Gossip Girl: The Main Characters, Ranked By Wealth

Gossip Girl: The Main Characters, Ranked By Wealth

It’s tough to compare the wealth of the Gossip Girl’s characters, mainly because almost everyone on the show is New York royalty and richer than Croesus. There are, however, certain things that can help fans determine the personal finances of each character, especially since everybody is so obsessed with money and trust funds on the show.

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The Archibalds, Basses, van der Woodsens, and Waldorfs are some of the richest people in New York. The series is filled with luxurious penthouses and glam suites with nary a LES walkup in sight. It takes a little deep diving to understand exactly who’s the richest in Gossip Girl.

Updated on April 27th, 2022 by Gabby Etzel: With the first season of the reboot performing so well and a second season on the rise, it can be interesting to look back on the characters that breathe life into the original Gossip Girl. Wealth is not all that defines the compelling and complex personalities that give Gossip Girl its legacy, but it is a significant driving force in the plot, for both the original show and the reboot. The series would not be the same without each of the richest gossip girl characters falling exactly where they do on the spectrum of wealth.

10 Dorota

Dorota is one of the most beloved characters on the show. The patient and kind housekeeper is a fixture at the Waldorf household and is basically Blair’s nanny. Dorota is originally from Poland and comes to the US after her marriage ends.

Although Dorota’s personal wealth is not explicitly mentioned, she never really complains about her financial situation, which might mean that the Waldorfs pay her nicely. She is married to Vanya, the doorman at the van der Woodsen’s plush apartment building. Considering the circumstances, they are both quite comfortably set up. 

9 Dan Humphrey

Dan sitting on a bench

Though Dan Humphrey’s bank balance is not big on family money, he’s never shown to be flat-out broke. His musician dad Rufus had done quite well for himself, and his mom was an artist. The Humphries are not vicious about money and have very different priorities than the van der Woodsens or the Waldorfs, making Dan’s entry into the UES world something that keeps getting better over time.

Dan does acquire quite a bit of money after he starts publishing his serialized expose of the Upper East Side and even talks about how he could afford a new apartment in the West Village. Plus, he is also selling the film rights to his work which could make him a lot richer.

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8 Rufus Humphrey

Rufus Humphrey is one of the breeziest and the most grounded people on the show and is quite unbothered by the financial anxieties that bother the people around him, including his ex Lily. Rufus is a musician who has found moderate stardom with his band Lincoln Hawks, and they get together to perform occasionally. Rufus may not be totally washed up, but he is not at the peak of his career either.

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Though Rufus is never depicted as acutely ambitious, he does have a comfortable living and lives in an artsy Brooklyn loft. Plus, he does not get any kind of support from Lily, despite the fact she’s one of the richest people in NYC, which implies that Rufus is quite well-off himself.

7 Georgina Sparks

Despite being the best villain on Gossip Girl, there are certain aspects of Georgina Sparks’ background that are still unclear. She comes from a superbly wealthy family, her dad owns a jet, and she parties with the elites, including Serena in Switzerland, and she has even toured the equestrian circuit. She married a man named Philip Becker who she met at a fundraiser. However, it’s revealed that she married for money, which would imply that he is richer than her.

Georgina works as Dan’s book agent and also helps him write the scathing expose of the Upper East Side, but she obviously did not take that job for money. At the end of the final season, she starts dating Jack Bass, and if they do make it official, Georgina would only get richer.

6 Serena van der Woodsen

Serena Van Der Woodsen in Gossip Girl

Serena’s trust fund is obviously an envious one, what with the old shipping magnate money from her dad’s side, and her mom Lily is, of course, part of a famous music producer’s estate, which would explain why she never needed a job. There’s been a lot of debate between fans over whether Serena or Blair is the richer friend.

Technically speaking, Blair is a tad wealthier than Serena, thanks to her family’s incredible connections, but Serena’s inheritance from her father’s side, which is the larger portion of her trust fund, is never fully explored, likely because she is not particularly close with her father.

5 Nate Archibald

Nate Archibald is the son of Howard Archibald, a successful business magnate, and Anne Archibald, who’s a member of the iconic Vanderbilt family, who are basically New York royalty. In the show, Nate’s grandfather, William Vanderbilt, is quite miffed with his mom for his involvement with his dad and even threatens to cut her off. But Nate patches things up with his granddad, which would mean that he’s a major contender to be his successor.

Related: 10 Biggest Scandals On Gossip Girl

Plus, William grooms Nate for a political career and even actively takes an interest in his career. At the end of Gossip Girl, Nate is considering a mayoral run, and his grandfather would obviously be thrilled at this, which could only make Nate richer. 

4 Blair Waldorf

Blair’s family’s legacy is intertwined with New York’s history itself, which would explain why she’s so sentimental about NYC. According to the book series, her family was the original owner of the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

So, it’s safe to say her father’s side is very old money. This would explain how her father can afford to own a chateau and a vineyard in Lyon. Blair’s mother is a successful fashion designer, and her step-father is a very wealthy lawyer. So, Blair’s bank account is pretty gigantic. Privileged, yes, but Blair Waldorf is still gritty enough to survive the apocalypse.

3 Lily van der Woodsen

Serena’s mom, Lily, is the very definition of elite and has never not been rich. She’s the daughter of a wealthy record label owner. Lily marries William van der Woodsen who’s apparently a very successful doctor and incredulously enough, also owns a shipping firm that his great-great-grandfather founded in the 18th century.

This would explain how she can afford to be an art collector and also own a 14-room penthouse suite directly across the Met. After Lily’s marriage to Bart Bass, she becomes significantly richer as she owns a 20% stake at Bass Industries.

2 Chuck Bass

Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl

After Bart’s death, the problematic Chuck Bass becomes the majority shareholder in his father’s company. Chuck owns 51% of the company since he is Bart’s only son. In season three, Chuck runs the Bass empire and also buys the Empire Hotel but only after he sells off a lot of his inherited properties.

Chuck does very little to actually expand his company, which is why he couldn’t even back Nate in Spectator. He had lost all of his liquidity in buying out Blair’s dowry. This would make sense because, unlike Serena, Chuck isn’t old money. His father is a self-made billionaire. In spite of his financial stresses that lead to some of the most unexpected things to happen in Gossip Girl, Chuck is easily the wealthiest of the young crop. 

1 Bart Bass

Bartholomew Bass is the big, bald wolf of New York. He owns Bass Industries, which is one of the biggest international real estate and construction companies in the US. The company is worth billions and has also branched out across the world in Beijing, Sidney, Monaco, and Mexico.

It is also implied on the show that Bart owns quite a few elite A-lister properties in New York, the New York Palace Hotel, being the most noteworthy. In fact, it was reported that Bart’s wealth is modeled upon Donald Trump’s entrepreneurial success.

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