Who's Richer: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or Robert Pattinson?

Queen Monster reigns over Forbes annual Celebs Under 30 list, but the Biebs is bringing up the rear

By Josh Grossberg Jun 14, 2011 3:49 PMTags
Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Robert PattinsonAP Photo/Matt Sayles; John Shearer/WireImage.com; Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Money money money—these folks have a lot of it.

Forbes' annual list of the Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30 is out once again, and joining it this year are a number of new faces—including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood—while Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart maintain their staying power.

All told, 20 young celebs raked in a total of $690 million between May 2010 and May 2011. But topping them all is the diva herself, Lady Gaga. So how did she and her fellow fame monsters do?

Coming off the massive success of her recent Monster's Ball tour, an HBO special and an appearance on the finale of American Idol, the 25-year-old hitmaker took the top spot by grossing $90 million this year. That figure is based on the $170 million her Monster's Ball trek earned from 137 shows in 22 countries and the 15 million albums she sold worldwide during this past year—not counting sales of Born This Way, which dropped last month.

Bieber meanwhile landed in second place with $53 million in earnings at the tender age of 17, the youngest to grace the chart this year. Much of that money hailed from his world tour and 3-D film, Never Say Never, tallying $100 million globally.

Meanwhile, Miami Heat star LeBron James can take heart. He may have choked in the NBA Finals on Sunday, but his $48 million nabbed him third place on Forbes power list, which also includes a smattering of sports stars.

In the fifth spot is 21-year-old Swift who raked in $45 million based on touring and various endorsements, while sixth place went to Katy Perry with $44 million.

Other musicians singled out by Forbes include Rihanna, in 10th place based on the $29 million the "Umbrella" singer generated from her tour and album sales, including her most recent, Loud. Miley Cyrus also made the cut with $15 million, while Underwood's country career has propelled her to $15 million in income for 19th place.

Last but not least, Twilight's lovebirds R.Pattz and K.Stew tied for 15th place with $20 million each, much of that of course coming from the popular franchise but also other non-Twilight flicks as well (like Stewart's The Runaways and Pattinson's Water for Elephants). And both are expected to stay strong with the release of the final Twilight two-parter, Breaking Dawn.

See Forbes' full breakdown here.