thumb|[[The Beatles is the highest-certified album band in the United States with a total of 183 million certified album-equivalent units.]]
This is the list of the highest-certified music artists in the United States based on certifications of albums and digital singles (but not physical singles) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA certifications are based on wholesale shipments rather than retail sales. Since 2016, the RIAA album certification has also included on-demand audio/video streams (1,500 streams = 1 album unit) and track sale equivalent (10 track sales = 1 album unit). Additionally, awards are presented only if and when a record company applies for certification. Therefore, the total certified units for a given artist may be incomplete or out of date.
The RIAA began its certifications in 1958, therefore, popular artists from earlier eras are generally not represented on this list. , the Beatles is the highest-certified band in the United States with a total of 183 million certified album-equivalent units. Garth Brooks is the highest-certified solo artist and Taylor Swift is the highest-certified female artist. Meanwhile, Drake remains the highest-certified digital singles artist, with 276 million certified units as a lead artist.<!--
As of 2024-02-10Z, position# of acts in (or likely to be in) both lists:
Act, album#, single#
Michael Jackson, 6, 28
Mariah Carey, 9, 29
Eminem, 19, 3
Journey, 24, 48
Taylor Swift, 26, 5
Drake, 31, 1
Rihanna, 87, 2
Kanye West, 70, 4
Justin Bieber, 00, 7
Beyoncé, 65, 8
Lil Wayne, 92, 16
Usher, 57, 23
Britney Spears, 42, 31
Kenny Chesney, 50, -- (47.5MM)
Tim McGraw, 39, (43.5MM)
Queen, 37, (42.5MM)
-->
Top 100 certified music artists
<!--
- PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE EDITING ***
- These tables must match the cited sources – edits which do not will be reverted:
- RIAA source for albums
- RIAA source for digital singles
- Limit tables to top 100/50 and ties. Note that position numbers will skip because of ties.
- Update the entire table at once. Update the accessdate parm in the call and the date in the call in the header at the top of the table.
- Per WP:NOT, this list is not intended to have the latest, up-to-the-minute, values. This is an encyclopedia, with a long-term view, not a newspaper. For latest numbers, the cited RIAA source is the appropriate place to look. As such, please don't edit this page just to move your favorite artist up a couple of notches.
-->
thumb|200px|[[Garth Brooks]]
thumb|200px|[[Elvis Presley]]
thumb|200px|[[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]
thumb|200px|[[Led Zeppelin]]
thumb|200px|[[Taylor Swift]]
thumb|200px|[[Michael Jackson]]
thumb|200px|[[Billy Joel]]
thumb|200px|[[AC/DC]]
thumb|200px|[[Elton John]]
thumb|200px|[[Mariah Carey]]
thumb|200px|[[Pink Floyd]]
thumb|200px|[[Bruce Springsteen]]
The following is a list of 100 highest-certified artists in the United States based on album-equivalent units, which include physical album shipments, digital album downloads, as well as individual song downloads and streams. However, sales of physical singles are not counted for album-equivalent units, which do not favor artists with a large catalog of physical singles such as Elvis Presley and Madonna. Artists with album certifications prior to 2016 also do not get benefit of the inclusion of individual song downloads and streams. The highest-certified music artists do not necessarily mean the highest-selling music artists, due to the fact that certifications are not automatic and record companies have to apply. The RIAA's figures may also differ with Luminate and Billboard ones due to different weighting ratios of streaming. The RIAA counts 1,500 streams as one album unit (regardless of free or paid streams, audio or video streams), while Billboard counts 1,250 premium audio streams, 3,750 ad-supported streams, or 3,750 video streams as one album unit. As of January 2, 2026, Billboard counts 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 premium on-demand official audio and video streams as one album unit.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of 100 artists with the highest-certified album-equivalent units
! Rank
! Units<br/>(millions)
! Name
!
! Active
|-
| 1
| 200
| Garth Brooks
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| 2
| 183
| The Beatles
| UK
| 1960s–1970s
|-
| 3
| 146.5
| Elvis Presley
| US
| 1950s–1970s
|-
| 4
| 120
| Eagles
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| 5
| 112.5
| Led Zeppelin
| UK
| 1960s–1980s
|-
|6
|110
| Taylor Swift
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 9
| rowspan="1" | 84
| AC/DC
| Australia
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| 10
| 81
| Elton John
| UK
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| 11
| 76
| Mariah Carey
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
|12
|75
| Pink Floyd
| UK
| 1960s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 13
| rowspan="2" | 71
| Bruce Springsteen
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Metallica
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 15
| rowspan="2" | 69.5
| Aerosmith
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| George Strait
|US
|1980s–2020s
|-
| 18
| 66.5
| The Rolling Stones
| UK
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| 20
| 62
| Whitney Houston
| US
| 1980s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 21
| rowspan="1" | 61.5
| Eminem
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| 22
| 57.5
| Fleetwood Mac
| UK
| 1960s–2010s
|-
| 23
| 56.5
| Van Halen
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| 24
| 53
| Celine Dion
| Canada
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| 25
| 52.5
| Journey
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| 26
| 52
| U2
| Ireland
| 1970s–2010s
|-
| 27
| 49.5
| Neil Diamond
| US
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 28
| rowspan="1" | 49
| Alabama
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 29
| rowspan="2" | 48
| Kenny G
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Shania Twain
| Canada
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 31
| rowspan="2" | 47.5
| Drake
| Canada
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Kenny Rogers
| US
| 1950s–2000s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 33
| rowspan="3" | 44.5
| Alan Jackson
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
| US
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| Guns N' Roses
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 36
| rowspan="1" | 43.5
| Santana
| US
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 37
| rowspan="1" | 43
| Queen
| UK
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 38
| rowspan="2" | 41
| Reba McEntire
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Bon Jovi
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 40
| rowspan="2" | 40
| Eric Clapton
| UK
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| Tim McGraw
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 43
| rowspan="2" | 38.5
| Britney Spears
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Simon & Garfunkel
| US
| 1960s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 45
| rowspan="2" | 38
| Foreigner
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Rod Stewart
| UK
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 47
| rowspan="2" | 37
| Backstreet Boys
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
|Beyoncé
|US
|2000s–2020s
|-
| 49
| 36.5
| Tupac Shakur
| US
| 1990s
|-
| 50
| 36
| Bob Dylan
| US
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| 51
| 35.5
| Def Leppard
| UK
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 52
| rowspan="1" | 35
| Kenny Chesney
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 53
| rowspan="1" | 34.5
| Dave Matthews Band
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| The Doors
| US
| 1960s–1970s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 55
| rowspan="3" | 33.5
| Jay-Z
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
|
| US
| 1960s–1990s
|-
| Phil Collins
| UK
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 58
| rowspan="3" | 33
| James Taylor
| US
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| The Chicks
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Usher
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| 61
| 32
| R. Kelly
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 62
| rowspan="3" | 31.5
| Pearl Jam
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
| US
| 1970s–2010s
|-
| Willie Nelson
| US
| 1950s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 65
| rowspan="1" | 31
| Boston
| US
| 1970s–2010s
|-
|66
|30.5
| Linkin Park
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 67
| rowspan="2" | 30
| Creedence Clearwater Revival
| US
| 1960s–1970s
|-
| Linda Ronstadt
| US
| 1960s–2010s
|-
| 69
| 29.75
| Ozzy Osbourne
| UK
| 1960s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 70
| rowspan="1" | 29.5
| Kanye West
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|71
|29
|Rihanna
|Barbados
|2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="6" | 73
| rowspan="6" | 28
| Adele
| UK
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Bee Gees
| UK/Australia
| 1960s–2010s<!-- American Idol, RRHF in 2010 -->
|-
| Mannheim Steamroller
| US
| 1970s–2010s<!-- 2020-12-05 ? https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/mannheim-steamroller-4bd67f9e.html -->
|-
| Michael Bolton
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| NSYNC
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Nirvana
| US
| 1980s–1990s<!-- Ignoring, reasonably, the "one night only" performance on 2020-01-04 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nirvana-reunion-2020-dave-grohl-krist-novoselic-pat-smear-beck-st-vincent-933688/ -->
|-
| rowspan="4" | 79
| rowspan="4" | 27.5
| Barry Manilow
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Brooks & Dunn
| US
| 1990s–2010s<!-- 2020-05-15 St. Louis, MO -->
|-
| John Mellencamp
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Red Hot Chili Peppers
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 83
| rowspan="3" | 27
| Boyz II Men
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Frank Sinatra
| US
| 1930s–1990s
|-
| Luther Vandross
| US
| 1960s–2000s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 86
| rowspan="2" | 26.5
| Enya
| Ireland
| 1980s–2010s
|-
| Steve Miller Band
| US
| 1960s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 88
| rowspan="3" | 26
| Janet Jackson
| US
| 1980s–2010s
|-
| Outkast
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
| Rush
| Canada
| 1970s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 91
| rowspan="1" | 25.5
| Faith Hill
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
| rowspan="5" | 92
| rowspan="5" | 25
| Creed
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
| Lil Wayne
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| ZZ Top
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 97
| rowspan="2" | 24.5
| REO Speedwagon
| US
| 1970s–2010s
|-
| The Carpenters
| US
| 1960s–1980s
|-
| rowspan="3" | 98
| rowspan="3" | 24
| Justin Bieber
| Canada
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Nickelback
| Canada
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Vince Gill
| US
| 1970s–2010s
|}
Notes:<!-- Methodology:
Add when single artist, or artist whose name is the only one in the title of a group (e.g. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), has died.
Add when a group has said they will no longer perform under that name. Do not use for groups that haven't performed recently, as they have a habit of showing up for benefits, etc. Should generally beused if past tense is used in the group's article. -->
: Deceased
: Disbanded
<!--
- PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE EDITING ***
- These tables must match the cited sources – edits which do not will be reverted:
- RIAA source for albums
- RIAA source for digital singles
- Limit tables to top 100/50 and ties. Note that position numbers will skip because of ties. Ties are ordered by surname or, if not a single person, act name.
- Update the entire table at once. Update the accessdate parm in the call and the date in the call in the header at the top of the table.
- Per WP:NOT, this list is not intended to have the latest, up-to-the-minute, values. This is an encyclopedia, with a long-term view, not a newspaper. For latest numbers, the cited RIAA source is the appropriate place to look. As such, please don't edit this page just to move your favorite artist up a couple of notches.
-->
<!-- Previously in the list (in case they're needed again):
|-
|
| US
| 1970s–2010s
|-
|
| US
| 1950s–2000s
|-
| Hootie & the Blowfish
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Earth, Wind & Fire
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Kid Rock
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Sade
| UK
| 1980s–2010s
-->
Top 50 certified digital singles artists
<!--
- PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE EDITING ***
- These tables must match the cited sources – edits which do not will be reverted:
- RIAA source for albums
- RIAA source for digital singles
- Limit tables to top 100/50 and ties. Note that position numbers will skip because of ties.
- Update the entire table at once. Update the accessdate parm in the call and the date in the call in the header at the top of the table.
- Per WP:NOT, this list is not intended to have the latest, up-to-the-minute, values. This is an encyclopedia, with a long-term view, not a newspaper. For latest numbers, the cited RIAA source is the appropriate place to look. As such, please don't edit this page just to move your favorite artist up a couple of notches.
-->
thumb|[[Drake (musician)|Drake|200px]]
thumb|288x288px|[[Rihanna]]
thumb|256x256px|[[Eminem]]
thumb|266x266px|[[Beyoncé]]
The following is a list of 50 highest-certified digital singles artists in the United States, based on song downloads and streams. As album sales suffered in the 21st century, the RIAA introduced Digital Single Award in 2004 to better recognize "artists' commercial success in a transformative music marketplace". Streams were added as part of singles certification in 2013, with 150 audio/video streams being equal to one download. The RIAA does not count certified units of featured artists in their official ranking.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of 50 artists with the highest-certified digital singles
! Rank
! Units<br/>(millions)
! Name
!
! Active
|-
| rowspan="1" | 1
| rowspan="1" | 276
| Drake
| Canada
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 3
| rowspan="1" | 167
| Eminem
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| 6
| 147.5
| Luke Combs
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 7
| rowspan="1" | 142
| Post Malone
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 8
| rowspan="1" |141
| Travis Scott
| US
|2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 11
| rowspan="1" | 134
|Chris Brown
| US
|2000s—2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 12
| rowspan="1" | 132
| The Weeknd
| Canada
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 13
| rowspan="1" | 122.5
| Justin Bieber
| Canada
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 15
| rowspan="1" | 120.5
| Bruno Mars
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 16
| rowspan="1" | 111.5
| Imagine Dragons
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 17
| rowspan="1" | 109
| YoungBoy Never Broke Again
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 18
| rowspan="1" | 106.5
| Morgan Wallen
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 19
| rowspan="1" | 103.5
| Ed Sheeran
| UK
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| 20
| 96.5
| J. Cole
| US
|2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 21
| rowspan="2" | 95
| Future
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Lil Wayne
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 24
| rowspan="1" | 87.5
| Maroon 5
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 25
| rowspan="2" | 84
| Juice Wrld
| US
| 2010s
|-
| Lil Uzi Vert
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| rowspan="2" | 26
| rowspan="2" | 82.5
| Lady Gaga
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Usher
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| 27
| 82
| XXXTentacion
| US
| 2010s
|-
| 28
| 81.5
| Zach Bryan
| US
|2010s-2020s
|-
| 29
| 76
| Lil Baby
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| 30
| 74.5
|
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" | 34
| rowspan="2" | 71
| Chris Stapleton
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Twenty One Pilots
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| 36
| 69
| Cardi B
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| 37
| 68
| DJ Khaled
| US
| 1990s-2020s
|-
| 38
| 66.5
| Pitbull
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| 39
| 66.5
| Bryson Tiller
| US
| 2010s-2020s
|-
| rowspan="1" | 40
| rowspan="1" | 65.5
| Michael Jackson
| US
| 1970s–2000s
|-
|}
Notes:<!-- Methodology:
Add when single artist, or artist whose name is the only one in the title of a group (e.g. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), has died.
Add when a group has said they will no longer perform under that name. Do not use for groups that haven't performed recently, as they have a habit of showing up for benefits, etc. Should generally be used if past tense is used in the group's article. -->
: Deceased
: Disbanded
<!--
- PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE EDITING ***
- These tables must match the cited sources – edits which do not will be reverted:
- RIAA source for albums
- RIAA source for digital singles
- Limit tables to top 100/50 and ties. Note that position numbers will skip because of ties. Ties are ordered by surname or, if not a single person, act name.
- Update the entire table at once. Update the accessdate parm in the call and the date in the call in the header at the top of the table.
- Per WP:NOT, this list is not intended to have the latest, up-to-the-minute, values. This is an encyclopedia, with a long-term view, not a newspaper. For latest numbers, the cited RIAA source is the appropriate place to look. As such, please don't edit this page just to move your favorite artist up a couple of notches.
-->
<!-- Previously in the list (in case they're needed again)
| Rod Wave
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| Britney Spears
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Polo G
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| Fall Out Boy
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|
|
|2000s–2020s
|-
| Panic! at the Disco
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| A Boogie wit da Hoodie
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| Flo Rida
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|Lil Durk
|US
|2010s—2020s
|-
| Blake Shelton
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Harry Styles
| UK
| 2010s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Lana Del Rey
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| Journey
| US
| 1970s–2020s
|-
| Doja Cat
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
| Halsey
| US
| 2010s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 1990s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 2010s–2020s
| Red Hot Chili Peppers
| US
| 1980s–2020s
|-
| Train
| US
| 1990s–2020s
| Carrie Underwood
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|
| Australia
| 1990s–2020s
|-
| Adele
| UK
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
|
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| The Black Eyed Peas
| US
| 1990s–2010s
|-
| Fergie
| US
| 2010s
|-
| Selena Gomez
| US
| 2000s–2020s
|-
| LMFAO
| US
| 2000s–2010s
|-
|
| UK
| 2000s–2010s
|-
|
| US
| 2010s–2020s
-->
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
References
External links
- RIAA Website
- Detailed List of Artists with Most Album Certification Units
- Search RIAA Gold and Platinum Database