Recently, Tesla CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk became the first person to gain a net worth over $400 billion, having added $184 billion to his preexisting wealth thanks to a 56% boost in Tesla stock. That extraordinary leap in wealth has also made Musk the wealthiest American citizen (in addition to the richest person on Earth) for the fourth year in a row.
While Musk’s total net worth of over $750 billion certainly makes him the richest American, there was a time when a mere $15 billion would have been the highest net worth in the country. Specifically, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ net worth of $15 billion made him wealthiest American back in 1995. That stunning disparity between 1995 and 2025 highlights the massive consolidation of wealth that has occurred at society’s highest levels, in which the 20 richest Americans have collectively amassed $3 trillion.
By tracing the arc of the richest Americans over the last 30 years, you can watch as the country’s wealth accumulates and increases around a very small group of individuals — three tech-driven entrepreneurs whose companies have helped reshape American society just as they have collected most of the country’s wealth. Those three men are, per Forbes: Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Musk. Their accretion of wealth has leapt from $15 billion to a shocking $751.9 billion (as of Dec. 24), and that number is only expected to increase as Musk is on track to becoming America’s — and the world’s — first trillionaire.
1995: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $15 billion
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1996: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $18.5 billion
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1997: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $40 billion
1998: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $58 billion
1999: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $85 billion
2000: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $63 billion
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2001: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $54 billion
2002: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $43 billion
2003: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $46 billion
2004: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $48 billion
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2005: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $51 billion
2006: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $56 billion
2007: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $59 billion
2008: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $57 billion
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2009: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $50 billion
2010: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $54 billion
2011: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $59 billion
2012: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $66 billion
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2013: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $72 billion
2014: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $81 billion
2015: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $76 billion
2016: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $81 billion
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2017: Bill Gates
- Net worth: $89 billion
2018: Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $160 billion
2019: Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $114 billion
2020: Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $179 billion
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2021: Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $201 billion
2022: Elon Musk
- Net worth: $251 billion
2023: Elon Musk
- Net worth: $251 billion
2024: Elon Musk
- Net worth: $244 billion
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2025: Elon Musk
- Net worth: $751.9 billion (and counting)
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: From Gates to Musk: Net Worth of Richest American from 1995 to 2025
