Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Modern Family had no single cast salary: reported pay differed by actor and rose through contract negotiations. The clearest reports put most adult cast members at $30,000–$60,000 per episode in season 1, around $160,000 for five leading adults after the season 4 deal, and $500,000 for the six adult stars by season 11. Reports put the younger cast above $100,000 per episode late in the run, but do not establish a precise final-season figure for each young actor.
Reported pay by season
The figures below are nominal U.S. dollars as reported at the time, without inflation adjustment. They are press reports and estimates, not a complete set of publicly available contracts.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Modern Family: The Complete Series (DVD) | $119.88 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Modern Family Complete Seasons 1-10 DVD | $120.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Modern Family: Complete Seasons 1 - 9 DVD | Buy on Amazon | |
| 4 |
|
Modern Family Season 1 | $10.76 | Buy on Amazon |
| Period | Reported per-episode pay | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | About $95,000 for Ed O’Neill; $30,000–$60,000 for most of the other adult cast; around $20,000 for Eric Stonestreet | BuzzFeed’s 2023 retrospective attributes O’Neill’s figure to Variety, the broad adult range to Variety, and Stonestreet’s figure to The Hollywood Reporter. The range is not an individually verified salary for each actor, and Julie Bowen’s exact season 1 pay is not known. BuzzFeed |
| By July 2012, before the season 4 deal | $60,000–$70,000 for most adult cast members; more than $100,000 for O’Neill | The Los Angeles Times reported these contemporary estimates in July 2012. Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2012 |
| Season 4 deal, reported July 2012 | About $160,000 for Sofía Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen, and Ty Burrell; bonuses raised average pay above $175,000 | The Los Angeles Times described reported terms for the upcoming season 4. The actors had sought $200,000 and the studio had initially offered $150,000. Their final contract year was expected to exceed $300,000 per episode. These were reported deal terms, not published contract documents. O’Neill’s deal was described separately. Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2012 |
| Seasons 10–11 | $500,000 for the six adult stars | BuzzFeed’s 2023 retrospective says the group had reached this rate by the final two seasons; The Daily Beast’s August 2026 recap also reports $500,000 for Ferguson in season 11. BuzzFeed; The Daily Beast, August 26, 2026 |
| Before season 9 and later | More than $100,000 for the four younger cast members | BuzzFeed’s 2023 retrospective cites Deadline’s reporting of a raise before season 9. It does not establish an exact shared rate or a precise season 11 amount for each young actor. BuzzFeed |
Why the season 1 numbers differ
The show’s adults did not begin at one uniform rate. Contemporary reporting in the Los Angeles Times said O’Neill earned more than $100,000 per episode early in the show’s run, while BuzzFeed’s retrospective gave a lower season 1 estimate of about $95,000, attributing it to Variety. The figures refer to different reporting and descriptions of the early period, so they should not be collapsed into a falsely exact number.
For the other adults, the reported season 1 range spans $30,000–$60,000 per episode. Stonestreet’s separate estimate of around $20,000 comes from a different trade-report attribution; the variation is a reminder that cast members had individual deals, not evidence for a single rate. Ferguson later described the disparity in early pay this way: “Because I wasn’t someone who was well-known and we all were being paid different prices because, you know, certain people were very famous and certain people were not.” The Daily Beast
#1 Best Overall
What changed in the season 4 negotiations
By July 2012, most adult cast members were reportedly at $60,000–$70,000 per episode, and five of the leading adults negotiated a new deal for the upcoming season 4. The Los Angeles Times reported their rate at about $160,000 per episode, with bonuses taking average pay above $175,000. It also reported that the actors had sought $200,000 and the studio had first offered $150,000; their final contract year was expected to top $300,000 per episode.
Those bonus and later-year figures are not interchangeable with the season 4 base rate. The same 2012 report noted prospective rerun profits, but did not make them part of the stated per-episode salary. Co-creator Steve Levitan said of the settlement, “They’re a huge part of the success of ‘Modern Family,’ and I’m happy they’re going to get what they deserve.” Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2012
Rank #2
- Brand New
- Genre: Comedy l Romance
What is known about the younger cast’s pay
The reported figure for the four younger cast members is above $100,000 per episode following a raise before season 9. That is a group-level description from a retrospective citing Deadline, not a verified individual breakdown for the final season. In particular, BuzzFeed said it could not find a legitimate source establishing Aubrey Anderson-Emmons’s salary; the often repeated $70,000 figure is an unsourced estimate and should not be treated as fact. BuzzFeed
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Box set; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
What these per-episode figures do—and don’t—mean
- They are reported episode rates, not total season or series earnings.
- They do not include residuals, endorsements, taxes, or representation fees.
- The 2012 Los Angeles Times report said about 13 million viewers watched ABC on a Wednesday night and that cable reruns were reportedly sold to USA for roughly $1.5 million per episode. Those are historical context figures from 2012, not current audience or licensing data. Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2012
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
