The net worth of the richest Americans grew by 13% in the past year to $1.7 trillion, Forbes magazine said today.
A familiar cast of characters once again populated the top of the magazine's annual list of the US super-elite, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison.
The average net worth of the 400 wealthiest Americans rose to a record $4.2 billion, the magazine said.
Collectively, this group's net worth is the equivalent of one-eighth of the entire US economy, which stands at $13.56 billion in real terms.
But the 13% growth in the wealth of the richest Americans far outpaced that of the economy overall, helping widen the chasm between rich and poor.
Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, topped the list for the 19th year in a row with $66 billion, up $7 billion from a year earlier. Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive of insurance conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, stood second with $46 billion, followed by Larry Ellison, head of software maker Oracle, with $41 billion.
The Koch brothers, Charles and David, who run the energy and chemicals conglomerate that bears their name, Koch Industries, were tied for fourth with $31 billion, Forbes said. The ranks of the top five were unchanged from a year earlier.
Two notable names dropped from the top ten however. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, also active in conservative political causes, fell to the 12 spot from number eight last year, and financier George Soros dropped five spots to number 12 from the number seven position a year ago.
The disappointing stock market debut of Facebook also took a toll on the fortune of its founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. His net worth fell by nearly half to $9.4 billion, and he slid to the number 36 slot from number 14 a year ago, Forbes said.
Forbes also said today that the 400 people on its US rich list are all billionaires, mostly self-made and mostly male. Seven in ten of the list's members made their fortunes from scratch.
At 28, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz is the youngest member. The philanthropist grandson of oil baron John D Rockefeller, 97-year-old David Rockefeller Sr is the oldest member of the club.
The state of California has the largest share of Forbes 400 members, with 87, followed by New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois. Among cities, New York City topped the list, with 53. San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles and Houston rounded out the top-five cities.
There are 45 women on the list, up from 42 a year ago, including Oprah Winfrey at number 151.
Forbes magazine's ranking of the richest people in America.
1. Bill Gates - $66 billion
2. Warren Buffett - $46 billion
3. Larry Ellison - $41 billion
4. Charles Koch - $31 billion
5. David Koch - $31 billion
6. Christy Walton & family - $27.9 billion
7. Jim Walton - $26.8 billion
8. Alice Walton - $26.3 billion
9. S Robson Walton - $26.1 billion
10. Michael Bloomberg - $25 billion
