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According to Forbes, Warren Buffett’s net worth in March 2024 is $132.1 billion. He is currently the 6th richest person in the world[1].
Key Takeaways
- Buffett started young. Warren Buffett reached millionaire status by 30, achieving early financial success through ambitious goal-setting and dedicated effort.
- A billionaire at 55. Buffett became a billionaire at 55 and has been one for almost 40 years, through up and down markets.
- A resilient strategy. Buffett recovered from a major financial setback in the 1970s, showing the importance of dealing with failure.
Warren Buffett’s Net Worth by Age
Warren Buffett hasn’t always been one of the richest men in the world. Warren Buffett didn’t even become a billionaire until he was 50 years old. In fact,99% of Warren Buffett’s net worth wasearnedafterhis 50th birthday.
Warren Buffett always had big ambitions. His goal as a kid was to become a millionaire by the time he was 30. And he did it.
Here’s a look at Warren Buffett’s net worth over the years:
🔍 Track stockpicks andportfolio of Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company ofWarren Buffett, to see which stocks he currently invests in: Warren Buffet Portfolio Tracker
Jump to:
- Warren Buffett’s 20s
- Warren Buffett’s 30s
- Warren Buffett’s 40s
- Warren Buffett’s 50s: Becoming a Billionaire
- Warren Buffett’s 60s: Reaching $10B
- Warren Buffett’s 70s
- Warren Buffett’s 80s and 90s
Warren Buffett’s 20s: The First $100,000
After graduating from college, Buffett worked for his father’s brokerage firm as a stockbroker. When Buffett was 21, his net worth was shy of $20,000, reports Dividend.com.
At age 24, Buffettwas offered a job by his mentor,Benjamin Graham, with an annual salary of $12,000. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, this was already about three times the annual median income for the average family in 1954 —proof that Buffett was well on his way to fortune. Bythe time Buffett reached26, his net worth was$140,000.
Warren Buffett’s 30s: Millionaire Status
When he reached 30 years of age, Buffett’s net worth was $1 million.In 1960, the average family income in the U.S. was $5,600 per year.
Warren Buffett's Net Worth Over the Years
By age 35, according to Dividend, Buffett’s partnerships had grown to $26 million.Buffett bought controlling stock inBerkshire Hathawayin 1965, according to CNN, andby 1968 his partnerships grew to $104 million. Going into his forties at age 39, Buffett’s net worth was listed at $25 million.
Warren Buffett’s 40s: Bounces Back FromFinancial Troubles
By age 43, Buffett’s personal net worth was at a high of $34 million. He used some of this capital to purchase See’s Candies for $25 million, reportsThe Motley Fool, and it became an investment that’s still profitable in 2015.But, the mid-1970s proved to be a rough period for Berkshire. By 1974, its decreasing share price loweredBuffett’s net worth to $19 million when he reached 44, reports Dividend.
Never one to let his savvy investment skills fall by the wayside, Buffett was able to recover financially. By the end of the decade, he had increased his net worth to $67 million at age 47. By the close of the 1970s, the median U.S. household income was $16,530.
Warren Buffett’s 50s: Becoming a Billionaire
Buffett’s net worth in 1982 was $376 million and increased to $620 million in 1983, according to Dividend.In 1986, at 56 years old, Buffett became a billionaire—all while earning a humble $50,000 salary from Berkshire Hathaway.
Meanwhile, the average American family in 1986 was making nearly half of what the Oracle of Omaha was earning in salary; the median household income in 1986 was $24,900. As Buffett neared 60 years old, he was worth $3.8 billion.
Warren Buffett’s 60s: Berkshire Stock and Warren Buffett’s Net Worth Grow
In aletterto Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in 1990, Buffett wrote that he thought the company’s net worth would decrease during this decade, and the second half of 1990 supported that. But late in the year, the company was able to close with a net worth of up to $362 million. As he entered further into his sixties, Buffet’s personal net worth grew as well— to $16.5 billion by the time he was 66 years old, states Dividend.
The average American family began to creep up to Buffett in earning power during the 1990s. According to Census data, the median household income by the end of the decade wasclose to $42,000.
Warren Buffett’s 70s: Philanthropy and Growth
Within six years — from age 66 to 72— Buffett’s net worth more than doubled. His net worth at 72 years old was listed at a whopping $35.7 billion. But, Buffett is about sharing the wealth. In 2006, he releasedpledge lettersthat stated he will donate 85 percent of his wealth to five foundations over time, reports CNN.
The median household income in 2000 was $42,148.
Warren Buffett’s 80s and 90s: The Sky’s the Limit
As of March 2024, Buffett’s net worth is $132.1 billion, making him the sixth-richest man in the world (he was #2 in 2015). At 93, Buffett shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.And while he might have an 11-figure fortune, Buffett reportedly earns only $100,000 a year at Berkshire Hathaway andspends it frugally.
Still, the master investor is making more than the average American. According to the most recent Census Bureau data, the median household income in the U.S. in 2021 was $79,900.
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