From Gates to Musk: Net Worth of Richest American from 1995 to 2025

Recently, Tesla CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk became the first person to gain a net worth over $400 billion, having added $184 billion to his preexisting wealth thanks to a 56% boost in Tesla stock. That extraordinary leap in wealth has also made Musk the wealthiest American citizen (in addition to the richest person on Earth) for the fourth year in a row.

While Musk’s total net worth of over $750 billion certainly makes him the richest American, there was a time when a mere $15 billion would have been the highest net worth in the country. Specifically, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ net worth of $15 billion made him wealthiest American back in 1995. That stunning disparity between 1995 and 2025 highlights the massive consolidation of wealth that has occurred at society’s highest levels, in which the 20 richest Americans have collectively amassed $3 trillion.

By tracing the arc of the richest Americans over the last 30 years, you can watch as the country’s wealth accumulates and increases around a very small group of individuals — three tech-driven entrepreneurs whose companies have helped reshape American society just as they have collected most of the country’s wealth. Those three men are, per Forbes: Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Musk. Their accretion of wealth has leapt from $15 billion to a shocking $751.9 billion (as of Dec. 24), and that number is only expected to increase as Musk is on track to becoming America’s — and the world’s — first trillionaire.

• Net worth: $15 billion

• Net worth: $18.5 billion

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• Net worth: $54 billion

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• Net worth: $54 billion

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• Net worth: $179 billion

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• Net worth: $251 billion

• Net worth: $251 billion

• Net worth: $244 billion

• Net worth: $751.9 billion (and counting)