Bill Gates beats Warren Buffett to retain position on top of Forbes 400 list of richest Americans

The combined wealth of Forbes 400 list rose 13% to $2.29 trillion

Bill Gates (AFP)

America's richest are getting richer. That's according to the latest edition of Forbes 400, which tracks the net worth of America's wealthiest people from Wall Street to Silicon Valley.

Microsoft's founder Bill Gates topped the list for the 21st consecutive year with a net worth of $81 billion — up $9 billion from 2013. Astute investor Warren Buffett, who recently helped finance the Burger King & Tim Hortons deal- came in second at $67 billion.

Larry Ellison, who stepped down as Oracle's chief executive earlier this month landed third with a net worth of $50 billion. Ellison's pay package has come under scrutiny from shareholders who argued he was making too much money despite Oracle's lacklustre results

Brothers Charles and David Koch, the co-owners of Koch Industries known for their generous donations to the Republican party, tied in fourth position with $42 billion each. The biggest gainer was Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth grew $15 billion to $34 billion, ranking eleventh on the list.

Overall, the combined wealth of America's 400 wealthiest people rose $270 billion to hit a record-breaking $2.29 trillion. The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member now stands at $5.7 billion, up from $5 billion last year, according to Forbes.

PA contributed to this report