List of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era explained
This is a list of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era. SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard on March 1, 1991. SoundScan data is unrelated to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications, and is based on actual sales whilethe RIAA's certification process is based on shipments.
Best-sellers (overall)
Best-selling albums by decade
1991–1999
2000–2009
2010–2019
Best-selling albums by year
The following list includes the annual best-selling albums since 1991, as reported by MRC Data (formerly Nielsen SoundScan). For albums released after 2015, the best-performing album of the year is determined by album-equivalent units consisted of album sales, digital songs sales, and on-demand streaming, while the best-selling album is determined by album sales only.
Single week best-sellers
The first album in the SoundScan era to sell a million copies or more in a week is the soundtrack of The Bodyguard by Whitney Houston in 1992; the most recent album to do so is The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift in 2024. The following is a list of all of the albums that sold at least one million copies in a single week:[49] [50] [51] [52] [53]
Week ending | Title | Artist | Total units | Pure sales | Week # | Reference |
---|
November 26, 2015 | 25 | Adele | 3,474,000 | 3,378,000 | 1st | [54] |
April 25, 2024 | The Tortured Poets Department | Taylor Swift | 2,610,000 | 1,914,000 | 1st | [55] |
March 26, 2000 | No Strings Attached |
| 2,416,000 | 1st | |
July 29, 2001 | Celebrity | 1,880,000 | 1st | |
May 28, 2000 | The Marshall Mathers LP | Eminem | 1,760,000 | 1st | |
November 9, 2023 | 1989 (Taylor's Version) | Taylor Swift | 1,653,000 | 1,359,000 | 1st | [56] |
November 26, 2000 | Black & Blue | Backstreet Boys | 1,591,000 | 1st | |
October 27, 2022 | Midnights | Taylor Swift | 1,578,000 | 1,140,000 | 1st | [57] |
June 2, 2002 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | 1,322,000 | 2nd | |
May 21, 2000 | Oops!... I Did It Again | Britney Spears | 1,319,000 | 1st | |
November 2, 2014 | 1989 | Taylor Swift | 1,287,000 | 1st | |
December 24, 2000 | 1 | The Beatles | 1,259,000 | 6th | [58] |
November 16, 2017 | Reputation | Taylor Swift | 1,238,000 | 1,216,000 | 1st | [59] |
October 28, 2012 | Red | Taylor Swift | 1,208,000 | 1st | |
December 24, 2015 | 25 | Adele | 1,190,000 | 1,160,000 | 5th | [60] |
December 3, 2015 | 1,160,000 | 1,110,000 | 2nd | |
March 6, 2005 | The Massacre | 50 Cent | 1,141,000 | 1st | |
May 23, 1999 | Millennium | Backstreet Boys | 1,134,000 | 1st | |
May 29, 2011 | Born This Way | Lady Gaga | 1,108,000 | 1st | |
March 28, 2004 | Confessions | Usher | 1,096,000 | 1st | |
November 22, 1998 | Double Live | Garth Brooks | 1,095,000 | 1st | |
December 28, 1992 | The Bodyguard | Soundtrack/Whitney Houston | 1,061,000 | 6th | [61] |
October 22, 2000 | Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water | Limp Bizkit | 1,055,000 | 1st | |
October 31, 2010 | Speak Now | Taylor Swift | 1,047,000 | 1st | |
May 22, 2016 | Views | Drake | 1,040,000 | 852,000 | 1st | [62] |
February 17, 2004 | Feels Like Home | Norah Jones | 1,022,000 | 1st | |
June 21, 2008 | Tha Carter III | Lil Wayne | 1,006,000 | 1st | [63] | |
See also
References
Footnotes
Notes and References
- 2021-09-19 . Metallica's 'Black Album' Returns to Top 10 on Billboard 200 After 30th Anniversary Reissue . Billboard . 2021-11-12.
- 2019-10-28 . Luke Combs' 'This One's For You' Ties No 1 Weeks Record On Top Country Albums . Billboard . 2020-05-01.
- 2020-01-23 . Alanis Morissette's 'Reasons I Drink' Hits Top 10 on Adult Alternative Songs Chart . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
- 2019-10-06 . The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ Returns to Top 3 on Billboard 200 Chart After Nearly 50 Years. Billboard . 2020-05-01.
- 2017-12-21 . Bob Marley's 'Legend' Album Hits 500th Week on Billboard 200 Chart . Billboard . 2020-05-01.
- 2016-09-29 . The Weeknd's Back in the Top 40: Billboard 200 Chart Moves . Billboard . 2020-05-07.
- Trust . Gary . 2021-05-05 . Ask Billboard: Adele's Biggest Albums & Songs, From 'Rolling in the Deep' to 'Hello' & More . Billboard . en-US . 2021-11-19.
- Caulfield, Keith . October 9, 2014 . Adele's '21' Surpasses 11 Million In U.S. Sales . . October 11, 2014.
- 2016-02-07 . Adele's '25' Sales Surpass 8 Million in the U.S. . Billboard . 2020-05-07.
- 2019-11-26 . Celine Dion's Best-Selling Albums & Most-Streamed Songs: Ask Billboard Mailbag . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
- 2020-05-15 . Britney Spears' Career Streams & Sales: Ask Billboard . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
- 2017-07-24 . Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' Producer Calls Working With Chester Bennington a 'Dream Come True' . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
- 2012-07-05 . Usher's 'Confessions' Album Hits 10 Million in U.S. Sales . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
- 2013-02-20 . Pearl Jam's 'Ten' Album Hits 10 Million in U.S. Sales . Billboard . 2020-05-19.
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- Caulfield . Keith . January 2, 2014 . Justin Timberlake's '20/20' 2013's Best Selling Album, 'Blurred Lines' Top Song . . . January 27, 2014.
- News: Caulfield . Keith . December 31, 2014 . Taylor Swift's '1989' Beats 'Frozen' As Top Selling Album of 2014 . January 6, 2016.
- News: Caulfield . Keith . January 5, 2016 . Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S. . January 6, 2016.
- News: Caulfield . Keith . January 5, 2017 . Drake's 'Views' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2016 in the U.S. . January 5, 2017.
- Caulfield . Keith . 2018-01-03 . Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2017 in U.S. . Billboard . 2018-01-05.
- https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8492663/nielsen-music-top-album-2018-drake-scorpion Drake's 'Scorpion' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album Of 2018 in U.S., 'God's Plan' Most-Streamed Song
- 'Hollywood's Bleeding' Is Nielsen Music/MRC Data's Top Album of 2019, 'Old Town Road' Most-Streamed Song . Billboard . 2020-01-10.
- January 2, 2020 . Billboard Year-End 2020 . . January 9, 2020.
- Caulfield . Keith . 6 January 2022 . Dua Lipa's 'Levitating' Is Most-Streamed Song of 2021 In U.S., Morgan Wallen's 'Dangerous: The Double Album' Is MRC Data's Top Album . Billboard . 6 January 2022.
- Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 2023-01-11 . Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Is Luminate’s Top Album of 2022 in U.S. . 2023-01-12 . Billboard . en-US.
- Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 2024-01-10 . Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Is Luminate’s Top Album of 2023 in U.S. . 2024-01-12 . Billboard . en-US.
- Caulfield, Keith . November 23, 2015 . Adele's '25' Is the 20th Album to Sell a Million Copies in a Week: See the Full List . Billboard . December 7, 2015.
- Caulfield, Keith . December 5, 2015 . Adele's '25' Sells 1.11 Million in Second Week in U.S. . Billboard . December 7, 2015.
- Caulfield, Keith . December 27, 2015 . Adele's '25' Sells Another 1.16 Million in U.S., Spends Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart . Billboard . December 31, 2015.
- Caulfield . Keith . 20 November 2017 . Official: Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Sells 1.2M Copies in US During First Week . Billboard . 12 December 2017.
- 18 June 2008 . Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter III' Sells 1 Million . dead . Billboard . Billboard Music . https://web.archive.org/web/20180513142053/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1307133/lil-waynes-tha-carter-iii-sells-1-million . 13 May 2018 . 25 February 2018.
- . October 23, 2012 . Albums That Sold 1 Million in One Week . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180512075011/https://www.billboard.com/photos/426851/albums-that-sold-1-million-in-one-week . May 12, 2018 . October 23, 2021 . Billboard.
- Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 2024-04-28 . Taylor Swift Makes Historic Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ . 2024-04-28 . Billboard . en-US.
- Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 2023-11-05 . Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Biggest Week in Nearly a Decade . 2023-11-05 . Billboard . en-US.
- Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 2022-10-30 . Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ Blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Week for an Album in 7 Years . 2022-10-30 . Billboard . en-US.
- Billboard Staff . 2012-10-23 . Albums That Sold 1 Million in One Week . Billboard . en-US . 2021-11-19.
- Caulfield . Keith . November 20, 2017 . Official: Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Sells 1.2M Copies in US During First Week . live . Billboard . https://web.archive.org/web/20171130081855/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8039676/taylor-swift-reputation-album-sells-12-million-copies-us . November 30, 2017 . October 23, 2017.
- Caulfield . Keith . 2015-12-27 . Adele's '25' Sells Another 1.16 Million in U.S., Spends Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart . Billboard . en-US . 2021-11-19.
- Billboard Staff . 2011-02-03 . 29 Black Music Milestones: Whitney Houston Sells 1 Million in A Week . Billboard . en-US . 2021-11-19.
- Caulfield . Keith . 2016-05-08 . Drake's 'Views' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart, Sets Streaming Record . Billboard . en-US . 2021-11-19.
- June 18, 2008 . Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter III' Sells 1 Million . live . Billboard . https://web.archive.org/web/20180513142053/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1307133/lil-waynes-tha-carter-iii-sells-1-million . May 13, 2018 . February 25, 2018.