List of highest-certified music artists in the United States

The RIAA began its certifications in 1958, therefore, popular artists from earlier eras are generally not represented on this list.

The following is a list of 100 highest-certified artists in the United States based on album-equivalent units, which include physical album shipments, digital album downloads, as well as individual song downloads and streams.

[3] Artists with album certifications prior to 2016 also do not get benefit of the inclusion of individual song downloads and streams.

[5] Notes: The following is a list of 50 highest-certified digital singles artists in the United States, based on song downloads and streams.

As album sales suffered in the 21st century, the RIAA introduced Digital Single Award in 2004 to better recognize "artists' commercial success in a transformative music marketplace".