The Richest American Presidents Of All Time After Adjusting For Inflation

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The fortunes of America's presidents have ranged from multi-billion dollar empires to near-zero net worth. Many early presidents amassed wealth through land ownership (often supported by enslaved labor) and inheritance, while more recent presidents frequently capitalized on book deals and speaking engagements after leaving office. There have officially been 46 presidencies but only 45 individuals as president (Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms). In this updated ranking, we list all 45 presidents (through President #46) by their peak inflation-adjusted net worth, from the richest to the most financially humble.

Side note: We want to acknowledge the morbid (but true) fact that some early Presidents owned slaves, and those slaves were counted as assets when accounting for their wealth. Whenever we publish an article about early Presidential wealth, we receive a handful of complaints from people who think we are making light of slavery by including it as part of someone's net worth. We are not making light of slavery. The reality is that owning hundreds of slaves was an extremely valuable asset, sometimes the most valuable asset someone had in the 1700s and 1800s.

Being the President of the United States is definitely one of the greatest jobs in the world. Not only are you the most powerful person in the free world, but you get paid a hefty salary plus incredible perks like access to Air Force One, Camp David, and, of course, The White House.

Since 2001, the President has been paid an annual salary of $400,000. The President also has access to a $200,000 travel and entertainment expense account. Between 1789 and 1873, the President's salary was $25,000, which is equal to $673,000 in today's inflation-adjusted dollars. In 1873, the salary was increased to $50,000 ($992,000 today). In 1909 it was bumped up to $75,000 ($1.9 million), then in 1949 it was raised to $100,000 ($967,000), and then in 1969 the salary was set at $200,000 ($1.2 million).

A final perk of being President is that once you leave office, you are paid an annual pension of $199,000. You are also entitled to Secret Service protection for life plus $100,000 per year for staff, office space, and medical insurance. This last perk only became available to Presidents after 1958. Enough dilly-dallying; let's take a look at the inflation-adjusted net worth of each American President, listed from richest to poorest!

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The Richest Presidents Of All Time, Inflation-Adjusted

#1: Donald J. Trump – $6 billion

Trump is a real estate mogul and the first billionaire to become U.S. president. He inherited a substantial real estate portfolio from his father, Fred Trump, and expanded it into a business empire of luxury properties, hotels, golf courses, and licensing deals. His celebrity on The Apprentice and global branding ventures further boosted his wealth. Notably, Trump's fortune actually declined during his first term (2017–2021) – he was the only president whose net worth dropped while in office, largely due to the pandemic's impact on his businesses. After being re-elected in 2024, Trump's net worth surged to an estimated $6 billion by early 2025, cementing his status as the richest president in U.S. history.

#2: George Washington – $525 million

The nation's first president was one of its wealthiest landowners. Washington acquired roughly 8,000 acres of prime farmland in Virginia (Mount Vernon and other lands) and held about 300 enslaved people, who were unfortunately counted as assets in 18th-century wealth calculations. He bolstered his fortune through a mix of inheritance, his marriage to the wealthy widow Martha Custis, land speculation (a perk of his work as a surveyor), and diverse enterprises including a profitable whiskey distillery. Washington even earned a substantial presidential salary (equal to about 2% of the entire U.S. budget in 1789), though he was known for his personal frugality and sound financial management.

#3: Thomas Jefferson – $212 million

Jefferson inherited a vast estate of about 5,000 acres (Monticello) and dozens of slaves from his father, and he enlarged his holdings through public service and land deals. Despite this huge fortune, Jefferson was notoriously fond of luxury and lived beyond his means. He spent extravagantly on fine wines (reportedly an inflation-adjusted $1 million per year on wine), elegant furnishings, books, and architecture. By the time he died, Jefferson's debts far exceeded the value of his assets, forcing his heirs to sell off Monticello and other property to satisfy creditors – a dramatic fall from the height of his wealth.

(Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

#4: Theodore Roosevelt – $125 million

Born into the affluent Roosevelt family, Teddy Roosevelt inherited a large trust fund and substantial family real estate (over 200 acres on Long Island). In his younger years he was a lavish spender and adventurous investor: he poured much of his fortune into risky ventures (like cattle ranching in the Dakotas and other land speculation) that often failed. He did manage to recoup some losses through wise real estate deals and the sales of his prolific writings (Roosevelt was a renowned author of historical and nature books). By the end of his life, Roosevelt's net worth stood around $125 million – still among the top ten richest presidents – despite his freewheeling financial habits.

#5: Andrew Jackson – $120 million

"Old Hickory" rose from poverty to extraordinary wealth. Jackson made his fortune as a frontier lawyer, a land speculator, and a military hero who leveraged his fame into political power. He acquired a 1,000-acre plantation (the Hermitage in Tennessee) and at one point owned roughly 150 slaves, which were a major source of his wealth. Interestingly, Jackson also married into money – his wife Rachel brought him additional land and assets. By the time of his death, Jackson had amassed about a $119–120 million fortune, making him far wealthier than the average American of his era.

#6: Bill Clinton – $120 million

Clinton's wealth is largely a post-presidential story of financial success. Coming from a humble background, he entered the White House in 1993 with a modest net worth (around $1 million or less at the start of his presidency). After leaving office in 2001, Clinton capitalized on his fame with lucrative speaking engagements and bestselling books. He has earned over $100 million from paid speeches alone, and many millions more from book advances and memoir sales. The result is a net worth of about $120 million today – an increase of roughly 9,000% from when he took office, the largest wealth jump of any U.S. president.

#7: James Madison – $100 million

The "Father of the Constitution" was once one of the largest landowners in Virginia. Madison inherited his family estate (the 5,000-acre Montpelier plantation) and owned dozens of slaves who worked the tobacco fields. His wealth, estimated around $100 million at its peak, was tied up in land and slave labor. However, Madison's finances took a downturn later in life: a collapse in tobacco prices and the extravagances of his stepson (who ran up debts that James and Dolley Madison covered) depleted much of his fortune. By his death in 1836, Madison had spent or lost most of his wealth, forcing Dolley Madison to sell off Montpelier and its remaining slaves to pay debts.

#8: John F. Kennedy –

Born into the Kennedy dynasty, JFK enjoyed a life of privilege but did not personally own the bulk of his family's fortune. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., was a multi-millionaire (close to $1 billion in today's dollars) thanks to liquor importing, Wall Street dealings, and Hollywood investments. That wealth was held in a family trust that benefited JFK and his siblings, meaning John had access to trust funds (about $10 million in 1960s dollars) and family-backed luxuries. He certainly lived like a wealthy man – with estates, yachts, and elegant furnishings – largely funded by his father. But JFK's own inflation-adjusted net worth is pegged around $100 million, since his personal assets were only a slice of the larger Kennedy fortune.

#9: Lyndon B. Johnson – $100 million

Lyndon Johnson, who once taught school in rural Texas, became exceedingly rich by the end of his career. A key turning point was his marriage to Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor, a savvy businesswoman who invested in a Texas radio station in 1943 and later a TV station – assets that grew immensely in value. The Johnsons also accumulated extensive ranch land and cattle in Texas. By the time he left the White House in 1969, LBJ had an estimated net worth near $98–100 million, making him the richest U.S. president of the 20th century (before Donald Trump). His fortune was built on media holdings (Lady Bird's broadcasting empire became highly profitable) and land – a remarkable outcome for a man who started with very little.

#10: Barack Obama – $70 million

Obama's net worth skyrocketed after he left office, thanks to high-paying media and publishing deals. Before his presidency, Obama's assets were modest – roughly $1–1.5 million in 2008, largely from his best-selling books Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. As president he earned a $400k salary, but it was after 2017 that his wealth truly ballooned. Barack and Michelle Obama secured a joint book advance reported at $65 million, and Michelle's memoir Becoming alone was a massive bestseller. The Obamas also inked a production deal with Netflix worth an estimated $50 million, and they command top-dollar on the speaking circuit. In total, Barack Obama's net worth is about $70 million today – an increase of over 5,000% from when he entered the White House – making him one of the most financially successful ex-presidents in history.

#11: Herbert Hoover – $70 million

Long before entering politics, Hoover became a self-made multimillionaire. Orphaned as a child, he trained as a mining engineer and went on to make a fortune in the global mining industry. Hoover managed lucrative mining operations on several continents (including Australia, China and elsewhere) and earned big as an executive and investor in mining companies. By the 1920s, his wealth was secure – ironically, he presided over the Great Depression but remained personally rich, with an inflation-adjusted net worth around $70 million. Known for his philanthropy, Hoover was also one of the first presidents to forgo the presidential salary, donating much of his pay to charity.

#12: Franklin Delano Roosevelt – $60 million

FDR was born into the patrician Roosevelt family and inherited great wealth, but he didn't have free rein over it. Much of his fortune (estimated around $60 million) came from the Delano side of his family and from his marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt (who herself was born into privilege as Teddy Roosevelt's niece). However, FDR's formidable mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, tightly controlled the purse strings. For most of FDR's adult life, his mother managed his trust fund and expenses to curb any spendthrift tendencies. Roosevelt lived comfortably off his inheritance, owning multiple homes (like the Hyde Park estate in New York), and later in life he did spend significantly on his passion project at Warm Springs for polio treatment. He died in office in 1945, leaving behind a sizable estate reflective of Old Money stewardship rather than entrepreneurial earnings.

#13: John Tyler – $50 million

John Tyler, the 10th president, was a Virginia plantation aristocrat. He inherited land and wealth from his family and eventually owned thousands of acres of fertile plantation land, primarily growing tobacco. Like many early presidents, Tyler's net worth was tied to land and slavery – he enslaved dozens of people to work his plantations (a major component of his wealth). Despite a career in public service (Governor of Virginia, Vice President, then President), he maintained and even expanded his personal estates. Tyler's fortune, roughly $50 million in today's terms, dwindled later in life (he sided with the Confederacy and saw some upheavals), but he never experienced true financial hardship. He retired to his Sherwood Forest plantation, which symbolized the old Southern wealth he embodied.

#14: George W. Bush – $50 million

The son of one president and grandson of a U.S. senator, George W. Bush was born into a well-to-do family yet also made a fortune on his own. After a stint in the Texas oil industry (where he founded and sold an oil exploration company), Bush became a part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, investing about $600,000 in 1989. Less than a decade later, he sold his stake in the team for over $15 million, a windfall that formed the backbone of his wealth. In addition, Bush benefited from his family connections and investments, and after leaving the presidency he earned millions from his memoir Decision Points and the speaking circuit. All told, "W" is worth an estimated $50 million, built from oil, sports, and post-presidential endeavors.

#15: James Monroe – $30 million

#16: Martin Van Buren – $25 million

#17: George H. W. Bush – $25 million

#18: Grover Cleveland – $25 million

#19: John Adams – $20 million

#20: John Quincy Adams -$20 million

#21: Richard Nixon – $15 million

#22: Ronald Reagan – $13 million (This was Reagan's net worth at the time of his death in 2004. When his wife Nancy died 12 years later, the value of their estate had grown to $25 million, thanks mostly to the appreciation of their Bel Air mansion.)

#23: James K. Polk – $10 million

#24: Joseph R. Biden – $9 million

#25: Dwight D. Eisenhower – $8 million

#26: Gerald Ford – $7 million

#27: Jimmy Carter – $7 million

#28: Zachary Taylor – $6 million

#29: William Henry Harrison – $5 million

#30: Benjamin Harrison – $5 million

#31: Millard Fillmore – $4 million

#32: Rutherford B. Hayes – $3 million

#33: William Howard Taft – $3 million

#34: Franklin Pierce – $2 million