The 10 highest-certified albums in US history by RIAA-certified units, led by the Eagles' hits set — the first album ever certified 40x Platinum.
Quick answer: 1. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) — Eagles, 2. Thriller — Michael Jackson, 3. Hotel California — Eagles, 4. Back in Black — AC/DC, 5. Led Zeppelin IV — Led Zeppelin, 6. The Beatles ("The White Album") — The Beatles, 7. Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II — Billy Joel, 8. Double Live — Garth Brooks, 9. The Wall — Pink Floyd, 10. Rumours — Fleetwood Mac.
This list ranks the best-selling albums in the United States by their RIAA Gold & Platinum certification — the Recording Industry Association of America's official tally of album-equivalent units. These are the records that have racked up the most certified units on American soil, from a mid-1970s greatest-hits juggernaut to hard-rock, classic-rock, and country landmarks. If you want to know which albums sit atop the all-time US pile according to the industry's own record-keeper — and how far ahead the leaders really are — this is the ranking. One important wrinkle: RIAA certifies a multi-disc album by counting each disc separately, so several double albums (the Beatles' White Album, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, Garth Brooks' Double Live, and Pink Floyd's The Wall) certify near the top even though they moved fewer physical copies than their multiple suggests. Every figure here traces to an RIAA certification, cross-referenced with the RIAA's own top-certified-albums tally.
The best-selling album in US history. In January 2026 it became the first album ever certified 40x Platinum (Quadruple Diamond) by the RIAA, and back in 1976 it was the very first album to earn an RIAA Platinum award.
The highest-certified studio album in US history and long the overall record-holder before the Eagles compilation overtook it. Certified 34x Platinum, representing 34 million album-equivalent units.
The Eagles' second entry in the top three, re-certified 28x Platinum in January 2026 — making them the only act with two albums among the three best-selling in US history.
AC/DC's landmark hard-rock album, certified 27x Platinum as of 2024 — the top-certified single-disc studio album by a rock band that is not a greatest-hits set.
Home to "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album is certified 24x Platinum by the RIAA.
The Beatles' sprawling 1968 double album is certified 24x Platinum. As a two-disc set, each disc counts toward the RIAA total, which lifts its certified-unit figure above many single-disc albums.
Billy Joel's career-spanning two-disc compilation is certified 23x Platinum by the RIAA, its multi-disc format doubling the certified units credited per copy sold.
Garth Brooks' two-disc concert album is certified 23x Platinum. Brooks is the most RIAA-certified solo artist in album units, and this multi-disc live set counts each disc toward its total.
Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera is certified 23x Platinum. As a two-disc album, each disc counts toward the RIAA total, placing it among the top-certified albums of all time.
Fleetwood Mac's 1977 blockbuster is certified 21x Platinum, buoyed in recent years by a streaming resurgence that pushed its certified units higher and back into the all-time top 10.
| # | Name | artist | certification | releaseYear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) — Eagles | Eagles | 40x Platinum (Quadruple Diamond) | 1976 |
| 2 | Thriller — Michael Jackson | Michael Jackson | 34x Platinum | 1982 |
| 3 | Hotel California — Eagles | Eagles | 28x Platinum | 1976 |
| 4 | Back in Black — AC/DC | AC/DC | 27x Platinum | 1980 |
| 5 | Led Zeppelin IV — Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin | 24x Platinum | 1971 |
| 6 | The Beatles ("The White Album") — The Beatles | The Beatles | 24x Platinum | 1968 |
| 7 | Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II — Billy Joel | Billy Joel | 23x Platinum | 1985 |
| 8 | Double Live — Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks | 23x Platinum | 1998 |
| 9 | The Wall — Pink Floyd | Pink Floyd | 23x Platinum | 1979 |
| 10 | Rumours — Fleetwood Mac | Fleetwood Mac | 21x Platinum | 1977 |
Items are ranked by RIAA-certified units in the United States — album-equivalent units, in millions — as reflected in each album's current RIAA Gold & Platinum certification (e.g., "40x Platinum" = 40 million certified units), matching the RIAA's own "Top Tallies" list of top-certified albums. Since 2016 the RIAA counts album sales plus track-sale and on-demand-stream equivalents toward this album-equivalent-unit total, so recent streaming activity can raise an older album's certification. IMPORTANT METHODOLOGY NOTE: the RIAA certifies multi-disc albums by counting each disc toward the total, so a two-disc album is credited with roughly double the units of its physical copies sold; this is why several double albums (the White Album, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, Double Live, and The Wall) certify at 23x-24x Platinum and rank above single-disc albums certified at 18x-21x. Inclusion covers studio, live, compilation, and greatest-hits albums certified by the RIAA. The list is ordered highest certified units first (rank 1 = most units); where albums share the same certified-unit figure they are grouped and ordered as reported by the RIAA tally. Figures reflect certifications, not raw shipment or scan totals, and can rise as albums re-certify; they are current as of the update date below.
The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), which in January 2026 became the first album ever certified 40x Platinum (Quadruple Diamond) by the RIAA — 40 million certified units.
It is ranked by RIAA-certified album-equivalent units. Since 2016 the RIAA counts traditional album sales plus track-sale and on-demand-stream equivalents toward an album's certification, so the figure combines sales and streaming.
The RIAA certifies a multi-disc album by counting each disc separately, so a two-disc album is credited with roughly double the units per copy sold. That is why several double albums (the White Album, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, Double Live, and The Wall) certify at 23x-24x Platinum and rank above single-disc albums, even though their physical sales are lower than the multiple implies.
Thriller is the highest-certified studio album in US history at 34x Platinum, but the Eagles' compilation Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) has certified higher at 40x Platinum, so it sits at #1 while Thriller ranks #2.
Yes. RIAA certifications are cumulative and can rise as albums re-certify, especially older titles that keep accumulating streaming activity. The figures here reflect each album's current certification as of the update date.