A scale comparison—not buying power
The 1998 estimated net-worth equivalent
This secondary comparison divides one manually reviewed annual-list estimate by the matching official annual median new-home sale price. It is not cash, income, liquidity, or a claim that anyone bought these homes.
Read the comparison carefully
A denominator for scale
The World's Working Rich estimated William Henry Gates III's net worth at $51,000,000,000. One 1998 median new home represented 0.000299% of that estimate.
Publisher estimates can change, assets may be illiquid, and the valuation snapshot does not share the housing series' annual timing. The comparison therefore says estimated net-worth equivalent—not houses purchased, cash available, or time required to earn a home.
Direct annual-list evidence
Reviewed before publication
Estimated annual-list net worth, not cash or income. Forbes states valuation rates from early May 1998.
Open the direct Forbes annual-list pageReview the matching housing record