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Ranked: America’s Best-Selling Albums Ever
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Key Takeaways
- The Eagles, not Michael Jackson, have America’s top-selling album, including the only one certified at 40 million units.
- Thriller remains the country’s best-selling non-compilation album with 34 million certified units sold.
- Only one album released since 2000, Adele’s 21, has sold at least 15 million certified units in the U.S.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is often considered the world’s biggest album, but in the United States it doesn’t claim the top spot.
That distinction belongs to the Eagles, whose Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 remains the only album certified for 40 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
This ranking shows America’s best-selling albums based on RIAA certified units as of June 2026. While today’s charts are dominated by pop and hip hop, the all-time list is still led by classic rock, with only seven of the top 25 albums coming from other genres.
The Eagles Flying High
The Eagles occupy two of the top three spots in the ranking, an achievement no other artist has matched.
Their 1976 compilation album sits in the top spot, while Hotel California, released later the same year, ranks third with 28 million units.
This data table ranks the top-selling albums in U.S. history as of 2026.
| Rank | Artist | Album Title | Certified Units Sold (Millions) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagles | Their Greatest Hits 1971 - 1975 | 40 | 1976 |
| 2 | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 34 | 1982 |
| 3 | Eagles | Hotel California | 28 | 1976 |
| 4 | AC/DC | Back in Black | 27 | 1980 |
| 5 | Garth Brooks | Double Live | 25 | 1998 |
| 6 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 24 | 1971 |
| 6 | The Beatles | The Beatles | 24 | 1968 |
| 8 | Billy Joel | Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II | 23 | 1985 |
| 8 | Pink Floyd | The Wall | 23 | 1979 |
| 10 | Hootie & the Blowfish | Cracked Rear View | 22 | 1994 |
| 11 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | 21 | 1977 |
| 12 | Green Day | Dookie | 20 | 1994 |
| 12 | Metallica | Metallica | 20 | 1991 |
| 12 | Shania Twain | Come On Over | 20 | 1997 |
| 15 | Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) | 19 | 1992 |
| 16 | Bob Marley & The Wailers | Legend | 18 | 1984 |
| 16 | Garth Brooks | No Fences | 18 | 1990 |
| 16 | Guns N' Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 18 | 1987 |
| 16 | Journey | Greatest Hits | 18 | 1988 |
| 20 | Adele | 21 | 17 | 2011 |
| 20 | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 17 | 1995 |
| 20 | Boston | Boston | 17 | 1976 |
| 20 | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 17 | 1984 |
| 20 | Elton John | Greatest Hits | 17 | 1974 |
| 20 | The Beatles | The Beatles 1967 - 1970 | 17 | 1973 |
Other rock bands also achieved their greatest commercial successes in the same era as the Eagles. AC/DC’s 1980 album Back in Black has sold 27 million units, while Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (1977), released shortly after Hotel California, has been certified double diamond with 21 million records sold.
Rock has also shown commercial staying power on the RIAA charts through compilation albums. Beyond the Eagles, “greatest hits” albums from Billy Joel (1985), Elton John (1974), Journey (1988), and The Beatles (1973) have all sold millions of records.
The King of Pop
Although the Eagles hold the overall No. 1 spot, Michael Jackson’s Thriller remains America’s best-selling studio album. Certified for 34 million units, the 1982 release is also widely recognized as the world’s best-selling album.
The nine-track studio album, recorded by Jackson and famed producer Quincy Jones, remains the best-selling non-compilation album in U.S. history.
Other non-rock success stories include Bob Marley’s Legend (1984), which has sold over 18 million records, as well as Whitney Houston’s 1992 soundtrack to the film The Bodyguard (19 million).
Adele and the 21st Century
The rankings also highlight how dramatically album sales have changed in the streaming era. While blockbuster albums routinely surpassed 20 million certified units during the CD era, only one album released since 2000 has crossed the 15 million mark in the United States.
Adele’s appropriately titled 21 reached that milestone after spawning massive hits like “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” and “Rumour Has It.”
No album since 21, including from Adele herself, has reached the same level of commercial success in the States. However, changes in how sales are counted across music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music may partially explain the shift.
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