See how Elon Musk's fortune compares with the richest Americans in history
· Business Insider
General Photographic Agency/Getty Images / ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images
- Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX's public debut.
- America has more billionaires than ever, led by Elon Musk and other tech executives.
- Figures such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were known as the richest men of their time.
America has never had as many billionaires as it does now — and the number is only growing.
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The SpaceX IPO resulted in one of the greatest wealth increases in history, turning Elon Musk's estimated net worth of over $800 billion before the company went public into the world's first-ever trillion-dollar-plus fortune.
While the scale of Musk's fortune is unprecedented by all measures, it also raises the question of how historic figures, largely considered America's richest, such as the Gilded Age industrialists, compare with the richest people today.
That is to say: Who are the richest Americans of all time?
In many historical calculations of net worth, individual fortunes weren't measured in isolation; instead, they were compared to the US GDP at the time.
When the US economy was much smaller than it is today, the wealthiest families and individuals carried more weight in the economy than others during more prosperous times.
One of the richest Americans of all time is widely considered to be Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, whose wealth, at its peak in 1937, was equal to 1.5% of the country's GDP. His estimated net worth would be around $512.7 billion today, when adjusted for inflation.
Elon Musk's current wealth, however, has now far eclipsed that of Rockefeller's.
To identify some of the richest Americans of all time, we consulted Forbes' 2007 list of history's wealthiest figures, based on estimates by economist Peter Bernstein. It calculated individuals' wealth at their peak and compared it to the country's GDP at the time to convert it to 2006 dollars. This was then adjusted to today's dollars using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator.
For living individuals, we cited Forbes' estimated net worths as of June 16, 2026.
While estimates of historical wealth may not be perfect, they help paint a picture of the wealth enjoyed by some of America's most notable business figures and put it in context with today's billionaires.
Here are 29 of the wealthiest Americans in history — and how modern-day tech magnates rank among them.
Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937)Bettmann via Getty Images
Estimated net worth (2026 adjusted estimate): $85.3 billion
Source of wealth: Banker and industrialist; heir to the Mellon banking dynasty
Henry Ford (1863-1947)Getty Images/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $91.8 billion
Source of wealth: Automaker; founder of Ford Motor Company
Jay Gould (1836-1892)Bettmann/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $98.4 billion
Source of wealth: Railroad financier and speculator
Sam Walton (1918-1992)Paul Matthews/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $99 billion
Source of wealth: Retail entrepreneur; founder of Walmart
Marshall Field (1834-1906)Bettmann/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $101.6 billion
Source of wealth: Retail magnate; founder of Marshall Field & Company
Bill GatesBill Gates built his fortune by co-founding Microsoft and dominating the PC software era.Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Net worth: $104.4 billion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; cofounder of Microsoft
Thomas PeterffyBloomberg/Getty Images
Net worth: $107.1 billion
Source of wealth: Digital trading pioneer; founder and former CEO of Interactive Brokers
Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg became a billionaire by founding Bloomberg LP and selling financial data.PAC NYC)
Net worth: $109.4 billion
Source of wealth: Financial data entrepreneur; founder of Bloomberg LP
Frederick Weyerhaeuser (1834-1914)Bain News Service/Library of Congress
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $122 billion
Source of wealth: Timber magnate; founder of Weyerhaeuser
Steve BallmerSteve Ballmer amassed his wealth during decades at Microsoft, including as CEO.Leon Bennett/Getty Images
Net worth: $126 billion
Source of wealth: Tech executive; former CEO of Microsoft
Alice WaltonRick T. Wilking/Getty Images
Net worth: $127.7 billion
Source of wealth: Walmart heir
Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876)The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $136.6 billion
Source of wealth: Retail pioneer; founder of AT Stewart & Co.
Jim WaltonRick T. Wilking/Getty Images
Net worth: $136.7 billion
Source of wealth: Walmart heir and board member
Richard B. Mellon (1870-1933): HUM Images/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $139.1 billion
Source of wealth: Banker and industrial investor; heir to Mellon banking dynasty
Rob WaltonRick T. Wilking/Getty Images
Net worth: $139.4 billion
Source of wealth: Walmart heir and former chairman
Warren BuffettWarren Buffett built his fortune through long-term investing at his firm, Berkshire Hathaway.Johannes EISELE / AFP via Getty Images
Net worth: $146.4 billion
Source of wealth: Investor; former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Stephen Girard (1750-1831)Icas94 / De Agostini via Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $161.6 billion
Source of wealth: Banker, merchant, and financier
Jensen HuangPatrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Net worth: $181.1 billion
Source of wealth: Co-founder and CEO of Nvidia
John Jacob Astor (1763-1848)Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $186.1 billion
Source of wealth: Fur trader and real-estate investor
Mark ZuckerbergMeta CEO Mark ZuckerbergTaylor Hill/Getty Images
Net worth: $204.7 billion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; cofounder of Facebook, now Meta
Michael DellMichael Dell became a billionaire by founding Dell and revolutionizing PC sales.KikeRincon/Europa Press via Getty Images
Net worth: $229.2 billion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; founder and CEO of Dell Technologies
Larry EllisonLarry Ellison built his wealth by turning Oracle into a dominant enterprise software company.Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Net worth: $238.3 billion
Source of wealth: Software entrepreneur; cofounder and former CEO of Oracle
Jeff BezosBezos built his fortune by founding Amazon, which reshaped global retail.CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Net worth: $255.6 billion
Source of wealth: E-commerce entrepreneur; founder of Amazon
Sergey BrinSergey Brin became one of the world's richest people after co-founding Google.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Net worth: $279.6 billion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; cofounder of Google
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877)Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $284.6 billion
Source of wealth: Shipping and railroad tycoon
Larry PageGoogle cofounder Larry Page has cut his ties to CaliforniaJustin Sullivan/Getty Images
Net worth: $303.1 billion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; cofounder of Google
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $475.2 billion
Source of wealth: Steel industrialist; founder of Carnegie Steel
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937)Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Net worth (adjusted estimate): $516 billion
Source of wealth: Oil magnate; founder of Standard Oil
Elon MuskElon Musk said he would create a new political party if Trump's spending bill passes.ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP/Getty Images
Net worth: $1.4 trillion
Source of wealth: Tech entrepreneur; CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
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