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US dollars and coins - Source: ONE News
The number of millionaires in the United States jumped 16% last year after dipping sharply during the financial crisis, an industry consulting group says.
US Households with a net worth of $US1 million or more, excluding their primary residence, totalled 7.8 million in 2009, up from 6.7 million in 2008, according to Spectrem Group.
It says the number of millionaire households shrank by 27% in 2008.
The current total is still well below the record 9.2 million millionaire households reported in 2007.
Last year's spike came as US stock markets rallied.
The S&P 500 Index rose 28%, and the largest wealth management firms reported strong earnings as their clients' accounts recovered from the 2008 meltdown.
The study also found ultra high net worth families - those with at least $US5 million - grew 17% last year to 980,000, Spectrem says.
Households with $US500,000 or more topped 12.7 million, up 12%.
Spectrem says its study is based on surveys of 3,000 affluent households and online surveys of roughly 2,600 families.
