On 21 October 2026 the Forbes real-time list had 993 billionaires from the United States, with a combined net worth of $9.29 trillion. That is 46% of the world total and puts the United States #1 of 77 countries on the list. On 19 January 2020 it was 638 billionaires and $3.53 trillion (36% of the world).
The video shows the richest people one by one. This article looks at what the tiles cannot show: the whole list, where the money comes from, how the country total moved, and what the average billionaire looks like.
How concentrated is the wealth?
The richest person, Elon Musk, holds $925 billion, or 10% of the national total. The top three together hold 17% and the top ten 32%. On the world list Elon Musk is ranked #1.
The average billionaire from the United States had $5.5B in January 2020 and has $9.4B now, 1.7 times as much.
The number of people on the list grew from 638 to 993, so the increase in the total reflects both higher valuations and more people being listed.
Where the money comes from
Counting each person under the main industry Forbes gives, technology is the largest source of wealth in the United States: $4.17 trillion, or 45% of the total. It is followed by finance and investments (21%), fashion and retail (8.3%).
How the total moved
The combined net worth of billionaires from the United States started at $3.53 trillion in 2020, fell to $2.89 trillion on 24 March 2020 and reached its highest point of $9.28 trillion on 16 June 2026, when the list had 982 billionaires from the United States.
By 31 August 2026 (the last day of the country series) it was $8.90 trillion, close to the peak.
The number of billionaires from the United States on the list ranged from 590 to 994 during this period. A person can enter or leave the list because the cut-off moves with the market, not only because their own wealth changes.
Biggest movers among the people in the video
Comparing 1 February 2020 with 21 October 2026, the largest relative gains were Jensen Huang ($5.9B to $191B, +3124%), Elon Musk ($33B to $941B, +2793%) and Michael Dell ($31B to $250B, +699%).
In absolute terms, Elon Musk added the most: $909B.
Who the billionaires are
Of the 993 billionaires from the United States, 137 are women (14%). Ages are known for 229 of them; their average age is 47 and the median 48.
How to read the numbers
- Figures are Forbes estimates in current US dollars, taken from the real-time list. The source project states that it makes no claim to accuracy or completeness.
- A person is assigned to a country by citizenship, not by where they live. A family entry (marked “& family”) refers to the family fortune.
- Daily values are noisy because they follow stock prices, so the video steps through the data in half-month intervals and the chart above shows weekly values.
- The country series ends on 31 August 2026; the list used for the 21 October 2026 numbers is the latest one available.
Sources
Forbes real-time billionaires, compiled by komed3 (rtb-api on GitHub, MIT licence).
