Swift is the top solo artist on the list, and the top American artist.

12/28/2025

Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elvis. Photos: Gi; Illustration by Lyanne Natividad

By holding at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Jan. 3) for a 11th nonconsecutive week with The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift ups her career total of weeks at No. 1 on that chart to 97 – a tally topped by only one act in the chart’s 69-year history. The Beatles amassed 132 weeks at No. 1 between 1964 and 2001, giving them a comfortable, 35-week lead over Swift, but at the rate she’s going, she may eventually equal or surpass them.

Swift is already the top solo artist on our list of acts with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and the top American artist. She first topped the Billboard 200 in November 2008 with Fearless, which went on to win the Grammy for album of the year.

A few quick notes: While Elvis Presley’s feats on the Billboard Hot 100 are shortchanged by the fact that his breakthrough in 1956 pre-dated the launch of Billboard’s flagship songs chart by more than two years, the Billboard 200 captures Presley’s entire career. His debut album, Elvis Presley, entered the chart at No. 11 in the issue dated March 31, 1956 – which was the chart’s second week.

If you count the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (which logged 24 weeks at No. 1 in 1978) as a Bee Gees album, the trio had 31 weeks on top. Bee Gees had six tracks on the album — five of which were No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. But Billboard counts it as a multi-artist soundtrack album.

Here’s a look at all acts with 30 or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since March 24, 1956, when the chart began publishing on a consistent weekly basis. Ties are shown in alphabetical order.

• Mariah Carey (30 weeks)

  

  Image Credit: Michael Brennan/GI

  First week at No. 1: March 2, 1991

  Most recent week at No. 1: May 10, 2008

  Longest-running No. 1: Mariah Carey (11 weeks in 1991)