Martin O’Malley Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What is Martin O’Malley’s net worth and salary?

Martin O’Malley is an American politician and musician who has a net worth of $600 thousand. Martin O’Malley served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024, and was previously governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015 and mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. In 2016, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses.

2015 financial statement

In July 2015, during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Martin O’Malley voluntarily released five years of tax returns along with a personal financial disclosure form that revealed a relatively modest financial picture compared to many other candidates in the race. The filing showed that O’Malley and his wife, Baltimore Judge Catherine Curran O’Malley, reported annual household income of about $300,000 to $330,000 during his final years as governor of Maryland, with the bulk coming from his $150,000 gubernatorial salary and his wife’s judicial income. The revelations also highlighted significant debt, largely tied to financing his children’s college education. Key details of the presentation included:

• Annual household income: approximately $300,000 to $330,000 during his final years as governor
• Effective federal tax rate: about 23%
• Cash and bank accounts: between $18,000 and $95,000 spread across four accounts
• Education-related debt: More than $300,000 in loans used to help pay for your children’s college tuition
• Line of Credit: $100,000–$250,000 owed to PNC Bank
• Real estate: A house in Baltimore purchased in 2014 for $549,000, financed with a mortgage

The revelations underscored that the O’Malleys had significant education-related debt while earning a stable but relatively typical income for two long-time public servants.

Education and early life

Martin O’Malley was born on January 18, 1963 in Washington, DC, the son of Barbara and Thomas, a US Army Air Force veteran of World War II. He was educated at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Bethesda and Gonzaga College High School. In the latter, O’Malley played football and formed an Irish music group with his coach Danny Costello. He then attended the Catholic University of America, from which he graduated in 1985. O’Malley then enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Law, where he earned his J.D. in 1988. That year, he founded the Celtic rock band O’Malley’s March, with which he has continued to perform ever since.

Career beginnings

While still in college, O’Malley worked for Gary Hart’s unsuccessful presidential campaign and Barbara Mikulski’s successful United States Senate campaign. He served as a legislative member in Mikulski’s Senate office before becoming Baltimore’s assistant state’s attorney. O’Malley served in the latter position until 1990, when he ran for the Maryland Senate and narrowly lost to incumbent John A. Pica in the Democratic primary.

Baltimore City Hall

In 1991, O’Malley was elected to the Baltimore City Council as a representative of the third council district. He served in this position until 1999. As a councilman, O’Malley chaired the Legislative Research Committee and the Tax and Finance Committee, and promoted a number of reforms. By the time his second term came around, he was considered a major player in Baltimore politics.

mayor of baltimore

Following current Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke’s decision to resign in 1999, O’Malley announced his campaign for mayor. He then won the Democratic primary and then the general election, handily defeating Republican David Tufaro. O’Malley was re-elected in 2004. During his mayoralty, he focused heavily on reducing crime through a statistics-based tracking system called CitiStat. Their strategies were denounced by many for disproportionately targeting black communities. However, O’Malley won praise elsewhere, with Esquire naming him the country’s best young mayor in 2002.

governor of maryland

With no primary opposition, O’Malley ran for governor of Maryland in 2006. In the general election, he defeated Republican incumbent Bob Ehrlich with 53% of the vote. O’Malley was re-elected in a rematch with Ehrlich in 2010, this time winning with 56% of the vote. In his first term as governor, he implemented the Maryland StateStat performance measurement and management tool, and also became the first governor to sign the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which advocated for the supremacy of the popular vote in presidential elections.

During O’Malley’s second term as governor, he signed a law making immigrants who were brought to the United States as children eligible for in-state college tuition. He also signed a law to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, signed a bill to repeal capital punishment in Maryland, and signed a new gun control bill into law. Meanwhile, from 2011 to 2013, O’Malley chaired the Democratic Governors Association. He left the position in 2015 and became a visiting professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

presidential campaign

In the spring of 2015, O’Malley announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He became a top-six candidate for the Democratic nomination, but struggled to gain momentum and failed in the polls. After finishing third in the 2016 Iowa Democratic caucuses, O’Malley dropped out of the race.

Post-campaign

After suspending his presidential campaign, O’Malley joined MetroLab Network, based at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. There, he became chair of the advisory committee and senior member. O’Malley was then appointed to the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service. In spring 2017, he was a visiting professor at the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School. At the end of the decade, O’Malley became a member of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

In July 2023, O’Malley was nominated by President Joe Biden as commissioner of the Social Security Administration. His nomination was proposed by the Senate Finance Committee and ultimately confirmed by the United States Senate. As SSA Commissioner, O’Malley used his date-based approach to simplify the agency’s forms, eliminate unnecessary requirements, and increase digitization. He left the SSA at the end of 2024 and ran for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, but lost to Ken Martin.

personal life

While in law school, O’Malley met fellow student Catherine Curran. The couple married in 1990 and have four children together: Grace, Tara, William and Jack.