In 1982, $2B Topped Forbes 400; Now, It Takes $3B Just To Make The List

Just over four decades ago, Forbes initiated its annual list of the 400 richest Americans, with shipping magnate Daniel Ludwig claiming the top spot in 1982 with a $2 billion fortune. In 1983, Gordon Getty claimed the title of America's richest person, with a net worth of $2.2 billion.

Fast-forward to today, the landscape of wealth has undergone a seismic transformation.

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To earn a coveted spot among the 400 wealthiest Americans today, one would require a sum of nearly $3 billion, as reported by CNBC. 

And if the ambition is to secure the numero uno position — like Tesla owner Elon Musk has done for the second consecutive year — your net worth would have to exceed $251 billion.

No one had crossed the $10 billion threshold until 1995 when Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, in his third year as the reigning champion, reported a net worth of $15 billion.

Gates remained the wealthiest American until 2018 when Jeff Bezos of Amazon Inc. dethroned him.

The past decade has seen a shift in the 'richest person in the world' title:

• 2013: Bill Gates, "$72 billion"
• 2014: Bill Gates, "$82 billion"
• 2015: Bill Gates, "$76 billion"
• 2016: Bill Gates, "$81 billion"
• 2017: Bill Gates, "$89 billion"
• 2018: Jeff Bezos, "$160 billion"
• 2019: Jeff Bezos, "$114 billion"
• 2020: Jeff Bezos, "$179 billion"
• 2021: Jeff Bezos, "$201 billion"
• 2022: Elon Musk, "$251 billion"
• 2023: Elon Musk, "$251 billion"

Musk's ascension to the title of the 'richest in America' in 2022 marked a significant milestone, with his net worth of $251 billion surpassing Bezos by a remarkable $100 billion.

Although Bezos has narrowed the gap with an additional $10 billion in 2023, he still trails Musk by $90 billion.

To put this into perspective, the median net worth of U.S. households, as per Census Bureau data, stands at just $166,900.

Closing the gap with Musk would require approximately 1.5 million households with that net worth.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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