New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reported a joint household income of roughly $145,000 in 2025 and is set to earn a mayoral salary of $258,750 in 2026, according to tax filings. The bulk of his 2025 earnings came from his $131,296 salary as a state Assembly member, with additional income from music royalties tied to his earlier rap career.

Mamdani collected $2,700 in royalties in 2025, including $1,643 from domestic sources and $1,075 from international sources, according to tax filings. In 2024, he collected $1,267 in music royalties while his state Assembly salary remained at $131,000.

About 550,000 people streamed his music worldwide in 2025, up from about 215,000 in 2024, according to an estimate based on Spotify profit payouts. Mamdani rapped under the monikers Young Cardamom and Mr Cardamom, beginning in high school and releasing songs in his 20s on subjects ranging from Indian flatbread to colonialism. He has described himself as a C-list rapper, and counted the indie-rap group Das Racist among his childhood heroes. He ended his rap career in 2019, the same year he launched his state Assembly run. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and other Democrats in a primary in June 2025, and won the general election in November 2025.

His wife, Rama Duwaji, earned $8,800 in 2025 from graphic design work, according to tax filings, though another filing figure listed her net design income at $10,010. The couple's standard deduction was boosted from $29,000 to $31,500 under the Big Beautiful Bill, resulting in a $1,300 tax refund, according to tax filings.

Political consultant Ken Frydman questioned the scale of the mayor's compensation. "$140,000 a year is more than enough for a socialist couple living in a rent stabilized apartment in Astoria," Frydman said. "A $258,750 mayoral salary and rent-free mansion is way too much for a socialist couple living in Manhattan," he quipped.

Reflecting on his music audience, Mamdani said, "A lot of people say they're listening." He added, "They're not listening."