Largest Lottery Jackpots in U.S. History: Record Winning Amounts

The odds may be long, but it only takes one lucky moment to change a life—just as it did for the winners listed below. Since Mega Millions and Powerball expanded their number pools, jackpots have ballooned, producing the largest lottery payouts in recent years. Many of these winners used their windfalls to help family, friends and communities, illustrating how life-changing money can also inspire generosity.

Below are the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, with details about the winners, the prizes and where the tickets were purchased.

33. Jackpot: $426 Million

In January 2022, a ticket sold at a Chevron in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, produced this $426 million jackpot. The winner opted for a lump-sum payment of $289.5 million. Four other players matched four of the five numbers and won more than $1 million each.

32. Jackpot: $429.6 Million

A family from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, said the winning Powerball numbers came to them in a dream. Their ticket, purchased at a 7-Eleven in Trenton, yielded a lump-sum payout of more than $284 million—the largest single-ticket win in New Jersey at the time.

31. Jackpot: $431 Million

The Sept. 21, 2021 Mega Millions drawing produced a $431 million jackpot. The winning ticket was bought on West 48th Street in New York City; the winner took a $314.4 million lump-sum. That same drawing also produced a $1 million winner who matched four numbers in sequence.

30. Jackpot: $435.3 Million

An engineer and Purdue alum from Lafayette, Indiana, claimed this Powerball jackpot and received approximately $190 million after taxes in a lump-sum payment. He purchased the ticket at the Super Test gas station in Lafayette and said he planned to help his family with education expenses.

29. Jackpot: $437 Million

A 23-person group from Long Island split more than $262 million after their New Year’s Day 2019 Mega Millions ticket, purchased in Brookville, won the jackpot. After taxes, the group’s payout exceeded $171 million in total.

28. Jackpot: $447.8 Million

Jeff Lindsay of Sun City, California, used scratch-off winnings to buy Powerball tickets—one of which won. He claimed a lump-sum payment of $279.1 million and sought privacy for himself and his family while adjusting to their new circumstances.

27. Jackpot: $448.4 Million

In 2013, multiple winners split this jackpot, including a group of 16 New Jersey residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy, who shared more than $80 million. A Minnesota project engineer and a 70-year-old New Jersey retiree also claimed portions of the prize.

26. Jackpot: $451 Million

At age 20, Shane Missler of Port Richey, Florida, became the youngest single winner on this list after buying a winning ticket at a 7-Eleven in Pasco County. He claimed more than $281 million pre-tax and pledged to take care of his family while planning for long-term financial success.

25. Jackpot: $456.7 Million

An Amish group from Pennsylvania Dutch Country won nearly $270 million pre-tax on a St. Patrick’s Day Mega Millions drawing in 2018. The ticket, sold at a Speedway in Manheim, was claimed through the Emerald Legacy Trust.

24. Jackpot: $487 Million

A family from Raymond, New Hampshire, claimed this Powerball prize after buying the ticket at a Hannaford supermarket. They received more than $256 million after taxes and began donating portions of their winnings to charities and to the supermarket.

23. Jackpot: $516 Million

A ticket sold at a 7-Eleven in Levittown, Pennsylvania, led to this Mega Millions win. Five people who called themselves “Peace of Mind” claimed a lump-sum payout of more than $348 million in May of that year—still the largest lottery jackpot claimed in Pennsylvania.

22. Jackpot: $530 Million

Laarni Bibal of San Diego claimed this Mega Millions prize in 2019 and took a lump-sum payment of more than $346 million. She waited months to come forward while deciding how best to manage her new wealth and planned to pay off debt and buy a home.

21. Jackpot: $533 Million

Richard Wahl of Vernon, New Jersey, took home more than $324 million in a lump-sum payout in April 2018—the largest single-ticket win in the state’s history. Wahl said he checked the ticket 15 times before he believed it was real and planned to retire from his job.

20. Jackpot: $536 Million

A couple in Hamilton County, Indiana, forgot they had bought Mega Millions tickets before discovering they’d won this jackpot in July 2016. They claimed a post-tax lump-sum of $271 million and said they planned to remain in Indiana and keep their lives as normal as possible.

19. Jackpot: $543 Million

An 11-member office pool from Santa Clara County purchased Mega Millions tickets on a whim at a San Jose liquor store and split a lump-sum payout of more than $320.5 million—then the largest single-ticket payout in California history at that time.

18. Jackpot: $559.7 Million

A woman from Concord, New Hampshire, purchased her ticket at Reed’s Ferry Market in Merrimack and claimed more than $264 million after taxes in July 2018. She opened a trust to protect her privacy and donated $250,000 to four local charities after claiming her prize.

17. Jackpot: $564.1 Million

Three winners split this jackpot. Among them was a 26-year-old single mother of four from Shallotte, North Carolina, who received more than $127 million after taxes. Another winner in Puerto Rico became the first person outside the continental U.S. to claim a Powerball jackpot, and the third payout went to a trust in Texas on behalf of the ticket purchaser from Princeton, Texas.

16. Jackpot: $587.5 Million

In November 2012 three winners split the Powerball jackpot. Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, Arizona, and Mark and Cindy Hill of Dearborn, Missouri, each received more than $100 million after taxes. The Hills used some of their winnings to fund town improvements in their community.

15. Jackpot: $590.5 Million

Gloria MacKenzie, an 84-year-old retiree from Zephyrhills, Florida, won this Powerball jackpot in 2013 and chose a lump-sum payout of more than $370 million. She pledged to help her children and grandchildren; in 2019 she sued her son over management of some of the funds.

14. Jackpot: $632.6 Million

Tammy and Cliff Webster of Wisconsin, residents of the Oneida Nation Reservation, shared this jackpot with an anonymous second winner. The Websters took home more than $225 million after taxes and called the win “a dream come true.”

13. Jackpot: $648 Million

Ira Curry of Stone Mountain claimed half of this jackpot and took home more than $120 million after taxes. She said she used birthdays and a lucky 7 to pick her numbers. The other half was claimed by a winner from Northern California two weeks later.

12. Jackpot: $656 Million

This March 2012 Mega Millions jackpot was split among multiple winners, including Merle Butler of Red Bud, Illinois; an anonymous Kansas winner who bought a ticket at a Casey’s in Ottawa; and three coworkers from the Maryland school system who split another share.

11. Jackpot: $687.8 Million

Lerynne West of Redfield, Iowa, nearly lost her winning ticket but claimed more than $340 million before taxes. She immediately established a charitable foundation. Robert Bailey of New York claimed the other share and received more than $125 million after taxes from the same drawing.

10. Jackpot: $699.8 Million

Scott Godfrey bought the winning ticket at an Albertsons in San Morro and later discovered he’d won after a local news report. He claimed a $496 million pre-tax lump sum in October 2021 and created a foundation to support charitable causes.

9. Jackpot: $731.1 Million

A group from Lonaconing, Maryland, bought the winning ticket at Coney Market and took home more than $366 million after taxes. They said they planned to invest much of the money and support their local community while keeping their lifestyles relatively unchanged.

8. Jackpot: $758.7 Million

Mavis Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts, famously quit her hospital job on the spot after claiming this Powerball prize in August 2017. She chose numbers based on family birthdays and her lucky 4, ultimately receiving more than $320 million after taxes.

7. Jackpot: $768.4 Million

Manuel Franco of West Allis, Wisconsin, won this jackpot at age 24 after buying a ticket at a Speedway in New Berlin. He received more than $326 million after taxes and said the news felt like a dream as his family celebrated the win.

6. Jackpot: $1.05 Billion

A four-person club from Oakland County, Michigan, split more than $500 million after taxes following a Jan. 22, 2021 Powerball drawing. The ticket was sold at a Kroger in Novi, and the winners pledged to stay humble and give back to southeast Michigan through charitable donations.

5. Jackpot: $1.33 Billion

This Mega Millions jackpot was split between two winners who chose to remain anonymous. The ticket was purchased in a Chicago suburb, and both winners claimed their shares through legal and financial representatives.

4. Jackpot: $1.35 Billion

The winner of this Mega Millions drawing came forward in February 2023 and claimed the prize through an LLC. The ticket was purchased in Maine and the winner has maintained privacy while responsibly managing the payout.

3. Jackpot: $1.54 Billion

A woman from Summersville, South Carolina, won the largest single-ticket jackpot in U.S. history, taking home more than $877 million after taxes. She purchased the ticket while driving through Greenville and donated substantial amounts to regional charities, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and disaster relief efforts.

2. Jackpot: $1.59 Billion

The largest jackpot at the time, this Powerball prize was split three ways among winners in Tennessee, Florida and California. John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, claimed their share quickly; a Long Island couple living in Melbourne, Florida, claimed another portion; and Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills, California, claimed the final share months later.

1. Jackpot: $2.04 Billion

In February 2023 a single Powerball ticket sold in Altadena, California, produced the largest lottery jackpot ever recorded: $2.04 billion. Edwin Castro, who bought the ticket at a local service station, selected the lump-sum option of $997.6 million before taxes, which resulted in a payout of $628.5 million after taxes. The service station where the ticket was sold received a $1 million bonus for selling the winning ticket.

These stories show how a single ticket can alter lives—sometimes quietly, often generously. While the odds remain steep, the impact of a jackpot win can extend far beyond the winner, benefitting families and communities across the country.