- In 2023, the Forbes 400 list's top position requires nearly $3 billion, with Elon Musk leading.
- Musk's $251 billion net worth makes him America's richest, with Bezos closing the gap.
- The market’s back, and these 3 income stocks are thriving. See them here→
Just over four decades ago, Forbes initiated its annual list of the 400 richest Americans, with shipping magnate Daniel Ludwig claiming the top spot in 1982 with a $2 billion fortune. In 1983, Gordon Getty claimed the title of America's richest person, with a net worth of $2.2 billion.
Fast-forward to today, the landscape of wealth has undergone a seismic transformation.
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To earn a coveted spot among the 400 wealthiest Americans today, one would require a sum of nearly $3 billion, as reported by CNBC.
And if the ambition is to secure the numero uno position — like Tesla owner Elon Musk has done for the second consecutive year — your net worth would have to exceed $251 billion.
No one had crossed the $10 billion threshold until 1995 when Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, in his third year as the reigning champion, reported a net worth of $15 billion.
Gates remained the wealthiest American until 2018 when Jeff Bezos of Amazon Inc. dethroned him.
The past decade has seen a shift in the 'richest person in the world' title:
- 2013: Bill Gates, "$72 billion"
- 2014: Bill Gates, "$82 billion"
- 2015: Bill Gates, "$76 billion"
- 2016: Bill Gates, "$81 billion"
- 2017: Bill Gates, "$89 billion"
- 2018: Jeff Bezos, "$160 billion"
- 2019: Jeff Bezos, "$114 billion"
- 2020: Jeff Bezos, "$179 billion"
- 2021: Jeff Bezos, "$201 billion"
- 2022: Elon Musk, "$251 billion"
- 2023: Elon Musk, "$251 billion"
Musk's ascension to the title of the 'richest in America' in 2022 marked a significant milestone, with his net worth of $251 billion surpassing Bezos by a remarkable $100 billion.
Although Bezos has narrowed the gap with an additional $10 billion in 2023, he still trails Musk by $90 billion.
To put this into perspective, the median net worth of U.S. households, as per Census Bureau data, stands at just $166,900.
Closing the gap with Musk would require approximately 1.5 million households with that net worth.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image: Shutterstock
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