Wealthy New Yorkers are getting richer.
Businessman David Koch retained his title at the top of the list of rich New Yorkers as his fortune grew to $25 billion to edge out Mayor Bloomberg once again, according to the annual list of the 400 richest Americans put together by Forbes magazine.
The list showed that while Bloomberg’s fortune rose $1.5 billion to $19.5 billion since last year, it wasn’t enough to catch the 71-year-old Koch, an oilman who is a big supporter of conservative causes and the Tea Party.
Koch’s fortune was listed at $21.5 by Forbes in 2010.
Forbes said the mayor’s company, Bloomberg LP, has been very successful over the past year and “keeps adding office space and employees.”
At the same time, Donald Trump, who has flirted with running for president next year, also saw his fortune rise $500 million this year to $2.9 billion.
With 70 percent of the billionaires on the list being self-made, this year is all about the social media. The year’s biggest dollar gainer is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with a gain of $10.6 billion putting him at No.14 on the overall list with $17.5 billion.
Zuckerberg was joined on the list with Facebook buddies Dustin Moskovitz (No. 91 with $3.5 billion), Eduardo Saverin (No. 212 with $2 billion) and Sean Parker (No. 200 with $2.1 billion).
Meanwhile, Bill Gates retained his spot at the top of the list with $59 billion, followed by Warren Buffett (No. 2 with $39 billion) and Larry Ellison (No. 3 with $33 billion).
While most Americans are feeling the effects of the ongoing recession, rich Americans are not.
Collectively, Forbes found that every member of the Top 20 gained wealth this year — with the exception of Buffett, who was down $6 billion compared to last year.
Overall, net worth increased for 262 members — almost two-thirds of the list. Net worth decreased for just 72 members.