You already know what a sugar daddy is. But more interestingly – who are sugar daddies?
This article is entirely about the men who are living this lifestyle. If you’ve ever wondered what a sugar daddy looks like, what they do, and who the men that are living this lifestyle are – you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s everything you need to know about sugar daddies and who they are.
Who are Sugar Daddies?
The truth is that there are sugar daddies of every stripe and variety. Any type of man you can possibly think of – there’s a sugar daddy who fits that mold.
And that’s not surprising when you consider just how many sugar daddies there are. While there is no way to know for sure how many sugar daddies there are in the world (it’s not like sugar daddies are reporting it on census data), we can get a guesstimate just by looking at one of the largest websites out there.
Seeking is one of the largest sites when it comes to “dating up” and they currently boast over 40 million members across 130 countries. With a 4:1 ratio of Attractive to Generous members, that means there are nearly 10 million Generous members worldwide. And that’s just on one website.
If you factor in the sugar daddies on Secret Benefits (15 million visits a month), SugarDaddyMeet (7 million members), and so on – it’s clear that there are a whole lot of sugar daddies. And with numbers like that, there’s bound to be a lot of diversity.
All that being said, there are some commonalities when it comes to the average sugar daddy. For convenience’s sake, here is a quick snapshot of the average sugar daddy:
AGE: The average age of a sugar daddy is 42 years old, according to a report by Seeking in 2022. The report also shared that the vast majority of sugar daddies on their site are in their 30s, followed by men in their 20s, and then men in their 40s. That means there are more sugar daddies in their 20s than there are in their 40s, at least on Seeking!
WEALTH: There’s no way to know the net worth of the average sugar daddy but we do know that in 2007, the average sugar daddy had an income of $321,000. In 2013, the average sugar daddy income was $273,000. In 2018, the average sugar daddy made an income of $250,000.
OCCUPATION: The 2013 statistics from Seeking showed that the majority of sugar daddies were entrepreneurs (26%), followed by professionals (21%), finance (16%), executives (10%), or worked in legal, consulting, health care and so on.
What Do Sugar Daddies Look Like?
The sugar daddy phenomenon has got a lot of press. And as such, we’ve heard a lot about them. Which is why most of us have a mental picture of what a sugar daddy looks like.
It may be of a sophisticated older man…
Or a sleazy rich man…
Or a much older man who wants to date women much younger than himself…
And yes, there are sugar daddies that fit the stereotypes above. But they certainly don’t represent the majority of sugar daddies out there. So what does a sugar daddy look like?
The truth is that the most sugar daddies just look like everyday, regular men. It’s not surprising when you consider that there are literally millions of sugar daddies. Such a large population guarantees diversity.
Any of the men below could be sugar daddies…
Here’s just a short list of the sugar daddies we’ve personally met:
- White man, 63-years-old, in finance, dressed in casual GQ-style clothes
- White man, 34-years-old, in tech, a little overweight, very casual clothes
- Asian man, 39-years-old, in healthcare, very fit, hoodies and jeans attire
- Black man, 30-years-old, entrepreneur, lean, business casual
- Asian man, 42-years-old, musician and entrepreneur, stylish and sophisticated
- White man, 60-years-old, professor, casual but well-dressed
The list goes on. There are old sugar daddies and young sugar daddies. Fat sugar daddies and slim sugar daddies. Tall sugar daddies and short sugar daddies. There are white, black, Asian, Latino, Hawaiian, Maori, mixed sugar daddies.
And here’s the thing – you’d almost never guess most of them to be sugar daddies.
How Old are Sugar Daddies?
Most people assume that sugar daddies are old – or at least much older than their sugar babies. But as you can see from the latest report by Seeking – the majority of Generous members on their website are in their 30s. On top of that, there are at least 100,000 more members in their 20s than there are in their 40s!
READ: How Old are Sugar Daddies? The Truth About Sugar Daddy Age
So yes, sugar daddies have been getting younger and younger.
This is hugely due to how much attention sugar dating has gotten in the media and popular culture. It’s so popular now that 61% of Americans know of the term “sugar baby” and 70% of Americans with a 4-year degree are familiar with sugaring.
As such, there are more and more people trying out sugar dating every day – many of whom happen to be younger and tech-savvy. Thus the reason, there are more and more young sugar daddies on sugar daddy websites and apps.
All that being said, despite the recent abundance of young sugar daddies, the most common sugar daddy age is not men in their 20s.
In fact, the most popular sugar daddy age range is between 40 and 60 years old.
Sure, there plenty of sugar daddies younger than 40 and older than 60. But the vast majority of sugar daddies fall in the 40 to 60 age range.
What Do Sugar Daddies Do?
Sugar daddy occupations really span the spectrum. But as anyone might guess – the majority of sugar daddies work in white-collar careers. If they work at all.
Over the course of nearly a decade, we’ve met sugar daddies from all types of financial backgrounds, including:
- Franchise entrepreneurs
- Healthcare entrepreneurs
- Professional musicians
- Tech investors
- Tenured professors
- Financial investors
- Owners of financial firms, private practices, and so on
- Real estate investors
There is money to be made in nearly every industry. So it’s almost a guarantee that if you are a sugar baby for long enough, you will meet sugar daddies who have made their fortunes in everything from toys to dental health and everything in between.
That being said, there are some more popular sugar daddy occupations. For example, it’s more likely you’ll encounter a partner at a white shoe law firm than an oil tycoon.
So what are the most popular sugar daddy occupations?
As you can see from this handy infographic from Seeking, here’s what most sugar daddies do:
- 26% Entrepreneurs
- 21% Professionals
- 16% Finance
- 10% Executives
- 5% Legal
- 4% Consulting
- 4% Health Care
- 4% Retired
- 3% Real Estate
- 2% Education/Research
- 1% Media/Entertainment
- 4% Other
As you can see, it’s a mixed bag. But the one thing that sugar daddy occupations share in common? They’re well-compensated.
How Much Do Sugar Daddies Make?
To be honest, there is no way of knowing for sure. There is no annual sugar daddy census data. And many sugar daddies have more sources of income than just employment, including:
- Dividend income
- Inheritance
- Royalty income
- Real estate portfolio income
- Profits from investments
So there can be a lot of variety when it comes to income in the sugar world. That being said, we can get some great insight into how much sugar daddies make. Here’s how…
What Seeking Says…
According to various reports by Seeking, the average sugar daddy made $321,000 in 2007. In 2013, the average sugar daddy income had decreased to $273,000. And by 2018, the average sugar daddy income had decreased again to $250,000.
This isn’t a case of sugar daddies suffering from wage deflation. It’s just that as sugar daddy websites have gained in popularity, more of the general public have joined in – including younger sugar daddies who don’t make as much income.
But still, $250,000 for an annual salary is higher than most. In fact, only 7% of American households currently earn $250,000 or more. So it’s fair to say that the majority of sugar daddies aren’t earning a quarter million per year.
So how much do sugar daddies actually make?
What the Numbers Say…
Well, we can safely say that the majority of sugar daddies are making $100,000 or more. Because that may be the bare minimum in order to comfortably live and support a sugar baby, at least in the USA. To understand why, let’s do some quick maths.
How Much Is a Sugar Baby Allowance?
The topic of the average sugar baby allowance is a tricky one. But for convenience’s sake, let’s say that on the lower end, a sugar daddy can expect to spend $2,000 per month. That is $24,000 per year.
How Much Should a Sugar Daddy Make?
Beside the sugar baby allowance, a sugar daddy has living expenses, i.e. rent or mortgage, insurance, groceries, transportation, and so on. Given that, here are a couple examples of what various salaries allow when it comes to being a sugar daddy.
- On $50,000 a year: After deducting $5,700 for federal tax, $3,800 for social security and medicare tax, and then state taxes, the take-home pay from a $50,000 salary is around $35,000 to $38,000 per year. Paying for a sugar baby would leave $14,000 per year for everything else, which makes being a sugar daddy on this salary impossible.
- On $75,000 a year: After federal taxes, social security, state taxes and so on, the take-home pay could range from $50,000 to $56,000 per year. Spending $24,000 on a sugar baby would leave $32,000 per year for everything else, which makes being a sugar daddy on this salary extremely difficult.
- On $100,000 a year: After federal taxes, social security, state taxes and so on, the take-home pay could range from $69,000 to $72,000 per year. Even with a sugar baby, there would be $48,000 per year for everything else, which makes being a sugar daddy on this salary possible for a single man in a low cost-of-living city.
Like we mentioned above, there are variables. If a sugar daddy owns his home mortgage-free, has investment income, or has the luxury of an inheritance – he may be able to be a sugar daddy making much less than $100k per year.
But as the numbers show, the bare minimum that most sugar daddies are likely making starts at the magic number of $100,000.
What are the Best Cities to Find Sugar Daddies?
When it comes to the best places to find sugar daddies – think cities over small towns. Sure, there are some smaller, yet wealthy, towns that will surprise you. After all, who would’ve thought Scottsdale, Arizona would be flushed with sugar daddies?
But those are the exception, not the rule. When it comes to sugar daddy locations, big cities win almost every time. Which is not surprising when you consider the concentration of people living in big cities.
So which cities boast the highest number of sugar daddies?
Read: 11 Cities with the Most Sugar Daddies
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top sugar daddy locations in the USA:
- San Francisco, CA
- Las Vegas, NV
- New York, NY
- Boston, MA
- Miami, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Seattle, WA
- Dallas, TX
- Chicago, IL
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Washington D.C
- Minneapolis, MN
- Denver, CO
- Houston, TX
- Portland, OR
What are Sugar Daddies Looking for?
What sugar daddies are looking for varies depending on the sugar daddy. But in general, most sugar daddies are looking for some combination of…
- A quick way to date without sending endless messages
- Dating younger women
- Sexual intimacy
- Clear, honest expectations and boundaries
- Carefree, drama-free fun
- Dating much younger women
- Dates with attractive woman when you want
- NSA, non-monogamous dating
- Emotional support and connection
- Satisfaction from being able to help someone improve their lives
In short, it’s simple. Most sugar daddies want all the perks – without the downsides.
Sugar daddies want chemistry and rapport, the banter and emotional connectedness of friendship, and amazing sex with an attractive woman. All without the typical drawbacks of a typical relationship like pressure or expectations to commit or being obliged to do things they don’t want to do, i.e. go to a paint-and-wine night together or sit through dinner with her Aunt Bessie.
And furthermore, sugar daddies want this all in the wrapper of a non-committal, possible non-monogamous arrangement that has clear, direct communication about expectations and boundaries.
