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Kristi Noem is a Republican politician from South Dakota. She was the state’s governor, and over time she turned into one of the best-known names in national conservative politics. Her career got her noticed first. Then came the ranch-country image. These days, a lot of the attention is on her personal life.
Her birth name was Kristi Lynn Arnold. She was born in Watertown, South Dakota, on November 30, 1971, so she’s 54 as of October 2026. Her family farmed and ranched, and she keeps coming back to that whenever she explains her politics.
Quick Facts
- Full name: Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem
- Date of birth: November 30, 1971
- Age: 54
- Birthplace: Watertown, South Dakota, United States
- Party: Republican
- Known for: Ex-governor of South Dakota, ex-U.S. representative and former U.S. Homeland Security secretary
- Husband: Bryon Noem (she filed for divorce in 2026)
- Children: Kassidy, Kennedy and Booker Noem
- Height: Celebrity sites say about 5 feet 7 inches. No official government bio backs that up.
- Estimated net worth: About $1 million going by early 2025 media estimates. Her disclosure forms show ranges for assets and liabilities, so there’s no exact total.
Kristi Noem’s age and early life
Noem grew up in eastern South Dakota. Her parents, Ron and Corrine Arnold, were farmers and ranchers, and that background ended up shaping the image she used when she ran for office. Congressional records list her birthday as November 30, 1971. The National Governors Association also lists South Dakota as her birth state.
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EntertainmentArman Tsarukyan’s Wife, Milena: Love, Marriage & Children→ Her father died in a farm machinery accident when she was young, and life changed quickly after that. She has spoken about how much responsibility landed on her family to keep the ranch running. People mention this a lot when they tell her story. She didn’t come from a political family. She came from hard work on the land.
She finished at Hamlin High School in Hayti, South Dakota, in 1990, then went on to Mount Marty College and Northern State University. Her political science degree came much later, from South Dakota State University in 2011, when she was already in politics.
Kristi Noem Height
Most websites say Kristi Noem is around 5 feet 7 inches, or about 170 centimetres. I wouldn’t treat that as settled, though. Government bios, congressional records and Department of Homeland Security pages cover the positions she’s held. None of them mentions her height.
Also ReadEntertainmentAlexis Wilkins Announces Engagement to FBI Director Kash Patel After 3 Years Together→ Celebrity bio sites often just repeat each other without a real source. So the fair way to say it is that she’s widely reported to be about 5 feet 7 inches, and leave it there.
Political Career and Public Profile
Her first elected job was in the South Dakota House of Representatives, from 2007 to 2011. After that, she won a seat in the U.S. House and stayed from 2011 to 2019, serving as South Dakota’s only House member.
In 2018, she was elected governor, the first woman to hold that office in the state. She served two terms, January 2019 to January 2025. By then, she was known well beyond South Dakota, mostly among Republican voters, because of her conservative style of governing and how often she appeared in the media.
When she left the governor’s office, she joined President Donald Trump’s cabinet. In January 2025, the Senate confirmed her as the eighth Secretary of Homeland Security, voting 59-34. The role meant she was right in the middle of the border, immigration enforcement, disaster response, transportation security and domestic security debates.
She’s also been a rancher, a farmer and a small-business owner. Official bios bring these up all the time, because they match the message she’s stuck to: rural communities, agriculture, limited government and conservative social values.
Kristi Noem family
Kristi and Bryon Noem got married on May 23, 1992, in Watertown, South Dakota. They’d been high school sweethearts, and the marriage lasted over thirty years. Bryon has worked in insurance and business. Kristi’s career, meanwhile, went from the state legislature to Congress, then the governor’s office, then Washington.
They have three adult children:
- Kassidy Noem
- Kennedy Noem
- Booker Noem
The kids have stayed far more private than their mother. Material from the Trump transition period said she raised three children with Bryon, and government bios also call her a mother and a grandmother.
This matters because it’s how she describes herself. Plenty of well-known politicians come across as career politicians. Noem has long said she was shaped by ranching, farming, running a business and raising a family in a rural state.
Kristi Noem divorce
Things changed for her in 2026. Court records show that while her lawyer signed the divorce complaint on April 6, 2026, she officially filed for divorce from Bryon Noem in Hamlin County, South Dakota, in late September 2026, with the records becoming public on September 30.
They had been married for about 34 years. Public reporting says the marriage began in May 1992 and that all three children are grown.
With a public figure’s private life, it’s smart to stick to what’s actually in the court filing or what’s been confirmed. Divorces attract a lot of gossip and wild claims online. What we know for sure is short: Kristi Noem filed to end the marriage and listed irreconcilable differences.
Kristi Noem Net Worth
There isn’t one official number for Kristi Noem’s net worth. Financial disclosure reports give assets, income and liabilities as ranges, so any exact figure you find online is only an estimate.
News reports built on those disclosures put it at roughly $1 million in early 2025. The interests listed included farmland, a home in South Dakota, cash savings, investments, livestock and farm equipment.
The household finances also covered Bryon Noem’s business interests. Disclosure documents mention commercial real estate and Noem Insurance, the family’s insurance brokerage. A large asset range doesn’t mean much cash is available, and debts like mortgages must be subtracted as well.
So “about $1 million” is fine as a rough idea, but it isn’t fixed. Property values, business holdings, investments, debt and a change in marital status can all move the number.
Why Kristi Noem Remains a Notable Figure
A lot of the interest comes from how far she’s come, from a South Dakota ranch to national politics. She was the state’s first woman governor, she represented South Dakota in Congress, and she later held one of the most visible cabinet jobs in the government.
The personal side is part of it too. She’s a farmer’s and rancher’s daughter, a mother of three, a former small-business owner and, as of 2026, a public figure dealing with a divorce after a long marriage. That’s why people search for her age, family, height and money alongside questions about her political record.
FAQs
Q. How old is Kristi Noem?
A. Kristi Noem was born on November 30, 1971. She is 54 years old as of October 2026.
Q. What is Kristi Noem’s birth name?
A. Her birth name is Kristi Lynn Arnold. She was born in Watertown, South Dakota.
Q. Who is Kristi Noem’s husband?
A. Kristi Noem’s husband is Bryon Noem. They married in May 1992, and court records show that she filed for divorce in Hamlin County, South Dakota, in 2026, citing irreconcilable differences.
Q. How many children does Kristi Noem have?
A. Kristi Noem and Bryon Noem have three children: Kassidy, Kennedy and Booker.
Q. What is Kristi Noem’s height?
A. Her height is not stated in the government biographies and records cited here. Some celebrity biography websites report that she is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, but that figure should be treated as unverified.
Q. What is Kristi Noem’s net worth?
A. There is no verified, official single figure for Kristi Noem’s net worth. Public estimates have put it around $1 million, but financial disclosure forms report assets and liabilities in ranges, so the figure is only an estimate.
Q. What political offices has Kristi Noem held?
A. Noem served in the South Dakota House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives and as South Dakota’s governor. She was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on January 25, 2025, by a 59–34 Senate vote.
Sources
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