The 25 Richest People in the US

Thanks to the pandemic, the world’s 2,000-plus billionaires lost a combined $700 billion between 2019-2020 and now their fortunes put together are worth only $8 trillion. Don’t worry, they’re still hanging on — and many of the top dogs are hanging on right here in America.

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Some of America’s richest people made their fortune as innovators, like Elon Musk with his electric cars and space rockets. Others were born into fortunes built by forebearers with names like Mars, Walton and Koch. Then there are people like Bill Gates, who spends most of his time and effort on giving money away through philanthropy, yet somehow, keeps getting richer.

Using data from Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaire List, GOBankingRates identified the 25 richest people in America and ranked them in ascending order from least rich to richest. The list also includes their ages, net worths and the source of their fortunes. Keep reading to find out who you’ll have to outearn if you want to become one of the country’s wealthiest people.

25. Leonard Lauder

• Net Worth: $21.3 billion
• Age: 83
• Source: Estee Lauder
• Rank in the World: 67

24. Jim Simons

• Net Worth: $23.5 billion
• Age: 82
• Source: Hedge funds
• Rank in the World: 59

23. Len Blavatnik

• Net Worth: $26.9 billion
• Age: 63
• Source: Music, chemicals
• Rank in the World: 50

See: Billionaires Who Lost Big in 2020

21. (tie) Jacqueline Mars

• Net Worth: $28.9 billion
• Age: 81
• Source: Candy, pet food
• Rank in the World: 42

21. (tie) John Mars

• Net Worth: $28.9 billion
• Age: 85
• Source: Candy, pet food
• Rank in the World: 42

20. Sheldon Adelson

• Net Worth: $35.9 billion
• Age: 87
• Source: Casinos
• Rank in the World: 34

19. Michael Dell

• Net Worth: $38.6 billion
• Age: 55
• Source: Dell Computers 
• Rank in the World: 33

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18. Daniel Gilbert

• Net Worth: $44.7 billion
• Age: 58
• Source: Quicken Loans
• Rank in the World: 28

16. (tie) Julia Koch

• Net Worth: $44.9 billion
• Age: 58
• Source: Koch Industries
• Rank in the World: 26

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16. (tie) Charles Koch

• Net worth: $44.9 billion
• Age: 85
• Source: Koch Industries
• Rank in the world: 26

15. Phil Knight

• Net Worth: $49.9 billion
• Age: 82
• Source: Nike
• Rank in the World: 23

Read: Athletes Who Made More Money From Endorsements Than Their Contracts This Year

14. Michael Bloomberg

• Net Worth: $54.9 billion
• Age: 78
• Source: Bloomberg LP
• Rank in the World: 22

13. MacKenzie Scott

• Net Worth: $59 billion
• Age: 50
• Source: Amazon
• Rank in the World: 19

12. Rob Walton

• Net Worth: $70 billion
• Age: 76
• Source: Walmart
• Rank in the World: 16

11. Jim Walton

• Net Worth: $70.3 billion
• Age: 72
• Source: Walmart
• Rank in the World: 15

10. Alice Walton

• Net Worth: $70.6 billion
• Age: 71 
• Source: Walmart 
• Rank in the World: 14

9. Steve Ballmer

• Net Worth: $72.4 billion
• Age: 64
• Source: Microsoft
• Rank in the World: 13

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8. Sergey Brin

• Net Worth: $75.4 billion
• Age: 47
• Source: Google
• Rank in the World: 9

7. Larry Ellison

• Net Worth: $76.2 billion
• Age: 76
• Source: Software
• Rank in the World: 8

6. Larry Page

• Net Worth: $77.6 billion
• Age: 47
• Source: Google
• Rank in the World: 7

5. Warren Buffett

• Net Worth: $86.8 billion
• Age: 90
• Source: Berkshire Hathaway
• Rank in the World: 6

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4. Mark Zuckerberg

• Net Worth: $100.3 billion
• Age: 36
• Source: Facebook
• Rank in the World: 5

3. Bill Gates

• Net Worth: $118.3 billion
• Age: 65
• Source: Microsoft
• Rank in the World: 4

Advice: Genius Money Tips From Bill Gates

2. Elon Musk

• Net Worth: $133.6 billion
• Age: 49
• Source: Tesla, SpaceX
• Rank in the World: 3

1. Jeff Bezos

• Net Worth: $183 billion
• Age: 56
• Source: Amazon
• Rank in the World: 1

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Photos are for representational purposes only.

Methodology: In order to discover the 25 richest people in the U.S., GOBankingRates used Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaire List to source the 25 richest U.S. citizens in terms of (1) net worth as of end of day trading on Nov. 19, 2020. GOBankingRates also found (2) age; (3) source of wealth; and (4) rank within the world’s overall richest for each person. All data were collected on and up to date as of Nov. 19, 2020.

About the Author

Andrew Lisa

Andrew Lisa has been writing professionally since 2001. An award-winning writer, Andrew was formerly one of the youngest nationally distributed columnists for the largest newspaper syndicate in the country, the Gannett News Service. He worked as the business section editor for amNewYork, the most widely distributed newspaper in Manhattan, and worked as a copy editor for TheStreet.com, a financial publication in the heart of Wall Street’s investment community in New York City.

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