Many fans are curious about Walter Cronkite's financial success in April 2026. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What was Walter Cronkite's net worth and salary?

Walter Cronkite anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981. He reported on numerous major events during his tenure, including the assassinations ofJohn F. KennedyandMartin Luther King Jr., the Apollo 11 moon landing, and the Watergate scandal, and received two Peabody Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Cronkite was known for concluding his broadcasts with the catchphrase "And that's the way it is."

Cronkite finally joined Murrow at CBS News in 1950. Initially, he worked at WTOP-TV, the CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. In 1952, he anchored coverage of the presidential election, and from 1953 to 1957 he hosted the educational history program "You Are There." Cronkite subsequently hosted the documentary series "The Twentieth Century" and the game show "It's News to Me." Kicking off the 1960s, he anchored CBS's coverage of the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, the first Olympic Games to be televised live. In 1962, Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as the anchor of CBS's nightly feature newscast, which was eventually named the "CBS Evening News." He anchored the half-hour program until 1981, becoming one of the most iconic personalities on television. Cronkite was known for concluding his broadcasts with the catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the date.

Walter Cronkite was an American broadcast journalist who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death in 2009. Walter Cronkite passed away on July 17, 2009, at 92 years old.

Cronkite began his career as a reporter covering news and sports for various newspapers. He had his first broadcasting job as a radio announcer for WKY in Oklahoma City. After that, Cronkite did sports announcing for KCMO in Kansas City, Missouri, and joined United Press International in 1937. Having become an established name in broadcasting, he received a job offer from CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow to join the Murrow Boys team of war correspondents. Although Cronkite initially accepted the offer, he ended up staying with United Press International, which countered with a higher offer. This upset Murrow greatly, causing a rift between the two. Cronkite went on to become one of the top US reporters during World War II, covering battles in Europe and North Africa and sailing aboard the USS Texas. Moreover, he was one of eight journalists chosen by the US Army Air Forces to fly bombing raids over Germany. After the war, Cronkite covered the Nuremberg trials.

Walter Cronkite Jr. was born on November 4, 1916 in St. Joseph, Missouri to Helen and Walter Sr. He was raised in Kansas City until he was ten, and then moved with his family to Houston, Texas. There, Cronkite attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Lanier Junior High School, and San Jacinto High School. In high school, he was editor of the school newspaper. Cronkite went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked on the Daily Texan paper. Ultimately, he dropped out in 1935 before completing his degree.

Walter's biggest contract came in 1981 when he signed a 7-year deal that paid him $1 million per year, which is the same as around $2.7 million per year today. After he yielded his slot toDan Ratherin 1988, CBS paid Walter $150,000 per year to act as a consultant for the network. It was a somewhat ceremonial job and Walter actually turned down some fairly lucrative competing offers to stay with CBS. He was ready for a slower schedule.

2/25/1981- Close-up of Walter Cronkite, US broadcast newsman. (Getty)

In summary, the total wealth of Walter Cronkite reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.