The 24 most powerful people in America

Business Insider recently released its list of the 50 most powerful people in the world, and almost half hail from the United States.

Between political leaders, billionaires, CEOs, and entertainers, the world's top superpower is chock-full of people who possess the potent combination of money and influence that enables them to help shape the world.

To determine our ranking, we considered more than 100 of the most influential players in business, politics, and entertainment, and evaluated their influence using metrics in four major areas: economic power, command, newsworthiness, and impact - a subjective measure that captures how important they are in their respective spheres. We then pulled the top-ranking Americans and re-ordered the list. You can read the full methodology here.

US President Barack Obama topped the entire list. Business mogul Warren Buffett came in at No. 2 in the US, and fifth overall. Read on to see which other Americans command serious power.

Editing by Alex Morrell with additional research by Andy Kiersz.