Carl Quintanilla is an American journalist and television anchor who has an estimated net worth of $9 million. He is best known for his long career at CNBC, where he has become one of the network’s leading business news anchors and a familiar face on programs including Squawk on the Street.
Quintanilla has built his career around financial journalism, business reporting and breaking news coverage. Before joining CNBC, he worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering industries such as airlines, manufacturing and the broader economy. His experience in print journalism later helped establish him as a respected television business correspondent.
At CNBC, Quintanilla has anchored several programs and has reported from major financial and economic events. He also served as a substitute anchor for NBC News programs, including NBC Nightly News, and appeared as a correspondent for HBO’s Real Sports.
| Carl Quintanilla Net Worth | $9 Million |
| Date of Birth | September 10, 1970 |
| Place of Birth | Midland, Michigan |
Carl Quintanilla Salary
Carl Quintanilla reportedly earns an annual salary of approximately $3 million from his television career. His long tenure at CNBC and prominent role on Squawk on the Street have made him one of the network’s better-known business news personalities.
Quintanilla’s earnings have been supported by his work as an anchor, correspondent and documentary host. He has also taken on high-profile assignments outside his regular CNBC duties, including political debate moderation and special reporting projects.
His career at CNBC has spanned more than two decades, giving him a substantial period of income from one of America’s leading business news networks. His estimated net worth of $9 million reflects his accumulated earnings from journalism and television work, although his exact compensation arrangements have not been publicly disclosed.
Early Life
Carl Quintanilla was born on September 10, 1970, in Midland, Michigan. He developed an interest in broadcasting at an early age and once envisioned becoming a radio DJ.
While attending high school, Quintanilla gained early media experience through an internship at Westword Magazine in Denver. He later attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1993.
Even before completing college, Quintanilla was gaining professional journalism experience. From 1991 to 1993, he worked as a reporter and columnist for The Daily Camera in Boulder. He also spent a summer in Washington, D.C., working as an editorial assistant for National Public Radio.
Career at The Wall Street Journal
Quintanilla joined The Wall Street Journal in 1994 as a staff reporter. Based in the newspaper’s Chicago bureau, he covered major industries and economic issues, including manufacturing and airlines.
He also wrote a weekly front-page column focused on workplace trends and issues affecting employees. His work at the newspaper gave him a strong foundation in business and economic reporting, areas that would later become central to his television career.
Quintanilla remained with The Wall Street Journal until 1999, when he moved into television.
CNBC Career
Quintanilla joined CNBC in 1999 and began working as a correspondent and anchor on several of the network’s business programs. His early assignments included appearances on Business Center and Wake Up Call.
In 2005, he became a co-anchor of Squawk Box, one of CNBC’s flagship morning business programs. His role placed him at the center of live coverage of financial markets, corporate earnings, economic developments and breaking business news.
Quintanilla also hosted and contributed to CNBC documentaries examining major American companies and consumer trends. Among the programs he hosted were Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire, The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant and Vaporized: America’s E-Cigarette Addiction.
In July 2011, Quintanilla left Squawk Box and became part of the anchor team for Squawk on the Street. The program broadcasts live from the New York Stock Exchange and focuses heavily on the financial markets and the day’s most important business stories.
He later became involved with Squawk Alley and continued expanding his work as a business and economic correspondent.
NBC News and HBO
Quintanilla’s television career has extended beyond CNBC. From 2010 to 2015, he served as a substitute anchor on NBC Nightly News, filling in when the program’s regular anchors, including Lester Holt and Brian Williams, were unavailable.
He also worked as a substitute co-host on NBC’s Today.
In 2014, Quintanilla became a correspondent for HBO’s Real Sports. The assignment allowed him to broaden his reporting beyond financial markets and cover major sports-related stories.
His work across CNBC, NBC and HBO helped establish him as a versatile journalist capable of covering business, politics, sports and breaking news.

2015 Republican Presidential Debate
Quintanilla attracted national attention in 2015 when he served as one of the moderators of a Republican presidential debate at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The debate, which was hosted by CNBC, generated significant criticism from Republican candidates and party officials. Several candidates objected to the questions and the tone of the event.
Then-Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus criticized CNBC’s handling of the debate. Some candidates also complained that the moderators focused too heavily on provocative questions rather than substantive policy issues.
Despite the controversy, the event became one of the most widely discussed moments of Quintanilla’s career outside financial journalism.
Awards and Recognition
Quintanilla has received multiple major journalism honors throughout his career.
He has earned seven News & Documentary Emmy Award nominations and won an Emmy for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast for coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
His Hurricane Katrina reporting also earned recognition from several major journalism organizations, including a Peabody Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award and a DuPont Award.
In 2013, he received another News & Documentary Emmy nomination for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting – Long Form for the CNBC documentary The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant.
The awards have highlighted two major areas of his career: breaking news reporting and business journalism.
Personal Life
Quintanilla married Judy Chung, a former MSNBC and CNBC producer, on June 17, 2005. The couple has twin daughters, Lily Anna and Ava Jane, who were born on June 17, 2009.
Chung later left television production and worked as a product manager for fashion company Ralph Lauren.
Quintanilla has occasionally discussed his interests outside journalism. In a 2013 interview, he cited Mad Men as one of his favorite television programs and said his musical interests included jazz and music from the 1980s.
Real Estate
Quintanilla and Chung have invested in real estate in the Hamptons. In 2017, the couple reportedly purchased a home in Bridgehampton for approximately $3.2 million.
The property measures about 4,269 square feet and sits on approximately 0.96 acres. It reportedly includes seven bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms.
The Bridgehampton property represents one of the notable publicly reported real estate investments associated with Quintanilla and his family.
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