About WealthIndex

Page updated September 2026

WealthIndex answers one question: how much money does it take to be rich? We collect verified, published wealth data — net-worth percentiles, top-1% thresholds, state-by-state top incomes, billionaire counts, global wealth stats — and turn it into calculators and charts a normal person can actually read.

Who runs this

WealthIndex is an independent, single-publisher site. There is no newsroom and no investors — one person sources the data, checks it, and writes the words. Every number on the homepage names its source next to it, so you never have to take our word for anything.

Editorial standards

• No synthetic data. Every figure comes from a published source — the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, the Census Bureau, Forbes, SmartAsset, UBS, the World Inequality Database, DQYDJ, or another named outlet. If we can't cite it, it doesn't go on the page.
• Estimates are labeled as estimates. The calculator blends published data points to give you a bracket, not a precise percentile — and it says so in the result.
• Stories are reported fact, written as original articles. Every Fortune & Folly story links to the original reporting — the facts are the outlet's, the article and the lesson are ours. New stories run as full-length articles (400+ words), not summaries.
• Corrections are public. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note the correction on this page.
• No financial advice. This is a data site, not an advisor. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell, or do anything with your money.

How the data is updated

• Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances: every three years (2025 latest; released October 2026).
• Forbes billionaire figures: annual list each March/April, plus spot checks against the live Forbes list.
• State top-1% income: SmartAsset's 2025 study of IRS 2022 data.
• Fortune & Folly: a new story every day.

Each section of the homepage states its source vintage and last-update date. See the methodology section for the full data lineage.

How this site makes money

WealthIndex currently runs no display ads and has no sponsors or affiliate relationships — if that ever changes, paid placements will be labeled as such next to the offer, and they'll never change the data. Interested in sponsoring? Get in touch.