The average American’s net worth has grown over the past 25 years — but by how much? And how does that growth compare with the net worth growth of the top 10 billionaires over the same time frame?
Here’s a closer look at how the average American’s net worth stacks up to those of the top billionaires.
Also see how the world’s nine richest billionaires spent their first $1 million.
The Average American’s Net Worth Growth
The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances shows that the average American family’s net worth jumped from $145,210 in 2001 to $192,700 in 2022. We can use annualized growth rates to predict the average American’s net worth in 2000 and 2025.
The compounded annual growth rate from 2019 to 2022 was 10.9%. If that growth rate carried over the next three years, the average American’s net worth would be about $262,831. An annualized 3.6% growth rate from 1998 to 2001 suggests that the average American’s net worth was $140,312 in 2000.
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How the Net Worth of Top Billionaires Has Changed Over Time
The average American’s net worth has almost doubled over the past 25 years, but most billionaires have seen much higher gains during that time.
This list contains the 10 richest billionaires back in 2000, with their 2025 net worth on the right.
| Billionaire | 2000 Net Worth | 2025 Net Worth |
| Bill Gates | $60 billion | $103.7 billion |
| Larry Ellison | $47 billion | $246 billion |
| Paul Allen | $28 billion | N/A |
| Warren Buffett | $25.6 billion | $147.8 billion |
| Theo and Karl Albrecht | $20 billion | $33 billion |
| Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud | $20 billion | $16.2 billion |
| S. Robson Walton | $20 billion | $131 billion |
| Masayoshi Son | $19.4 billion | $56 billion |
| Michael Dell | $19.1 billion | $139.1 billion |
| Kenneth Thomson | $16.1 billion | N/A |
Many people on this list have seen their net worths more than double over the past 25 years. The list doesn’t even include some of the wealthiest people right now, including Elon Musk, Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin and Mark Zuckerberg, who all have net worths above $200 billion.
Rate of Billionaire Net Worth Growth
Many billionaires make most of their money from their businesses and assets instead of relying on an active income. It takes a lot of effort to reach the level of scale that these entrepreneurs have achieved. However, wealth tends to snowball once it is stored in growing assets.
Elon Musk is the wealthiest man on the planet and is approaching an $800 billion net worth. He has created several companies that would be almost impossible for the average person to create. Above-average results require above-average levels of action and financial prudence. Then, the power of compounding allows billionaires to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
As long as billionaires own assets instead of selling them, their net worths should continue to grow at a faster rate. The average American can achieve a higher growth rate by putting money into promising investments and looking for ways to boost income.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How the Average American’s Net Worth Has Changed From 2000 to 2025 Compared With 10 Top Billionaires
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
