News September 15, 2026

A New View of Wealth Accumulation

New Book from Princeton SPIA Economist Explores 'Hidden World'

Headshot of Owen Zidar and The Everywhere Millionaire book cover.

Title

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

Authors

Owen Zidar, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Eric Zwick, Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
 

Publisher

Henry Holt and Co.
 

From the Author

“In 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department asked me and Eric Zwick to investigate how much taxes private business paid. At the time, it struck us as a narrow question, but we discovered a hidden world of ordinary Americans who built extraordinary wealth from running private businesses.

“We spent the next decade working on research projects on top income, top wealth, and entrepreneurship, and ‘The Everywhere Millionaire’ is what came out of it. We combine stories of real-life entrepreneurs with unprecedented data on every entrepreneur and owner in America to recast how we should think about wealth and opportunity in America.

“We want to celebrate the stories of ents who seized opportunities while asking hard questions about how concentrated wealth and power shape society. We view this book as a guide to seeing the economy as it really is and recognizing the surprising paths to prosperity and influence everywhere.”

—Owen Zidar

 



Headshot courtesy of Owen Zidar.

Book cover courtesy of Henry Holt and Co.