SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
2024: The Year of the Billionaire
At this point, just 813 U.S. billionaires hold a combined $6.7 trillion in wealth while 15 of them each have over $100 billion for a combined wealth over $2.4 trillion.
Jan 04, 2025
Based on an Institute for Policy Studies analysis of data from the Forbes Real-Time billionaire list from December 31, 2024, the last day of market activity, there are 813 billionaires with combined wealth totaling $6.72 trillion.
The total number of billionaires has remained constant at 813 when Forbes published their 38th annual World’s Billionaire List on April 2, 2024. But the combined wealth of U.S. billionaires increased over the last 9 months by $1 trillion, from $5.7 trillion at the beginning of April 2024 rising to $6.72 trillion at the end of 2024.
The top five billionaires and their individual wealth are:
- Elon Musk of Tesla/X and SpaceX with $428 billion (up from $252.5 billion in September 2024).
- Jeff Bezos of Amazon with $235.2 billion.
- Larry Ellison of Oracle fame moving into number three spot with $210.5 billion, surpassing Marc Zuckerberg.
- Mark Zuckerberg of Meta with $204.4 billion.
- Larry Page of Google, with $157.6 billion.
There are now 15 U.S. billionaires with more than $100 billion each and combined wealth totaling $2.4 trillion.
Among the wealthiest dynastic families on the Forbes list, these dynastic families closed 2024 with huge pools of wealth:
- Walton. Seven members of the Walton Family with combined wealth of $404.3 billion
- Mars. Six members of Mars family with combined wealth of $130.4 billion
- Koch. Two members of Koch family have a combined wealth of $121.1 billion
Many top billionaires have seen their wealth surge during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 18, 2020, Elon Musk had wealth valued just under $25 billion. By 2024 year’s end, his wealth was $428 billion.
Jeff Bezos saw his wealth rise from $113 billion on March 18, 2020 to $235.2 billion in the Dec 31, 2024 analysis survey.
Three Walton family members—Jim, Alice and Rob—saw their combined assets increase from $161.1 billion on March 18, 2020 to $317 billion in the September 13, 2024 survey.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is co-founder of CARP and author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet.
Based on an Institute for Policy Studies analysis of data from the Forbes Real-Time billionaire list from December 31, 2024, the last day of market activity, there are 813 billionaires with combined wealth totaling $6.72 trillion.
The total number of billionaires has remained constant at 813 when Forbes published their 38th annual World’s Billionaire List on April 2, 2024. But the combined wealth of U.S. billionaires increased over the last 9 months by $1 trillion, from $5.7 trillion at the beginning of April 2024 rising to $6.72 trillion at the end of 2024.
The top five billionaires and their individual wealth are:
- Elon Musk of Tesla/X and SpaceX with $428 billion (up from $252.5 billion in September 2024).
- Jeff Bezos of Amazon with $235.2 billion.
- Larry Ellison of Oracle fame moving into number three spot with $210.5 billion, surpassing Marc Zuckerberg.
- Mark Zuckerberg of Meta with $204.4 billion.
- Larry Page of Google, with $157.6 billion.
There are now 15 U.S. billionaires with more than $100 billion each and combined wealth totaling $2.4 trillion.
Among the wealthiest dynastic families on the Forbes list, these dynastic families closed 2024 with huge pools of wealth:
- Walton. Seven members of the Walton Family with combined wealth of $404.3 billion
- Mars. Six members of Mars family with combined wealth of $130.4 billion
- Koch. Two members of Koch family have a combined wealth of $121.1 billion
Many top billionaires have seen their wealth surge during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 18, 2020, Elon Musk had wealth valued just under $25 billion. By 2024 year’s end, his wealth was $428 billion.
Jeff Bezos saw his wealth rise from $113 billion on March 18, 2020 to $235.2 billion in the Dec 31, 2024 analysis survey.
Three Walton family members—Jim, Alice and Rob—saw their combined assets increase from $161.1 billion on March 18, 2020 to $317 billion in the September 13, 2024 survey.
Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is co-founder of CARP and author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Planet.
Based on an Institute for Policy Studies analysis of data from the Forbes Real-Time billionaire list from December 31, 2024, the last day of market activity, there are 813 billionaires with combined wealth totaling $6.72 trillion.
The total number of billionaires has remained constant at 813 when Forbes published their 38th annual World’s Billionaire List on April 2, 2024. But the combined wealth of U.S. billionaires increased over the last 9 months by $1 trillion, from $5.7 trillion at the beginning of April 2024 rising to $6.72 trillion at the end of 2024.
The top five billionaires and their individual wealth are:
- Elon Musk of Tesla/X and SpaceX with $428 billion (up from $252.5 billion in September 2024).
- Jeff Bezos of Amazon with $235.2 billion.
- Larry Ellison of Oracle fame moving into number three spot with $210.5 billion, surpassing Marc Zuckerberg.
- Mark Zuckerberg of Meta with $204.4 billion.
- Larry Page of Google, with $157.6 billion.
There are now 15 U.S. billionaires with more than $100 billion each and combined wealth totaling $2.4 trillion.
Among the wealthiest dynastic families on the Forbes list, these dynastic families closed 2024 with huge pools of wealth:
- Walton. Seven members of the Walton Family with combined wealth of $404.3 billion
- Mars. Six members of Mars family with combined wealth of $130.4 billion
- Koch. Two members of Koch family have a combined wealth of $121.1 billion
Many top billionaires have seen their wealth surge during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 18, 2020, Elon Musk had wealth valued just under $25 billion. By 2024 year’s end, his wealth was $428 billion.
Jeff Bezos saw his wealth rise from $113 billion on March 18, 2020 to $235.2 billion in the Dec 31, 2024 analysis survey.
Three Walton family members—Jim, Alice and Rob—saw their combined assets increase from $161.1 billion on March 18, 2020 to $317 billion in the September 13, 2024 survey.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy