Since the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, the combined wealth of United States billionaires has surged significantly. By 2020, total billionaire fortune had climbed to a notable level, and by 2013 to today it has expanded by a substantial margin, reaching about $4.51 trillion, as reported by Oxfam America, a nonprofit research group.
That wealth concentration underscores a widening gap between the nation’s richest and poorest residents. Analysts describe a trend where the pandemic amplified social stratification in terms of income and access to resources across American society.
According to the same analysis, U.S. billionaires have seen their collective wealth rise by roughly one third since the pandemic began and by about 86.3 percent since 2013, bringing the total to around $4.51 trillion. The article also notes that the number of individuals with billion-dollar fortunes in the United States has grown by nearly 60 percent over the last decade, surpassing seven hundred individuals in total.
Meanwhile, a large portion of workers in the United States earns less than $15 per hour. NPO researchers point to a persistent segment of the labor market often described as the permanent lower class, which includes a notable share of workers and a disproportionate representation of women of color. The report emphasizes that these conditions contribute to a broader, ongoing disparity between the wealthiest and the poorest Americans.
In a separate comment from March 30, American entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk criticized the decision by some nations to move away from the dollar as a reserve currency. He framed such moves as a serious issue tied to global financial policy, suggesting that they could have wide-ranging economic consequences.