Who owns all the wealth in the US? (2024)

Who owns all the wealth in the US?

The top 1% holds $38.7 trillion in wealth. That's more than the combined wealth of America's middle class, a group many economists define as the middle 60% of households by income. Those households hold about 26% of all wealth.

(In trillions of U.S. dollars) As expected, the private sector holds all the U.S. net wealth while the public sector runs negative. This latter fact is due to our net federal debt of $26.8 trillion. It bears repeating, however, that about 75% of federal debt is owned, or held as an asset, by U.S. citizens.

The pyramid shows that: half of the world's net wealth belongs to the top 1%, top 10% of adults hold 85%, while the bottom 90% hold the remaining 15% of the world's total wealth, top 30% of adults hold 97% of the total wealth.

For example, the top 1 percent of households hold 30.6 percent of the total wealth, according to the Federal Reserve.

The richest 1% own almost half of the world's wealth, while the poorest half of the world own just 0.75% In fact, they have acquired nearly twice as much wealth in new money as the bottom 99% of the world's population.

Money, in the form of currency and wealth, is not owned by any single individual or entity. Instead, it is distributed across a vast and diverse range of individuals, businesses, governments, and financial institutions globally. Wealth distribution is complex, and ownership of money is decentralized.

You need more money than ever to enter the ranks of the top 1% of the richest Americans. To join the club of the wealthiest citizens in the U.S., you'll need at least $5.8 million, up about 15% up from $5.1 million one year ago, according to global real estate company Knight Frank's 2024 Wealth Report.

In the U.S., it may take you $5.81 million to be in the top 1%, but it takes a minimum net worth of $30 million to be considered among the ultra-high net worth crowd. As of the end of 2023, this ultra-high net worth population is on the rise, reaching 626,000 globally, up from just over 600,000 a year earlier.

The financial position of the United States includes assets of at least $269 trillion (1576% of GDP) and debts of $145.8 trillion (852% of GDP) to produce a net worth of at least $123.8 trillion (723% of GDP). GDP in Q1 decline was due to foreclosures and increased rates of household saving.

The top 1% of American earners now control more wealth than the nation's entire middle class, federal data show. More than one-quarter of all household wealth, 26.5%, belongs to Americans who earn enough money to rank in the top percentile by income, according to Federal Reserve statistics through mid-2023.

Who controls the world's wealth?

Despite representing just 21 percent of the global population, rich countries in the Global North own 69 percent of global wealth and are home to 74 percent of the world's billionaire wealth. Share ownership overwhelmingly benefits the richest. The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets.

During the past decade, the richest 1 percent had captured around half of all new wealth. “Survival of the Richest” is published on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Common types of securities include bonds, stocks and funds (mutual and exchange-traded). Funds and stocks are the bread-and-butter of investment portfolios. Billionaires use these investments to ensure their money grows steadily.

Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.

The 95th percentile, with a net worth of $3.2 million, is considered wealthy, facilitating estate planning and possibly owning multiple homes. The top 1%, or the 99th percentile, has a net worth of $16.7 million and represents the very wealthy, who enjoy considerable financial freedom and luxury​​.

The Rothschild family is one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most storied families in history. With roots in banking, the family has continued to grow its wealth in a variety of businesses over the centuries, continuing to wield significant power and money. The Rothschild Archive. "Origins of the Business."

The sheer enormity of the sum left many in disbelief, prompting speculation and awe at the quirks of digital finance. However, as the saying goes, “easy come, easy go.” Regrettably for Reynolds, his time as the world's only quadrillionaire was short-lived.

No individual has claimed the status of trillionaire just yet. But a net worth equal to at least one trillion in U.S. dollars or a similarly valued currency isn't unattainable, but it will be a couple of years yet. Only 18 countries have a GDP that exceeds that amount.

The Walton family with $259.7 billion. The Hermès family with $150.9 billion. The Mars family with $141.9 billion. The Al Thani family with $133 billion.

The House of Nahyan, rulers of oil-rich Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, comes in at No. 1 on Bloomberg's world's richest families list for 2023, bumping the third-generation Walmart heirs that have long topped the rankings.

Who is the richest family in America?

Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.

By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class. It's a pretty straightforward answer, but it isn't particularly helpful if you're trying to climb up out of a lower income bracket into the middle class.

$1 million, $5 million, $10 million

However, if you have $1m, are retired and are living an expensive lifestyle, you might go from wealthy to poor in a relatively short period of time. The Schwab survey found that overall, Americans say they need: $1.9 million to be wealthy in 2021 (down from $2.6 million in 2020)

The oldest list member is 102-year-old insurance tycoon George Joseph ($1.7 billion), one of 425 people who are 80 or older. The youngest billionaire around the globe is 19-year-old Livia Voigt, a Brazilian heiress whose grandfather cofounded electrical equipment producer WEG.