Vice President JD Vance’s 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” generated between $1 million and $5 million in royalties for him in 2025, according to his federal financial disclosure report released Tuesday, with total income from all sources reaching as much as $7.4 million.
The book, an examination of poverty and other struggles in working-class America, was adapted into a 2020 movie of the same name. It returned to bestseller lists after Vance was named the Republican vice presidential nominee.
Vance’s total reported income for 2025 represents a jump from 2024, when he disclosed earnings between $212,000 and $1.3 million. The vice president earns an annual government salary of $235,100, which is set to rise to $292,300 this year under an executive order from President Donald Trump, according to the filing.
Beyond royalties, Vance reported holdings of between $250,000 and $500,000 in bitcoin assets and up to $50,000 in rental income from a Washington, D.C., property. He spent as much as $2.6 million buying into multiple exchange-traded funds and portfolios.
From his venture-capital firm, Narya Capital Management, Vance did not report a salary but received a promissory note that earned him up to $1 million in income last year, the filing shows. He sold a stake worth as much as $250,000 in a seed fund tied to AOL co-founder Steve Case.
President Trump’s 2025 earnings were far larger than Vance’s income. Trump made more than $1 billion from cryptocurrency deals alone, according to his disclosure. Vance’s report was 17 pages, compared with Trump’s 927-page report.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.