List of best-selling albums in the United States

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles is the best-selling album of all time in the U.S.

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.<ref name="RIAA streams">Template:Cite news</ref>

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

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Shipments (Sales)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RIAA certification">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1976	Eagles	Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)	Asylum	38,000,000	‡|[1]}}
1982	Template:Sortname	Thriller	Epic Records	34,000,000	‡|[2]}}
1980	AC/DC	Back in Black	Atlantic	27,000,000	‡|[3]}}
1976	Eagles	Hotel California	Asylum	26,000,000	‡|[4]}}
1971	Led Zeppelin	Untitled ("Led Zeppelin IV")	Atlantic	24,000,000	‡|[5]}}
1977	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours	Warner Bros.	21,000,000	‡|[6]}}

15–19 million copies

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Shipments (Sales)	Certification<ref name=RIAA/>
1984	Template:Sortname	Legend	Island	18,000,000	‡|[7]}}
1987	Guns N' Roses	Appetite for Destruction	Geffen	18,000,000	18× Platinum
1988	Journey	Greatest Hits	Columbia	18,000,000	‡|[8]}}
1990	Garth Brooks	No Fences	Capitol Nashville	18,000,000	‡|[9]}}
1991	Metallica	Metallica	Elektra	(17,810,000)<ref name=loudwire>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[10]}}
1997	Template:Sortname	Come On Over	Mercury Nashville	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	20× Platinum
1974	Template:Sortname	Greatest Hits	Polydor	17,000,000	‡|[11]}}
1976	Boston	Boston	Epic Records	17,000,000	17× Platinum
1984	Template:Sortname	Born in the U.S.A.	Columbia	17,000,000	‡|[12]}}
1977	Soundtrack / Bee Gees	Saturday Night Fever	RSO	16,000,000	‡|[13]}}
1995	Template:Sortname	Jagged Little Pill	Maverick	(15,550,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[14]}}
1973	Pink Floyd	The Dark Side of the Moon	Harvest/Capitol	15,000,000	15× Platinum
1978	Steve Miller Band	Greatest Hits 1974–78	Capitol	15,000,000	‡|[15]}}
1986	Bon Jovi	Slippery When Wet	Mercury Records	15,000,000	‡|[16]}}

10–14 million copies

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Shipments (Sales)	Certification<ref name=RIAA/>
1994	Hootie & the Blowfish	Cracked Rear View	Atlantic	(14,580,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Elite Club">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="BP/CHrc"> Template:Cite news Template:Cite news Template:Cite news Template:Cite news Template:Cite news </ref>	‡|[17]}}
1971	Template:Sortname	Tapestry	Ode	14,000,000	‡|[18]}}
1972	Simon & Garfunkel	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits	Columbia	14,000,000	14× Platinum
1977	Meat Loaf	Bat Out of Hell	Epic Records	14,000,000	14× Platinum
1985	Template:Sortname	Whitney Houston	Arista	14,000,000	‡|[19]}}
1987	Soundtrack	Dirty Dancing	RCA	14,000,000	14× Platinum
1999	Backstreet Boys	Millennium	Jive	(13,890,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	13× Platinum
1992	Soundtrack / Whitney Houston	The Bodyguard	Arista	(13,450,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Adele's '21' Surpasses 11 Million">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[20]}}
1999	Santana	Supernatural	Arista	(13,110,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Adele's '21' Surpasses 11 Million"/>	15× Platinum
1978	Soundtrack	Grease	RSO	13,000,000	‡|[21]}}
1984	Prince and the Revolution	Purple Rain	Warner	13,000,000	13× Platinum
2000	Eminem	The Marshall Mathers LP	Aftermath	(12,940,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	‡|[22]}} (as of 2022)
2000	Template:Sortname	1	Apple/EMI/Capitol	(12,800,000)<ref name="19th">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11× Platinum (as of 2010)
2000	NSYNC	No Strings Attached	Jive	(12,680,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Adele's '21' Surpasses 11 Million"/>	‡|[23]}}
1999	Britney Spears	...Baby One More Time	Jive	(12,300,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	14× Platinum <ref name=adele>Template:Cite news</ref>
2011	Adele	21	Columbia/XL	(12,100,000)<ref name=adele/>	‡|[24]}}
1968	The Beatles	The Beatles ("The White Album")	Apple	12,000,000	‡|[25]}} (2-disc album)
1969	Template:Sortname	Abbey Road	Apple	12,000,000	12× Platinum
1969	Led Zeppelin	Led Zeppelin II	Atlantic	12,000,000	12× Platinum
1976	Creedence Clearwater Revival	Chronicle, Vol. 1	Fantasy	12,000,000	‡|[26]}}
1977	Template:Sortname	The Stranger	Columbia	12,000,000	‡|[27]}}
1980	Aerosmith	Greatest Hits	Columbia	12,000,000	‡|[28]}}
1980	Template:Sortname	Greatest Hits	Liberty	12,000,000	12× Platinum
1985	Template:Sortname	No Jacket Required	Atlantic	12,000,000	12× Platinum
1987	Def Leppard	Hysteria	Mercury Records	12,000,000	12× Platinum
1992	Kenny G	Breathless	Arista	12,000,000	12× Platinum
2000	Linkin Park	Hybrid Theory	Warner Bros.	(11,956,000)<ref name="loudwire"/><ref name="BMG sales"/>	‡|[29]}}
1997	Backstreet Boys	Backstreet Boys	Jive	(11,920,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	14× Platinum
1996	Template:Sortname	Falling into You	Epic Records	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12× Platinum
1999	Creed	Human Clay	Wind-up Records	(11,700,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11× Platinum
1991	Nirvana	Nevermind	DGC Records	(11,640,000)<ref name="loudwire"/><ref name="BMG sales"/>	‡|[30]}}
1979	Pink Floyd	The Wall	Columbia/Harvest Records	11,500,000	23× Platinum (2-disc album)
1985	Billy Joel	Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II	Columbia	11,500,000	23× Platinum (2-disc album)
1997	Soundtrack	Titanic	Epic Records	(11,146,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11× Platinum
2002	Template:Sortname	Come Away with Me	Blue Note	(11,100,000)<ref name="Caulfield">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[31]}}
1967	Template:Sortname	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	Capitol	11,000,000	11× Platinum
1973	Led Zeppelin	Houses of the Holy	Atlantic	11,000,000	11× Platinum
1976	Template:Sortname	Greatest Hits	Warner Bros.	11,000,000	11× Platinum
1982	Eagles	Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2	Asylum	11,000,000	11× Platinum
1987	Template:Sortname	Bad	Epic Records	11,000,000	‡|[32]}}
1990	Madonna	The Immaculate Collection	Sire	11,000,000	‡|[33]}}
1991	Pearl Jam	Ten	Epic Records	(10,790,000)<ref name="loudwire"/>	13× Platinum
1997	Template:Sortname	Let's Talk About Love	Epic Records	(10,711,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Yahoo Chart Watch 02-21-2013"/>	‡|[34]}}
2002	Eminem	The Eminem Show	Aftermath	(10,700,000)<ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	‡|[35]}}
1998	Kid Rock	Devil Without a Cause	Atlantic Records	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	11× Platinum
2000	Template:Sortname	Oops!... I Did It Again	Jive	(10,411,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	10× Platinum
1998	NSYNC	*NSYNC	RCA	(10,300,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	10× Platinum
2004	Usher	Confessions	Arista	(10,300,000)<ref name="Caulfield"/>	‡|[36]}}
1998	Dixie Chicks	Wide Open Spaces	Monument	(10,121,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Yahoo Chart Watch 10-30-2013">Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[37]}}
1994	Green Day	Dookie	Reprise Records	(10,005,000)<ref name="loudwire"/><ref name="BMG sales"/>	‡|[38]}}
1967	Template:Sortname	Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits	Decca	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1970	Elvis Presley	Elvis' Christmas Album (budget reissue of 1957 LP with altered track listing)	RCA Camden/Pickwick	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1976	The Doobie Brothers	Best of The Doobies	Warner Bros.	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1978	Van Halen	Van Halen	Warner Bros.	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1979	Template:Sortname	Off the Wall	Epic Records	10,000,000	‡|[39]}}
1980	REO Speedwagon	Hi Infidelity	Epic Records	10,000,000	‡|[40]}}
1981	Journey	Escape	Columbia	10,000,000	‡|[41]}}
1983	Def Leppard	Pyromania	Mercury Records	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1983	Template:Sortname	Can't Slow Down	Motown	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1983	ZZ Top	Eliminator	Warner Bros.	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1984	Soundtrack	Footloose	Columbia	10,000,000	‡|[42]}}
1984	Madonna	Like a Virgin	Sire	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1984	Van Halen	1984 (MCMLXXXIV)	Warner Bros.	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1986	Beastie Boys	Licensed to Ill	Def Jam	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1987	Whitney Houston	Whitney	Arista	10,000,000	‡|[43]}}
1987	Template:Sortname	Faith	Columbia	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1987	U2	The Joshua Tree	Island	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1989	Template:Sortname	Garth Brooks	Capitol	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1990	MC Hammer	Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em	Capitol	10,000,000	10× Platinum
1993	Garth Brooks	In Pieces	Capitol	10,000,000	‡|[44]}}

Fewer than 10 million copies

Year	Artist	Album	Label	Shipments (Sales)	Certification<ref name=RIAA/>
1994	Boyz II Men	II	Motown	(9,890,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	12× Platinum
1991	Template:Sortname	Ropin' the Wind	Capitol Nashville	(9,600,000)<ref name="Artists with two 9+ million-sellers in the Nielsen era"/>	14× Platinum
2015	Adele	25	Columbia/XL	(9,600,000)<ref name=adele/>	‡|[45]}}
1995	No Doubt	Tragic Kingdom	Trauma/Interscope Records	(9,520,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10× Platinum
1996	Matchbox Twenty	Yourself or Someone Like You	Atlantic	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12× Platinum
1994	Bob Seger	Greatest Hits	Capitol	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[46]}}
1994	TLC	CrazySexyCool	LaFace	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[47]}}
1995	Template:Sortname	The Woman in Me	Mercury Nashville	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12× Platinum
1995	Jewel	Pieces of You	Atlantic	(8,800,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	12× Platinum
2000	Nelly	Country Grammar	Universal	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[48]}}
1995	Template:Sortname	Daydream	Columbia	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	11× Platinum
1973	The Beatles	The Beatles 1967 - 1970	Apple	8,500,000	17× Platinum (2-disc album)
1999	Dixie Chicks	Fly	Monument Records	(8,396,000)<ref name="Yahoo Chart Watch 10-30-2013"/>	‡|[49]}}
1993	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	Greatest Hits	MCA	(8,200,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	12× Platinum
1998	Template:Sortname	The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill	Columbia	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[50]}}
1993	Template:Sortname	Music Box	Columbia	(8,012,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref name="Emancipation of Mimi Tops 6 Million"/>	10× Platinum
2003	Evanescence	Fallen	Wind-up	(8,000,000)<ref name=fallen-sales>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[51]}}
1975	Led Zeppelin	Physical Graffiti	Swan Song	8,000,000	16× Platinum (2-disc album)
2005	Nickelback	All the Right Reasons	Roadrunner	(7,960,000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[52]}}
1994	Soundtrack	The Lion King	Walt Disney Records	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10× Platinum
1994	Template:Sortname	The Hits	Liberty Records	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10× Platinum
1992	Template:Sortname	Unplugged	Reprise Records	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10× Platinum
1973	The Beatles	The Beatles 1962 - 1966	Apple	7,500,000	15× Platinum (2-disc album)
2008	Taylor Swift	Fearless	Big Machine Records	(7,286,000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[53]}}
1997	The Notorious B.I.G.	Life After Death	Bad Boy Records/Arista	(6,480,000)<ref name="BMG sales"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[54]}} (2-disc album, as of 2018)
2014	Template:Sortname	1989	Big Machine Records	(6,472,000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[55]}}
1998	Template:Sortname	Double Live	Capitol Nashville	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[56]}} (2-disc album)
1971	The Rolling Stones	Hot Rocks 1964-1971	London	6,000,000	12× Platinum (2-disc album)
2003	Outkast	Speakerboxxx/The Love Below	LaFace, Arista	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[57]}} (2-disc album)
1997	Template:Sortname	Sevens	Capitol Records	(5,700,000)<ref name="Garth Brooks Soundscan">Template:Cite news</ref>	‡|[58]}}
2002	Template:Sortname	Up!	Mercury Nashville	(5,409,000)<ref name="Last 10 Years"/>	11× Platinum (2-disc album)
1992	Garth Brooks	The Chase	Liberty Records	(5,100,000)<ref name="Garth Brooks Soundscan"/>	‡|[59]}}
1998	2Pac	Greatest Hits	Interscope	(5,100,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10× Platinum (2-disc album)
1976	Template:Sortname	Songs in the Key of Life	Motown	5,000,000	10× Platinum (2-disc album)
1985	Template:Sortname	The Best of The Doors	Elektra	5,000,000	10× Platinum (2-disc album)
1996	2Pac	All Eyez On Me	Death Row Records	5,000,000	10× Platinum (2-disc album)
2007	Template:Sortname	The Ultimate Hits	Pearl Records	5,000,000	‡|[60]}} (2-disc album)
1995	The Smashing Pumpkins	Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness	Virgin	(4,900,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10× Platinum (2-disc album)
1994	Soundtrack	Forrest Gump	Epic Records	(4,400,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	12× Platinum (2-disc album)
1986	Template:Sortname	Live/1975–85	Columbia	4,333,333	13× Platinum (3-disc album)
2005	Eminem	Curtain Call: The Hits	Aftermath	(3,782,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[61]}}
2010	Katy Perry	Teenage Dream	Capitol	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	‡|[62]}}
1990	Led Zeppelin	Led Zeppelin Boxed Set	Atlantic Records	2,500,000	10× Platinum (4-disc album)
2011	Drake	Take Care	Young Money/Cash Money/Republic	(2,338,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[63]}}
2015	Cast Recording	Hamilton	Atlantic Records	(1,970,000)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	‡|[64]}} (2-disc album)

See also

• List of best-selling singles in the United States
  • List of highest-certified digital singles in the United States
• List of best-selling music artists
  • List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
• List of best-selling albums
  • List of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era
  • List of 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
  • Lists of best-selling albums by country
• List of best-selling films in the United States

External links

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