The Net Worth of the U.S. Presidents

Children think that the president of the United States is a rich man by definition because he has an extremely prestigious and important job. Of course, "rich" is a relative term. The Atlantic looks at the wealth of all 43 men who have held the office, adjusted to the current value of the dollar.

We analyzed presidential finances based on historical sources. Most media evaluations of the net worth of presidents have come up with a very wide range, a spread in which the highest figure was often several times the lowest estimate. Most sources provided no hard figures at all. Most of these efforts have focused largely on the analysis of recent chief executives. That is because it is much easier to calculate figures in a world where assets and incomes are a matter of public record.

One of the most important conclusions of this analysis is that the presidency has little to do with wealth. Several brought huge net worths to the job. Many lost most of their fortunes after leaving office. Some never had any money at all.

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