The List of American Billionaires: Richest People, Wealth and Black Club
 |
| As of March 24, 2021, Sergey Brin and Larry Page have seen the biggest year-over-year net-worth growth among American billionaires. Chris Hondros/Getty Images |
Check out the Bloomberg Billionaires Index (daily ranking of the world’s richest people) and the number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual ranking (2021).
How many American billionaires are there in 2021?
There are 657 billionaires in America in 2021 - updated by Bloomberg.
Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755--660 more than a year ago. Altogether these billionaires are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020.
The U.S. still has the most, with 724 billionaires, followed by China (including Hong Kong and Macao) with 698.
Who is richest people in the US
Jeff Bezos, with his $183.9 billion fortune, is the richest man in the US and the world.
According to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index (which updates in near-real time), Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the cofounders of Google, have seen the biggest respective increases to their net worths among American billionaires since the pandemic broke out. From March 24, 2020, to March 24, 2021, Page added $11.8 billion to his $94.3 billion fortune. Brin's $91.2 billion fortune has grown by $11.4 billion in the same time period.
Berkshire Hathaway CEO and chairman Warren Buffett has seen the third-biggest net-worth growth in this time. His $95.1 billion fortune got a $7.4 billion boost in the past year, per Bloomberg statistics.
Forbes reported Tuesday in its annual ranking: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with an estimated fortune of $177 billion, topped the list for the fourth year running. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk came in at No. 2 at $151 billion
America's Billionaires Wealth
Their combined wealth grew by 44.6% during the pandemic (or more than $1.3 trillion) - a study from the Institute for Policy Studies shows.
In the United States, the top 400 wealthiest Americans now own the equivalent 18% of GDP in wealth, twice as much as in 2010 (9% of GDP), Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, said to Washington Post.
Rich-Poor Gap in America
America's billionaires got 44% richer during the pandemic while more than 80 million people in the US lost their jobs from March 2020 to February 2021. Between June and November 2020, nearly 8 million Americans fell into poverty.
While most of the world’s wealthiest people prospered during the pandemic, thanks in part to soaring stock prices, millions of Americans grappled with job loss, food insecurity, debt, eviction and poverty. U.S. lawmakers haven’t come together on a balanced approach to narrowing the wealth gap.
The top 1% now own more wealth than the bottom 92%, and the 50 wealthiest Americans own more wealth than the bottom half of American society – 165 million people. While millions of Americans have lost their jobs and incomes during the pandemic, over the past year 650 billionaires have seen their wealth increase by $1.3tn, according to Guardian.
Over the past 40 years there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class and working families to the very wealthiest people in America.
In 1978, the top 0.1% owned about 7% of the nation’s wealth. In 2019, the latest year of data available, they own nearly 20%.
Unbelievably, the two richest people in America, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, now own more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans combined.
The average worker in America would be earning $42,000 more in income each year. Instead, as corporate chief executives now make over 300 times more than their average employees, the average American worker now earns $32 a week less than he or she did 48 years ago – after adjusting for inflation. In other words, despite huge increases in technology and productivity, ordinary workers are actually losing ground.
Black Billionaires Remain A Rare Club
Latest Forbes richest list shows Black billionaires remain a rare club. They include Robert F. Smith, whose $6 billion fortune made in private equity makes him the 451st wealthiest person in the world, media moguls Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry as well as rap icons and businessmen Jay Z and Kanye West.
Kim Kardashian West is officially a billionaire, according to Forbes
MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, marries Seattle schoolteacher
Here are the richest African Americans and where they rank on the list of the world's billionaires:
Robert F. Smith
Net Worth: $6 billion
Age: 58
Business: Private equity, finance, investments
Global Ranking: 451
 |
| Robert F. Smith |
David Steward
Net worth: $3.7 billion
Age: 69
Business: IT provider
Global Ranking: 807
Oprah Winfrey
Net worth: $2.7 billion
Age: 67
Business: media and entertainment
Global Ranking: 1,174
Kanye West
Net Worth: $1.8 billion
Age: 43
Business: Music, Yeezy sneakers, fashion, retail
Global Ranking: 1,750
Michael Jordan
Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Age: 58
Business: Charlotte Hornets, endorsements
Global ranking: 1,931
Jay-Z
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Age: 51
Business: Media, entertainment
Global Ranking: 2,141
Tyler Perry
Net Worth: $1.0 billion
Age: 51
Business: Movies, television, entertainment
Global Ranking: 2,674
 Top 20 Wealthiest Billionaires In The World The numbers of billionaires have been growing rapidly, with their net worth ranges from lowest of $11 Billions to the highest, Jeff Bezos, with $177 ... |
 Top 10 Richest Women in The World in 2021 We have heard a lot about World's richest men, but what about women? This article below contains top 10's richest women in the world in ... |
 Who are Richest Royals in the Planet With Net Worth of Over $2.4 trillion Among 26 current monarchy countries in the world, there are as many as 10 dynasties from Europe to the Middle East who control a net ... |
 Who is Mukesh Ambani - India's Wealthiest Tycoon: Bio, Career, Private Life and Protected like "National Asset" Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Reliance Industries which has earned the reputation of being one of the largest private-sector ... |
