Photo by Alex Wong, Getty Images.
In their annual celebration of the nation's wealthiest, Forbes has unleashed their list of the 400 richest Americans.
Holding the top spot for the 19th year in a row is Bill Gates. His net worth stands at $66 billion -- an increase of $7 billion from 2011 (see top 10 below).
Photos: Forbes list of America's richest in 2012
Warren Buffett, who also increased his net worth by $7 billion since last year, is the second-richest American with $46 billion.
Larry Ellison rounds out the top three with $41 billion.
Two fellas tied to Cleveland also made the top 400 list. Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavs, ranked 250th with a net worth of $1.9 billion. Jimmy Haslam, the new owner of the Browns, was 360th with a net worth of $1.2 billion.
In total, the top 10 wealthiest Americans are worth $347.1 billion. The combined wealth of all 400 of America's richest is $1.7 trillion, up from $1.5 trillion in 2011, in due part to the rising stock market, a rebound in real estate values -- especially in cities like Los Angeles and New York, and rising values for art works.
The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member is $4.2 billion, up from $3.8 billion last year, and the highest in at least a decade.
According to Forbes, the biggest flameouts in 2012 were social media moguls who lost a combined 411 billion this year, including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg (No. 36) who fell $8.1 billion to a net worth of $9.4 billion.
Overall, 241 of the 400 saw their net worth increase.
The 10 most wealthy Americans in 2012:
1. Bill Gates. Net worth: $66 billion. Age: 56. Source: Microsoft.
2. Warren Buffet. Net worth: $46 billion. Age: 82. Source: Berkshire Hathaway.
3. Larry Ellison. Net worth: $41 billion. Age: 68. Source: Oracle.
4. Charles Koch. Net worth: $31 billion. Age: 76. Source: diversified.
5. David Koch. Net worth: $31 billion. Age: 72. Source: diversified.
6. Christy Walton and family. Net worth: $27.9 billion. Age: 57. Source: Wal-Mart.
7. Jim Walton. Net worth $26.8 billion. Age: 64. Source: Wal-Mart.
8. Alice Walton. Net worth: $26.3 billion. Age: 62. Source: Wal-Mart.
9. S. Robson Walton. Net worth: $26.1 billion. Age 68. Source: Wal-Mart.
10. Michael Bloomberg. Net worth: $25 billion. Age: 70. Source: Bloomberg LP
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