If Bill Gates’ Wealth Was Evenly Distributed Across America, How Much Money Would Every Person Get?
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Most Americans will never even know what it’s like to make a billion dollars, but Bill Gates knows that life well. The co-founder of Microsoft is worth $116.5 billion and is the 12th richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
In addition to founding Microsoft, Gates has amassed wealth by investing in Berkshire Hathaway, Waste Management Inc. and Canadian National Railway, to name a few. Along with his ex-wife, Melinda, Gates is known for his philanthropy. According to Forbes, he has donated more than $59 billion to the Gates Foundation, which works to improve public health.
Perhaps you are wondering what it would be like to have just a piece of Gates’ wealth. What would happen if Gates split his entire $116.5 billion among every person in America? Here’s how much you would get.
What Is Considered ‘Rich’ in America?
Sometimes it feels like “rich” is something that we know when we see it, but Charles Schwab quantified it in their 2022 Modern Wealth Survey. The average net worth of someone to be considered wealthy was determined to be $2.2 million. However, the average net worth of someone deemed “financially comfortable,” was much less at $774,000. Respondents that took the survey said having money meant having more financial freedom and flexibility.
If these figures seem alienating to you, you’re not alone. Most Americans are not considered rich, at least in the definition of the survey. The average net worth of households in the United States is $121,760, according to U.S. News.
How Much Would Each American Get If Gates’ Wealth Was Evenly Distributed?
To figure out the equation, we needed to see just how many people we were splitting Gates’ fortune among. As of June 2025, 347 million people live in America, according to Worldometer.
Now, let’s get to the final number that we’d all go home with if we split Gates’ fortune. His $116.5 billion split among 347 million people would come out to about $335.74 per person.
Look, would it be nice to find this on the street? Of course! But, is it life-changing money? Not really. It’s far from the amount needed to put most people into the tax bracket of the rich. However, it would still cover a lot of groceries.
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