How Much Do American Olympians Earn for Medals?

Everyone wants to win a Gold medal, but did you know that there is a cash prize attached to winning one? How much depends on what country it is won for.

First of all, the Paris Olympics features Gold medals that are made from 500 grams of silver and then coated with 6 grams of gold. But those 6 grams make a pretty big difference, as a Gold medal is valued at $950, while a Silver medal checks in at $535 and a Bronze clocks in at just $12.

Now, if the Gold medal was made completely of gold, it would be worth more than an estimated $41,000. So, you can see the difference in just coating the Gold medal — especially when you consider that the 2024 games have 329 different events, with some of those events being team events with multiple Gold medals.

As for how much money you get when you win a medal, well, that differs depending on what country you won it for.

For the United States, a Gold medal victory will earn that Olympian a bonus of $38,000. Not a bad day at the office for some, but it isn't just Gold that pays out for Team USA: A Silver would get a bonus of $23,000 and a Bronze checks in at $15,000.

The United States is actually on the lower end of payouts for Olympic medalists. The top-paying country would be Hong Kong, as a Gold medal there earns a bonus of $768,000, which checks in at 6 million Hong Kong dollars.

For other countries, it doesn't just mean money. Malaysia offers medalists a "foreign made car," South Koreans earn a lifetime pension and Hong Kong will also give medalists free public transportation.

It's not all good for everyone, though: Countries such as Great Britain and Norway give their medalists no bonuses. Another reason that Team USA is the best.

Wood is host of the 'Taste of Country Mornings with Wood and Nicole' that can be heard every morning from 6-10am CST on the 'Taste of Country' app, on local affiliates where available and online at tasteofcountry.com.