axelrod |
| Date of Birth | February 22, 1955 |
| Age | 70 Years |
| Profession | Political Consultant and Analyst |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Country | United States of America |
| Source of Wealth | Politics |
| Net Worth | $13 Million |
| Annual Salary | $2 million |
| Last Updated | March 2025 |
David Axelrod is an American political consultant and analyst and former White House official with an estimated net worth of $13 million. Axelrod is best known for being the chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also served as a Senior Advisor to the President.
Axelrod also wrote for the Chicago Tribune and worked with CNN as Senior Political Commentator. He currently, serves as the director of the non-partisan University of Chicago Institue of Politics. Axelrod has earned a good amount of wealth over the course of his career, read on as we explore his net worth, salary, and earnings.
Early Life
David M. Axelrod was born on February 22, 1955, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, United States of America. His father, Joseph Axelrod was a psychologist and his mother, Myril Bennett was a journalist at PM and later an advertising executive at Young & Rubicam. His parents separated when he was eight years old.
Education
David Axelrod attended Public School 40 in Manhattan. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York in 1972. Thereafter, he enrolled at the University of Chicago where he majored in political science. As an undergrad, he wrote for the Hyde Park Herald.
Career
After his graduation from the university, Axelrod worked with The Chicago Tribune for eight years covering national, state and local politics. At age 27, he became the City Hall Bureau Chief and a political columnist for the paper. In 1984, Axelrod left the Tribune to join the camping of U.S. Senator Paul Simon as communications director. In a short time, he was promoted to co-campaign manager.
In 1985, Axelrod formed the political consultancy firm, Axelrod & Associates. Two years later, he worked on the successful reelection campaign of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor, at the same time, spearheading Paul Simon’s campaign for the 1988 Democratic Presidential nomination.
David Axelrod also worked as a consultant for Exelon, an Illinois-area utility that operated the largest fleet of nuclear reactors in the U.S. In 2006, Axelrod consulted for several campaigns.
David Axelrod was also an Adjunct Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. On June 14, 2009, Axelrod received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from DePaul University.
David Axelrod and Obama first met way back in 1992. Although he contemplated taking a break from politics during the 2008 presidential campaign, as five of the candidates were past clients. Ultimately, he decided to participate in the Obama campaign and served as chief strategist and media advisor for Obama.
On November 20, 2008, Axelrod was appointed by President Obama as a senior advisor to his administration. In January 2011, Axelrod left his White House senior advisor post and started another job as Obama’s chief campaign strategist.
In January 2013, he established a bipartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago where he serves as director. A month later, Axelrod joined NBC News and MSNBC as a senior political analyst, a position he held until September 2015 before joining CNN.
Axelrod is the co-founder of AKPD Message and Media and operated ASK Public Strategies, now known as ASGK Public Strategies which was sold in 2009.
Personal Life
David Axelrod is happily married to his wife, Susan Landau. The couple tied the knot in 1979. Together, they have three children: Sons, Michael Axelrod and Ethan Axelrod and a Daughter, Lauren Axelrod.
Social Media Profile
David Axelrod has an impressive number of fans on his social media pages where he shares a bit of his personal life and work-related stuff. As of the time of writing, David Axelrod has over 12,000 Instagram followers. Axelrod also has over 1.4 million Twitter followers.
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David Axelrod Net Worth, Salary and Earnings 2025
As of March 2025, David Axelrod has an estimated net worth of $13 million. Axelrod earns his net worth from his political strategy career and from working for the government. Axelrod has an annual salary of $2 million.
David Axelrod’s House
Axelrod has also diversified his wealth into real estate. In 2001, Axelrod and his wife, Susan Landau paid $950,000 for two combined units on the 46th floor of Late Point Tower in Chicago. In 2013, the couple sold the three-bedroom apartment for $1.28 million.
The couple also paid $1.7 million for the 42nd-floor condo in Water Tower Place in 2012. In 2019, the couple sold the three-bedroom, 3,320-square-foot condominium unit in Water Tower Pace for $2.5 million.
Axelrod and his wife also paid $1.645 million for a three-bedroom, 3,00-square-foot condo on the 44th floor of the 54-story Grand building in the South Loop in 2018.
Summary
David Axelrod is an American political consultant and analyst and former White House official with an estimated net worth of $13 million. Axelrod is best known for being the chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also served as a Senior Advisor to the President.
