In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over ** percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom ** percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the *****, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

In the first quarter of 2025, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States was the country with the most billionaires in the world in 2025. Elon Musk, with a net worth of 342 billion U.S. dollars, was among the richest people in the United States in 2025. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for Households; Net Worth, Level (BOGZ1FL192090005Q) from Q4 1987 to Q2 2025 about net worth, Net, households, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBST01134) from Q3 1989 to Q1 2025 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Net Worth Held by the Top 0.1% (99.9th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBLTP1246) from Q3 1989 to Q2 2025 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

In the first quarter of 2025, 51.4 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials own around 10.3 percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there was almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States in 2024.

Over ** million individuals residing in the United States belonged to the global top one percent of ultra-high net worth individuals worldwide in 2022. China ranked second, with over **** million top one percent wealth holders globally. France followed in third.

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is normally a triennial cross-sectional survey of U.S. families. The survey data include information on families' balance sheets, pensions, income, and demographic characteristics.

In 2024, there were nearly 24 million people with a net worth of over one million U.S. dollars in the United States, which put the country on the top of the ranking. China was ranked second in that year, with more than six million individuals with wealth exceeding one million U.S. dollars. France followed in third with around three million millionaires.

Brazil is one of the most unequal countries in terms of income in Latin America. In 2022, it was estimated that almost 57 percent of the income generated in Brazil was held by the richest 20 percent of its population. Among the Latin American countries with available data included in this graph, Colombia came in first, as the wealthiest 20 percent of the Colombian population held over 59 percent of the country's total income.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Bottom 50% (1st to 50th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBSB50215) from Q3 1989 to Q2 2025 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

US: Rural Population Living in Areas Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Population data was reported at 0.249 % in 2010. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.256 % for 2000. US: Rural Population Living in Areas Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.249 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.256 % in 2000 and a record low of 0.246 % in 1990. US: Rural Population Living in Areas Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural population below 5m is the percentage of the total population, living in areas where the elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Weighted Average;

US: Land Area data was reported at 9,147,420.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 9,147,420.000 sq km for 2016. US: Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 9,158,960.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,161,920.000 sq km in 2007 and a record low of 9,147,420.000 sq km in 2017. US: Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data was reported at 135.474 USD bn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 122.092 USD bn for Jan 2025. Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data is updated monthly, averaging 88.230 USD bn from Jan 2008 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 206 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 210.622 USD bn in Jun 2022 and a record low of 31.920 USD bn in Aug 2008. Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table RU.FE001: National Wealth Fund: Total Amount. Total amount of National Wealth Fund in US Dollar equivalent

The programs replicate tables and figures from "Top Wealth in America: New Estimates under Heterogeneous Returns", by Smith, Zidar, and Zwick. Please see the README file for additional details.

In 2022, about 40 percent of adults in Mexico held a net worth under 10,000 U.S. dollars. In contrast, merely 393,000 Mexicans (that is, 0.4 percent of the total) had a net worth of over one million U.S. dollars. Mexico is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America regarding wealth distribution, with 78.7 percent of the national wealth held by the richest ten percent of the population.

The minimum salaryThe minimum wage per day guaranteed by law in Mexico was decreed to increase by 22 percent between 2021 and 2022, reaching 172.87 Mexican pesos in 2022. In the Free Zone located near the northern border the minimum daily wage was raised to 260.34 Mexican pesos.This represented the fourth consecutive incrase since 2019, but could prove to be insufficient to maintain the wellbeing of Mexican workers after the soaring inflation rate registered in 2022 and the economic impact of the COVID-19 in Mexican households. The legal minimum salary has a long history in the North American country, it was first implemented with the approval of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States in 1917. Income inequality in Latin AmericaLatin America, as other developing regions in the world, generally records high rates of inequality, with a Gini coefficient ranging between 38 and 54 among the region’s countries. Moreover, many of the countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide are found in Latin America. According to the Human Development Report 2019, wealth redistribution by means of tax transfers improves Latin America's Gini coefficient to a lesser degree than it does in advanced economies. Wider access to education and health services, on the other hand, have been proven to have a greater direct effect in improving Gini coefficient measurements in the region.

The total financial assets of households and nonprofit organizations in the United States grew steadily since 2000, albeit with some fluctuations. The value of household financial assets increased from around 34.34 trillion U.S. dollars in 2000 to around 130.38 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024.

The National Origin of Top Wealth Holders (%).

United States US: GDP: USD: Adjusted Net National Income data was reported at 16,032.631 USD bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 15,720.429 USD bn for 2015. United States US: GDP: USD: Adjusted Net National Income data is updated yearly, averaging 5,710.970 USD bn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2016, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,032.631 USD bn in 2016 and a record low of 938.892 USD bn in 1970. United States US: GDP: USD: Adjusted Net National Income data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Gross Domestic Product: Nominal. Adjusted net national income is GNI minus consumption of fixed capital and natural resources depletion.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in 'The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018: Building a Sustainable Future' (Lange et al 2018).; Gap-filled total;

In 2023, 225,000 individuals with net assets of at least 30 million U.S. dollars were residing in the United States, by far the highest number of any country. By comparison, China, which had the second highest number of ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs), had less than 100,000 individuals with assets amounting to 30 million U.S. dollars or more.Place of residence of ultra high net worth individuals The residency of almost half of the world’s ultra high net worth individuals in the United States explains the dominance of North America in regard to the number of ultra high net worth individuals by region. Hong Kong was the city with the most UHNWIs in 2022, followed by New York, London, and Los Angeles. Source of wealth and gender differences A majority of the world's UHNWIs are self-made. However, looking at billionaires, there is a clear difference between men and women; whereas a majority of billionaire men were self-made, a majority of the women had inherited their fortune.