Afford Anything · Friday, October 23, 2026
Economics professors Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick reveal that there are roughly 3 million private business owners in the United States with net worths over $5 million, averaging $25 million. Collectively, these closely held business owners possess more than ten times the wealth of the entire Forbes 400 combined, driven primarily by direct business income rather than wages or stock portfolios.
“There are around 3 million Americans who own private businesses. We're talking dental practices, car dealerships, beer distributors. And those 3 million Americans are collectively worth more than 10 times the entire Fortune 500.”
“the three million Private business owners? who have net worth of at least five million dollars they have average net worth of about 25 million”