The "90% of Millionaires Made It in Real Estate" Claim Is Total BS

You’ve probably heard it a million times: “90% of millionaires built their wealth through real estate.” Real estate influencers love this line. Sounds good, feels achievable, right?

Wrong. Let’s actually look at the numbers instead of just swallowing the hype.

The Math Doesn’t Add Up

First, how many millionaires are we talking about? Around 23 million in the US—roughly 6.7% of the population. That’s a lot, but here’s where it gets interesting.

Only 66% of Americans even own a home. Of those homeowners, just 8.2% have a property worth over $1 million. Even if you gave everyone a million-dollar house with zero effort involved, you’d only reach 5.3% of the population with $1M+ in real estate.

5.3% vs. 90%. See the problem?

And it gets worse: only 5% of Americans own more than one property. So the “real estate investor” narrative? It doesn’t match reality for most people.

Where’s the Actual Money Coming From?

Here’s the unsexy truth: most millionaires got there through employment. Either they started their own business, or they climbed the ladder at someone else’s company and made solid money over time.

Real estate can be part of your wealth portfolio—sure. But it’s not the magic spell. Building wealth requires the boring stuff: hard work, smart financial decisions, and actual discipline.

The Bottom Line

Don’t get distracted by catchy slogans. The path to a million isn’t some secret real estate formula. It’s boring, steady wealth-building through income + smart investing + not spending like an idiot.

That’s it. That’s the play.