The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There

From two leading economists comes a groundbreaking new portrait of the hidden fortunes of Main Street business owners―ordinary Americans who built extraordinary wealth and are quietly rewriting the rules of money and power.

Most people think the path to great wealth runs through Wall Street or Silicon Valley. We’re told you must be a Zuckerberg, a Musk, or a Jamie Dimon to get rich. But this story is wrong.

Drawing on unprecedented data from a decade of research and vivid real-life stories of entrepreneurs―from a self-made hot-dog stand billionaire to the heirs of an auto dealer―Zidar and Zwick reveal a surprising truth: prosperity is more attainable, more widely distributed, and closer to home than we imagine. A multitude of Americans have built staggering fortunes by running often unglamorous businesses far from the spotlight. A quiet revolution in the business world―the rise of “pass-through” firms like S-corporations and partnerships―supercharged this wealth, channeling vast income directly to business owners rather than traditional corporations.

Part economic detective story, part roadmap to riches, this book reveals:
―The Hidden 1%: They might be a local beer distributor, a dentist with a regional network of practices, a commercial HVAC contractor with trucks around town, or a restaurateur who keeps opening new locations. For every public company CEO, more than a thousand private business owners each have transformational wealth.
― The Blueprint for Wealth: Zidar and Zwick describe where Main Street Millionaires come from, how they grew rich, and how much money they make. Their stories suggest the American Dream is not dead and many paths to prosperity remain open today.
― Power Brokers: Armed with their fortunes, Main Street Millionaires wield power in city halls, statehouses, and Washington, often bending policy to protect what they’ve built. They are both growing the economic pie and grabbing bigger slices for themselves.

The Everywhere Millionaire celebrates the stories of entrepreneurs who seized opportunities while asking hard questions about how concentrated wealth and power shape society. It is an essential guide to seeing the economy as it really is and recognizing the surprising paths to prosperity―and influence―everywhere.

Owen Zidar is a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Zidar earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife and three children.

"Brilliant...Vivid....Zidar and Zwick discovered what comes close to being a new class in America, the 'everywhere millionaire' of their title...I suspect we will be hearing much more about their work and its implications."
―The New Yorker

"The Everywhere Millionaire is a very readable account of wealth in America, shifting the spotlight from a handful of billionaires to the vast, overlooked world of Main Street millionaires. Zidar and Zwick show that the American Dream isn’t dead but rewards those who work hard, build skills deliberately, and recognize opportunity where others don’t. This is an inspiring book for everyone who dreams of starting a business."
―Mark Cuban

"This book is a revelation! We know about the very wealthiest people in America, how much they have, and the influence they wield. But as of this writing, there are five million households who have more than five million dollars each, and whose existence has been running below the radar. No more. A vitally important book that will change what we think and which has a shot at changing what we do."
―Angus Deaton, Nobel Prize–winning economist, author of Economics in America

“A brilliant and deep analysis of what really matters in modern America―who is rich and why.”
―Simon Johnson, Nobel Prize–winning economist, co-author of 13 Bankers

"Everyone likes to talk about the wealth and influence of America's richest, but very few people actually know anything about them. The Everywhere Millionaire is the best portrait of what's really going on at the top end of the American economy, which is much bigger and more diffuse than the tech titans and celebrities who dominate the headlines. This is a book that should open eyes, change minds, and influence political debates for years to come."
―Matthew Yglesias, author of the Substack Slow Boring

"This book will be of great interest to those who think the rich have it rigged.... The book will appeal even more to those who hope to join their ranks."
―The Economist

"An eye-opening new book by two economists who have spent more than a decade researching the wealthiest Americans."
―NPR's Planet Money