Tom Cotton is the U.S. senator from Arkansas and the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. His exact net worth has not been publicly verified. Senators report their assets and debts in broad ranges, so every figure you see online is an estimate, and the estimates disagree by a very large margin. This article lays out what the filings and trackers say, which numbers are weak, and who he is.
Latest Update: October 5, 2026
As of October 5, 2026, LegiStorm lists Cotton’s most recent annual personal financial disclosure as filed on July 18, 2026. I could not open the filing itself, so I cannot report what it shows. The most recent estimate I could verify is from Quiver Quantitative, based on his 2025 annual disclosure. Cotton is also on the ballot on November 3, 2026, in the Arkansas Senate race against Democrat Hallie Shoffner, according to Wikipedia.
What the Estimates Say
| Source | Figure and basis |
|---|---|
| Quiver Quantitative (September 14, 2025) | $668,500, based on his 2025 annual disclosure. Quiver says it can track about $157,000 in publicly traded assets, and ranks him 370th in Congress. |
| OpenSecrets (2018, as cited by Finbold) | $498,000 |
| Finbold analysis of the 2023 filing | Between negative $4,767,985 and negative $95,001, because debts such as mortgage liabilities can outweigh assets in the reported ranges |
| Networth Hub | “$10M+,” with no cited basis; not supported by his disclosures |
The negative range may look odd. A disclosure lists each asset and each debt only within a bracket, so the low and high ends can be millions of dollars apart. A calculation using the brackets can come out below zero even for a senator who is not in financial trouble.
What Is in His Disclosures
Quiver’s 2025 summary of his annual report lists holdings of up to $250,000 each in two Marcus by Goldman Sachs savings accounts and several holdings in an iShares Russell 3000 ETF, each worth up to $100,000 or $50,000. Finbold says his 2022 report showed $300,000 in royalties from Grand Central Publishing, which I could not confirm in the original filing. PolitiFact reported in 2014 that his 2011 disclosure showed $85,000 in earnings from McKinsey & Company.
Campaign Money Is Not His Net Worth
Quiver reports about $9.0 million in cash on hand for his campaign committee at the end of the filing period, and FEC records collected by ProPublica show about $7.6 million in his committee’s account in mid-2024. That money belongs to his campaign, can only be spent under campaign finance rules, and is not part of his personal wealth.
Who Is Tom Cotton?
Thomas Bryant Cotton was born on May 13, 1977, in Dardanelle, Arkansas, to Thomas Leonard and Avis Cotton, and he grew up on the family’s cattle farm. He is 49 years old as of October 5, 2026. The math: 2026 minus 1977 is 49, and his birthday has not yet come this year. He turns 50 on May 13, 2027.
Education and Military Service
He graduated from Dardanelle High School in 1995 and from Harvard University in 1998, after three years, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. He later earned a law degree at Harvard Law School. His Senate website says he served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team, and that he served with The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery between those tours. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
Career Path
After the Army, he worked for McKinsey & Company. He won election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas’s 4th district in 2012 and served from 2013 to 2015. In 2014, he defeated incumbent Mark Pryor for the Senate seat, and he took office on January 3, 2015. He was reelected in 2020 with only Libertarian opposition. Since January 3, 2025, he has chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and he is also chair of the Senate Republican Conference, the third-ranking position in the Senate Republican leadership.
Family
He married Anna Peckham in 2014. His Senate biography says they have two sons, Gabriel and Daniel. One legislative directory lists his religion as Methodist, but I did not find a statement from him confirming that. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas lists his height as six feet, five inches.
Quick Table
| Full Name | Thomas Bryant Cotton |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1977, Dardanelle, Arkansas |
| Age | 49 (as of October 5, 2026) |
| Occupation | U.S. Senator (R-Arkansas); Army veteran |
| Education | Harvard University (1998); Harvard Law School |
| Spouse | Anna Peckham (married 2014) |
| Children | Two sons |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (per Encyclopedia of Arkansas) |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified; estimates range widely (see above) |
| Current Role | Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee; Chair, Senate Republican Conference |
Reader Questions
What is Tom Cotton’s net worth?
It has not been publicly verified. Quiver Quantitative estimated $668,500 in September 2025, and other analyses of his filings range from about $498,000 to a negative figure.
Is Tom Cotton a millionaire?
His disclosures do not show that. A $10 million estimate from one website has no cited basis and is not supported by his reported assets.
Why do net worth estimates for senators differ so much?
Senators report assets and debts in ranges, not exact amounts, so each tracker applies its own method.
How old is Tom Cotton?
He is 49 years old. He was born on May 13, 1977.
What committees does Tom Cotton chair?
He chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Republican Conference.
Is Tom Cotton running for re-election in 2026?
Yes. He won the Republican primary on March 3, 2026, and faces Democrat Hallie Shoffner in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Wrap-Up
Cotton’s finances look modest for a senator by the disclosure-based estimates, and sites that claim eight-figure wealth show no evidence. Only his own filings, read line by line, can answer how much he owns and owes, and even they give ranges.
As of October 5, 2026, Tom Cotton’s net worth remains unverified, with the most recent tracker estimate at $668,500, and he is seeking re-election on November 3.
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available sources checked on October 5, 2026. Net worth figures are third-party estimates built from financial disclosures that report ranges, not exact amounts, and they are not confirmed by Senator Cotton. This is not financial advice.
