The 10 Richest US Presidents

Barack and Michelle Obama were worth over $1 million when he entered office, accrued from their respective salaries – he as an Illinois state and then US senator, she as an attorney and hospital administrator – and from royalties from several books he had written, including “Dreams From My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope.” Further royalties, Obama’s presidential salary, and their investments raised their net worth to over $20 million by the time he left office, and it subsequently swelled due to massive further book advances and speaking fees for both Obamas.

Unlike several other presidents on this list, Bill Clinton did not inherit any wealth and gained little net worth during his 20-plus years of public service. After his time in the White House, however, he began earning a substantial income as an author and public speaker. In 2005, Clinton received a $15 million advance on his book “My Life.” In March 2014, the former president was paid $500,000 to speak in London to the Bank of America. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose assets are shared by her husband, has also contributed to the family fortune since leaving office. In 2014, she received a $14 million advance for her autobiography “Hard Choices,” and she commands speaking fees similar to those of her husband.

An orphan, Hoover was raised by his uncle, a doctor, and inherited no significant wealth. He parlayed a degree in geology from Stanford University into a successful career as a mining engineer, working in Australia, China, and elsewhere, and in 1908 opened his own mining consulting firm. By 1914, he was a millionaire, earning high salaries and acquiring ownership of silver mines. He donated his presidential salary to charity.

Johnson’s father lost all the family’s money when LBJ was a boy and he grew up in poverty. His main source of wealth was the radio and television business owned by his wife, Lady Bird. He is said to have used his increasing political influence on his path to the presidency to help promote her enterprises. The Johnsons eventually acquired 1,500 acres in Blanco County, Texas, which included their home, known as the Texas White House, and the couple also had holdings in livestock and private aircraft.

Madison was the largest landowner in Orange County, Virginia. His land holding consisted of 5,000 acres and his Montpelier estate. He earned significant salaries as secretary of state and president, but lost money towards the end of his life due to the steady financial collapse of his plantation.

While he was considered to be in touch with the average middle-class American, Jackson quietly became one of the wealthiest presidents of the 1800s. “Old Hickory” married into wealth and made more money in the military. His homestead, The Hermitage, included 1,050 acres of prime real estate and over the course of his life, he owned as many as 300 slaves.

Born to a prominent and wealthy family, Roosevelt received a sizable trust fund. He lost most of his money on a ranching venture in the Dakotas and had to work as an author to pay the bills. Roosevelt spent most of his adult years in public service. His 235-acre estate, Sagamore Hill, now sits on some of the most valuable real estate in Long Island.

Jefferson inherited 3,000 acres and several dozen slaves from his father. Monticello, Jefferson’s home on a 5,000-acre plantation in Virginia, was one of the architectural wonders of its time. He made considerable money in various political positions before becoming president, but he was mired in debt towards the end of his life.

Washington’s Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland run by more than 300 slaves. His wife, Martha, inherited significant property from her father. As president, Washington earned well more than subsequent presidents: His salary was 2% of the total U.S. budget in 1789.

Even at the lowest estimate, and when adjusting for inflation, Donald Trump is far and away the wealthiest person ever to be president. His precise net worth, however, is difficult to gauge. Media estimates and his FEC financial disclosure vary widely. Bloomberg and Forbes estimated Trump’s net worth at $2.9 billion and $4 billion, respectively when he was running for president in 2016. Trump himself, meanwhile, has claimed a net worth of $10 billion, though this figure is widely disputed.