Methodology

Calculating the wealth of presidents who served hundreds of years ago is a challenging task, especially given the way that wealth and finances documentation has changed since the U.S. was first founded. Historical sources often give a range for a president’s net worth, adjusted for today’s dollar value.

24/7 Wall St. analyzed the finances of U.S. presidents based on historical sources. The figures were adjusted for inflation to annual 2019 levels, the most recent available. We have accounted for hard assets such as real estate, estimated lifetime savings based on work history, and inheritance. We also considered annual salaries, incomes earned from royalties on books, ownership of companies, yields from family estates, and other forms of income.

The ranking is based on peak net worth, or how much a president’s combined assets were worth at the time in his life when he was the richest. Many presidents became impoverished or even went into debt after their time in office.