The State of Income Inequality in the US: The shocking amount of wealth held by the Top 1% in 2025

Though economic inequality is a frequent talking point in U.S. political discourse, the true scale of the issue often escapes focused attention.

Research shows that when polled, voters tend to underestimate the extent of inequality, holding a skewed perspective that shields the superrich from scrutiny.

Let me give you, reader, a moment to think: How much wealth do you think the bottom 50 percent of households own? Of the $160 trillion in total U.S. wealth, what percentage do you believe is held by roughly 66.1 million families?

Drum roll…

As of 2025, data from the Federal Reserve shows that the answer is 2.5 percent, or $4 trillion. This number has fallen since 1990, when the bottom 50 percent of households owned 3.48% of all wealth.

If that amount were divided evenly among the bottom 50 percent, each household would receive a check for $60,558.34.

Though it may not be immediately obvious, this means that the top 50 percent of households own 97.5 percent of the country’s wealth—highlighting the immensely lopsided economy at work in the United States.

How much wealth does the top 1% own?

Now, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum: the top 1 percent of wealthiest households. How much of the country’s wealth is held by this group—about 1.3 million families? The top 1% owns 30.82 percent, or roughly $49 trillion—an amount 12 times greater than what the bottom 50% holds. Divided evenly, each household in the top 1% would receive a check for $37,355,038.77.

The Federal Reserve also publishes data on the wealth held by households within the 51st to 90th and the 91st to the 99th percentiles.

What about the top 10%?

Between the 51st and 90th percentiles—representing around 52.8 million households—30.26% of the country’s wealth is held, a level slightly lower than that of the top 1%. Meanwhile, households in the 91st to 99th percentiles hold 36.43% of the nation’s wealth, meaning the top 10% of households collectively own nearly two-thirds of all wealth.

When leaders in Washington discuss the budget deficit and the need to cut social spending, remember this distribution and why those at the bottom are often asked to make the greatest sacrifices.

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