Bill Gates Keeps Title as Richest American

And the richest man in America is: Bill Gates. Still.

The Microsoft founder topped Forbes magazine’s rankings of the 400 richest Americans for the eighteenth straight year. The magazine pegged the computer pioneer’s net worth at $59 billion, easily enough to hold off Warren Buffett, the list’s no. 2, and his $39 billion.

The prize for the largest fortune increase went to Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old co-founder and CEO of Facebook, whose net worth rose by $10.6 billion this year to $17.5 billion. The Facebook executive was joined on the list by six other individuals who made their fortunes through the online social networking site started in 2004 in Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room. Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of the site, earned a place as America's youngest billionaire. (His birthday is 8 days after Zuckerberg's).

This year's list is also more meritocratic than ever before. Seventy percent of the individuals on the list are self-made, an all-time high. In 1997, by comparison, 55 percent of the individuals on the list were self-made.

Here are the Walton-heavy top ten:

1. Bill Gates - Microsoft founder - $59 billion
2. Warren Buffett - Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway - $39 billion
3. Larry Ellison - CEO of Oracle - $33 billion
4(t). Charles Koch - Chairman of Koch Industries - $25 billion
4(t). David Koch - Executive Vice President of Koch Industries - $25 billion
6. Christy Walton - Wal-Mart heiress - $24.5 billion
7. George Soros - Chairman of Soros Fund Management - $22 billion
8. Sheldon Adelson - Casino magnate - $21.5 billion
9. Jim Walton - Wal-Mart heir - $21.1 billion
10. Alice Walton - Wal-Mart heiress - $20.9 billion