List of best-selling albums in the United States

The following is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album must have achieved at least a diamond certification from the RIAA. The albums released prior to March 1991 should be included with their certified units only, as their Nielsen SoundScan sales are not complete.

Since February 2016, album certifications include "on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent" units.

Groupings are based on different benchmarks; the highest being for at least 20 million units, and the lowest being for multi-disc albums certified at least 10 times platinum and single-disc albums that have been certified at least 10 times platinum but with sales figures lower than 10,000,000. Albums are listed in order of units certified, or sales figures when available, by greatest to least.

As a result of the RIAA's methodology of counting each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification, most double albums on the list—such as Pink Floyd's The Wall and Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below—have been certified with a number double the number of copies sold. Such albums have the shipments of copies, not discs, indicated. Conversely, the certification level for double albums that fit onto one compact disc such as the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack reflect the actual number of copies sold.

The albums in this list are ordered first by number of units, then by platinum awards received, and finally by artist name and album title.

Albums with two references for their estimated actual sales include sales through BMG Music Club. Albums with three references for their estimated actual sales include sales through BMG Music Club and Columbia House.

The best-selling album in the United States is Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles.

20 million or more copies

15–19 million copies

10–14 million copies

Fewer than 10 million copies

Notes

See also

• Album era
• List of best-selling albums
• List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
• List of best-selling music artists
• Lists of best-selling albums by country
• List of best-selling singles
• Best-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began
• Best-selling albums by year in the United States
• List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
• List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
• List of best-selling films in the United States

References

External links

• RIAA Website
• RIAA "Top 100" Albums
• Billboard Magazine,– a magazine that publishes weekly music rankings

1. List of best-selling albums by year in the United States
2. List of best-selling albums
3. List of best-selling singles in the United States
4. List of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era
5. List of best-selling Christmas albums in the United States
6. List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
7. List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
8. List of best-selling films in the United States
9. List of best-selling music artists
10. List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
11. List of best-selling albums by women
12. List of best-selling albums by country
13. List of best-selling albums in the Philippines
14. List of best-selling Latin albums
15. List of best-selling hip hop albums of the 2010s in the United States
16. List of best-selling singles
17. List of best-selling girl groups
18. List of best-selling albums in Spain
19. List of best-selling female rappers
20. List of best-selling albums in Canada