The wealth gap within America's richest households has widened significantly, with the top 0.1% now averaging about $204 million in net worth, according to a Fortune analysis of Federal Reserve data. This figure is 7.7 times the wealth of households in the rest of the top 1%, marking the largest disparity since 1989. The top 0.1% includes 136,779 households and collectively holds nearly $28 trillion as of the second quarter of 2026.
Since the end of 2019, the wealth of the top 0.1% has more than doubled from $13.4 trillion to nearly $28 trillion, while the rest of the top 1% saw their wealth grow 68%, from $19.3 trillion to $32.5 trillion. Markus Schneider, an associate professor of economics at the University of Denver, highlighted this as a continued upward redistribution and concentration of wealth. The top 0.1% now controls 15% of the nation’s household wealth, up 0.5 percentage points since early 2026.
The primary driver behind the ultra-rich pulling ahead is asset composition. More than half of the top 0.1%’s assets are invested in stocks and mutual funds, enabling them to benefit from the stock market’s record highs in recent years, largely fueled by advancements in AI and technology sectors. This contrasts with the rest of the top 1%, whose asset allocation is less heavily weighted toward equities, limiting their gains relative to the ultra-wealthy.
The Federal Reserve’s quarterly data series, which dates back to 1989, shows this is the highest wealth ratio recorded between the top 0.1% and the rest of the top 1%. The concentration of wealth at the very top underscores ongoing economic disparities within the upper echelons of American society.