Kelly Evans CNBC Anchor Salary and Biography Guide
Kelly Evans is an American journalist and CNBC anchor best known for co hosting Power Lunch and anchoring The Exchange. She has spent nearly two decades covering business news, economic reporting, and market analysis for two of the most respected financial outlets in the country.
This article walks through her education, career timeline, salary, net worth, and personal life, including her marriage to Eric Chemi and their family. If you have searched for Kelly Evans biography details, you will find the full picture here.
Kelly Evans (American Journalist)
Kelly Evans built her name as a business journalist covering markets, economics, and corporate news at a national level. She currently works at CNBC, where she anchors The Exchange and co-anchors Power Lunch alongside her colleagues at the network’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey headquarters. Before her television career, Evans worked as a financial journalist at The Wall Street Journal, where she covered real estate and macroeconomic developments.
Her nationality is American, and she has spoken publicly about her English ancestry on her father’s side. Evans has built a reputation as a steady, detail-oriented broadcast journalist rather than a flashy television personality, and that reputation has followed her since her earliest days in print journalism.
Here is a quick facts table covering the basics of her biography.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kelly Evans |
| Date of Birth | July 17, 1985 |
| Age | 41 years old (as of 2026) |
| Place of Birth | Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Broadcast Journalist, News Anchor, Author |
| Employer | CNBC (NBCUniversal), Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey |
| Education | B.A. in Business Journalism, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia — Magna Cum Laude |
| Career Start | The Wall Street Journal — Economics and Real Estate Reporter (2007) |
| Current Role | Anchor, CNBC’s The Exchange (Monday–Friday, 1 PM–2 PM ET); Co-Anchor, Power Lunch (Monday–Friday, 2 PM–3 PM ET) |
| Notable Work | Moderator, 2012 Republican Primary Debate (Myrtle Beach, SC); Closing Bell Co-Anchor; The Exchange Newsletter Author |
| Marital Status | Married to Eric Chemi (CNBC Sports Reporter); married April 22, 2017 |
| Children | Six children; names and ages are not publicly available |
| Estimated Net Worth | $6 million (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Salary | Estimated at $3 million annually (not officially confirmed) |
| Father | Dave Evans |
| Mother | Not publicly available |
| Siblings | One sibling (name not publicly available) |
| Raised In | Lexington, Virginia, Rockbridge County, United States |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Social Handles | X |
Some biographical sources list her birthplace as Hartford, Connecticut, while others cite Syracuse, New York. Her childhood, however, was spent in Lexington, Virginia, which is where most of her early personal story takes place.
Early Life and Education
Kelly Evans grew up far from the television studios she would later call home. Her early years in Virginia shaped both her work ethic and her academic path, and they set the stage for a career built on discipline rather than shortcuts.
Her father, Dave Evans, has been identified publicly, though her mother’s name has never been released. She grew up with at least one sibling, but that sibling’s identity remains private to this day. That kind of privacy is common among broadcast journalists who keep their extended families out of the public eye, even while their own careers play out on national television.
Childhood and Family Background
Evans spent most of her childhood in Lexington, Virginia, a small town in Rockbridge County near the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a quiet, historic area, and it happens to be home to Washington and Lee University, the school she would later attend.
She was a serious athlete before she was a journalist. At Rockbridge County High School, she earned eight varsity letters across three sports: lacrosse, cross country, and track. That kind of multi-sport commitment takes real time management, and it is a trait that shows up again and again throughout her adult career, where she has juggled a demanding anchor schedule with a large family.
After high school, Evans attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She earned a full-ride academic scholarship as a George Washington Honor Scholar and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business journalism. She also served as co-captain of the university’s women’s lacrosse team, earning First Team All-State and First Team All-ODAC honors along the way. Her business journalism degree gave her a direct academic foundation for the career she would go on to build, one focused on markets, economics, and corporate reporting rather than general news.
Kelly Evans Career Timeline and Achievements
Kelly Evans’ career did not follow a flashy, overnight path to television. She built her credibility one beat at a time, starting in print journalism before moving into broadcast. Her career timeline reflects steady growth rather than a single lucky break, and that pattern matters if you want to understand how she reached her current role.
Early Career, The Wall Street Journal
Evans started at The Wall Street Journal in 2007, where she covered real estate and economics as part of the paper’s Global Economics bureau. She wrote the “Ahead of the Tape” column and contributed to the widely read “Heard on the Street” section, two of the most respected spaces in financial journalism at the time.
She also hosted the daily “News Hub” program on WSJ.com, which gave her early experience in front of a camera while she was still primarily working as a print reporter. That dual skill set, writing sharp financial analysis while also explaining it clearly on camera, became one of her defining professional strengths.
CNBC Career and Current Role
Evans joined CNBC after her time at The Wall Street Journal, and her CNBC career has spanned more than a decade since. From May 2012 to May 2013, she was based in London at CNBC Europe, giving her international experience covering global markets before she moved back to CNBC’s New Jersey headquarters in Englewood Cliffs.
Once back in the United States, Evans hosted Closing Bell for four years alongside Bill Griffeth. That run ended around the time she had her first child, and she transitioned into a new chapter of her CNBC career. She launched The Exchange, a program she still anchors from 1 to 2 p.m., and she co-hosts Power Lunch from 2 to 3 p.m. immediately after. In 2019, she also launched her own newsletter tied to The Exchange, giving readers a written companion to her daily on-air reporting.
Here is a simple breakdown of her main program roles over time.
| Program | Role | Approximate Years |
| Closing Bell | Co-anchor with Bill Griffeth | Several years before The Exchange launch |
| The Exchange | Anchor | 2019 to present |
| Power Lunch | Co-anchor | Current, alongside The Exchange |
| Worldwide Exchange | Contributor and fill-in anchor | Earlier in her CNBC career |
| Squawk on the Street | Contributor and fill-in anchor | Earlier in her CNBC career |
Major Achievements and Career Highlights
A few moments stand out as genuine career highlights rather than routine reporting days. In 2012, Evans moderated a Republican primary debate held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a high-profile assignment that put her in front of a national political audience rather than her usual business news beat.
She also moderated a debate between James Carville and Ann Coulter as part of the 25th annual Washington and Lee Mock Convention, a nod back to her own alma mater. These moments show that her journalistic range extends beyond markets and economics into broader political and public affairs coverage, even if business journalism remains her primary focus.
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Net Worth and Salary
People searching for CNBC anchor salary figures often land on Kelly Evans specifically, since she holds one of the more visible anchor chairs on the network. It is worth being upfront here: neither CNBC nor Evans has publicly confirmed an exact salary figure, so any number should be treated as an estimate rather than a fact.
Reported estimates place her annual salary at around three million dollars, a figure that reflects both her seniority at the network and her dual role anchoring two live programs each weekday. Network anchor compensation at this level typically factors in years of experience, audience reach, and contract negotiations, none of which are made public by CNBC.
Net Worth Estimate
Estimates of Kelly Evans’ net worth vary depending on the source and the year the figure was published. Older estimates from around 2018 placed her net worth at roughly 2.5 million dollars, while more recent estimates push that figure as high as 6 million dollars. The wide range reflects the difficulty of estimating a television anchor’s finances from the outside, since bonuses, contract renewals, and outside income are rarely disclosed.
What is clear is that her net worth has grown steadily over her nearly two decades in journalism, built through a combination of her Wall Street Journal earnings, her long-running CNBC salary, and her newsletter and media work. Readers should treat any specific net worth figure as an estimate rather than a confirmed number.
Personal Life and Family
Kelly Evans has been fairly open about her personal life on air, particularly the challenges of balancing a demanding anchor schedule with raising a large family. She has spoken candidly about the physical and mental demands of parenting multiple young children while working full time in front of a camera.
Husband, Eric Chemi
Evans married Eric Chemi on April 22, 2017, in an intimate ceremony. The two met while both were working at CNBC, where Chemi served as a sports business reporter. Bill Griffeth, her former Closing Bell co-anchor, announced the news of their wedding on air, and her colleagues sent flowers to celebrate.
Eric Chemi has an unusual career path of his own. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, then worked as a hedge fund trader at Fortress Investment Group and later as a proprietary trader at JPMorgan before shifting into journalism at Bloomberg TV and Businessweek, where he led data and research. After his time at CNBC, Chemi transitioned out of the news business and founded Team and Total, an insurance agency, alongside Kelly’s father, Dave Evans.
Children
This is one of the most frequently searched details about Kelly Evans, and it is also one of the least consistent across sources. Earlier reports from around 2021 and 2022 describe three children, two boys and a girl. More recent reporting from 2025 suggests the couple has since grown their family further, with some sources citing as many as six children total.
Given the inconsistency, readers should treat any specific number as an estimate rather than a confirmed fact unless it comes directly from Evans or an official CNBC source. What is consistent across every source is that her first child, a son, was born on July 5, 2018, shortly after her run on Closing Bell ended.
Evans has spoken honestly about the reality of raising young children while anchoring live television. In one of her newsletters, she wrote that it had “been nonstop for three years,” a comment that captured the relentless pace of parenting multiple young kids while working full time.
Early Family Background
Kelly Evans was raised primarily by her father, Dave Evans, in Lexington, Virginia. Her mother’s identity has never been publicly disclosed, and Evans has kept that part of her family story private throughout her career. She grew up with a sibling, though details about that sibling, including their name and current life, remain outside the public record.
That early family life in a small Virginia town near the Blue Ridge Mountains stands in sharp contrast to her current life in the New York metro area, where she now raises her own family while anchoring national business news.
Fast Facts About Kelly Evans
- Born July 17, 1985, and raised in Lexington, Virginia
- Earned eight varsity letters in lacrosse, cross country, and track in high school
- Graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University with a business journalism degree
- Was a George Washington Honor Scholar with a full academic scholarship
- Served as co-captain of her university’s women’s lacrosse team
- Started her journalism career at The Wall Street Journal in 2007
- Spent a year based in London with CNBC Europe from 2012 to 2013
- Hosted Closing Bell for four years alongside Bill Griffeth
- Currently anchors The Exchange and co-anchors Power Lunch on CNBC
- Married CNBC sports reporter Eric Chemi on April 22, 2017
Conclusion
Kelly Evans has built a career defined by steady growth rather than sudden fame, moving from The Wall Street Journal to a lasting role at CNBC. Her salary and net worth remain estimates rather than confirmed figures, and details about her family continue to evolve in public reporting.
Still, her track record as a business journalist and her balance of career and family life make her one of the more relatable figures in financial television today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Kelly Evans?
Kelly Evans was born on July 17, 1985, making her forty one years old currently.
What is Kelly Evans’ salary at CNBC?
Reports estimate her annual salary at around three million dollars, though CNBC has not confirmed this figure.
Who is Kelly Evans married to?
She married Eric Chemi, a former CNBC sports reporter, on April 22, 2017, in an intimate ceremony.
How many children does Kelly Evans have?
Reports vary, with some citing three children and newer sources suggesting the family has grown to six.
Where did Kelly Evans go to college?
She attended Washington and Lee University, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business journalism.
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