The Best-Paid Celebs Under 30

From Beyonce to Taylor Swift, these young stars collectively banked $410 million in the last year.

By: Lacey Rose, Forbes.com

posted: 123 DAYS 7 HOURS AGO

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In addition to topping charts, winning matches and luring fans, the top 12 highest-earning celebrities under 30 collectively pulled in $410 million over the last year. With an average age of 23, the cadre of talented--and rich--upstarts consists of athletes, singers, actors and 'tween machines.

In the top spot: Beyoncé Knowles, who earned nearly double the second top-earner on the list. The Queen B raked in an estimated $87 million between June 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009, thanks to a diversified portfolio of music, film, fashion and lucrative endorsement deals.

The 27-year-old songstress turned actress turned global brand found time to release a double album (I Am ... Sasha Fierce), star in two films (Cadillac Records and Obsessed), perform at both the Academy Awards and a presidential inaugural ball and embark on a 110-date international tour. She also added Crystal Geyser and Nintendo ( NTDOY.PK - news - people ) DSi to a lengthy list of endorsement deals that already included American Express ( AXP - news - people ), L'Oreal and Samantha Thavasa handbags.

In Pictures: The Best-Paid Celebs Under 30

Though Kimi Raikkonen's days as a 20-something are numbered--he turns 30 in October--his earning potential shows no sign of slowing. While Formula 1 racing's highest-paid driver failed to win the title in last year's world championship standings (he placed third), he still managed to pull down an estimated $45 million during the 12-month period. Ferrari announced a one-year extension in September, so the Iceman will remain behind the wheel for the Ferrari team through the 2010 F1 season.

Rounding out the top three is 24-year-old NBA superstar LeBron James. Though he failed to take his Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals, he managed to lead the team to the best record in the league--the feat garnered King James this year's NBA Most Valuable Player award.

Still more impressive: James banked $40 million over the course of the year, thanks to a lucrative salary padded by a slew of endorsement deals with companies like Nike ( NKE - news - people ), Upper Deck, State Farm Insurance and VitaminWater.

Also registering among the best paid: tween sensations Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas and their Disney Channel pal, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus. Both Cyrus and the Jonas brothers earned $25 million care of a similarly young and ever-loyal audience willing to shell out for their music, television, films and merchandise galore.

In fact, the 16-year-old Queen of 'Tween sold 4 million albums, generated $86 million at movie theaters and shot 30 more episodes of her beloved Disney sitcom during the 12-month period. The brothers Jonas, 16, 19, 21, grabbed starring roles on the big screen (Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience) and the small (Disney Channel's JONAS), dropped a top-selling album (A Little Bit Longer) and toured relentlessly (Burning Up).

2009-07-08 13:30:41