America's Richest Have Never Controlled This Much of the Nation's Income as Top 0.00001% Hits Record 12% Share

Benzinga · 1d ago

The wealthiest of the wealthy now control a record 12% of U.S. national income, marking the highest level on record as gains in stocks and real estate continue to boost asset values.

Share Has Quadrupled Since 2008

Citing data from the Financial Times, The Kobeissi Letter in a post on X said the wealth of the top 0.00001% of Americans has more than quadrupled relative to U.S. national income since the 2008 financial crisis.

The market commentator added that the measure never exceeded 1% between the 1950s and the 1990s, highlighting the sharp acceleration in wealth concentration over the past two decades.

With the U.S. population at roughly 342.6 million, the top 0.00001% represents about 34 individuals.

Stocks And Housing Drive The Surge

The Kobeissi Letter attributed the increase to record gains in the equity market and rising real estate prices, saying the appreciation in financial and property assets has disproportionately benefited the nation’s wealthiest households.

“Asset owners are the only winners,” the post added.

Sanders Blames Trump’s Tax Bill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blamed President Donald Trump‘s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ for benefiting wealthy Americans while hurting lower-income households.

In a post on X, Sanders said the bill’s “$1 trillion in tax breaks” for the top 1% helped one of Trump’s wealthy friends buy “a private jet that he didn’t need,” while “throwing millions of Americans off of the healthcare they desperately need.”

A UBS Global Wealth Report 2026 found the U.S. added 441,078 new millionaires in 2025, or more than 1,200 per day, accounting for nearly half of all new millionaires created globally.

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

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