The last decade was the Eminem show – the rapper sold more than 32m albums in the US during the noughties, outselling the Beatles, 'NSync and Britney Spears

Though the 2010s may belong to Susan Boyle and Lady Gaga, the 2000s belonged to Eminem, at least in the United States. The irreverent, newly sober rapper has been named America's bestselling act of the last 10 years.

In the end, it was a battle between Slim Shady and the Beatles. Though the Fab Four's greatest hits compilation, One, was the decade's bestselling record, Eminem had two albums in the top 10 – 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP at No 4 and 2002's The Eminem Show at No 5. Between these and his other releases, Eminem has sold about 32.2m albums since Y2K – compared with the mop-tops' meagre 30m, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Eminem was the only act to have two albums in the decade's top 10. The other heavy hitters include Justin Timberlake's former boy-band, 'NSync, Britney Spears, R&B singer Usher, rockers Linkin Park and Creed, and the debut by chanteuse Norah Jones.

Strangely, few of these acts dominanted American radio. Instead, the decade's most-broadcast tunes were mostly grim, gravely modern rock songs. Nickelback's How You Remind Me took the top spot, with 1.2m spins since 2001, while acts such as Lifehouse and Three Doors Down were runners-up.

More than anywhere else, the impact of the internet can be seen on the singles charts, filled with tracks from the last three years. While sales of CD singles dwindled in the early 2000s, the success of digital services like iTunes led to a new boom. Low, released by rapper Flo Rida in 2007, was the decade's most successful digital song, selling 5.2m copies. Lady Gaga, Jason Mraz, the Black Eyed Peas and Soulja Boy all appear in the top 10 – with Coldplay's Viva La Vida poking its head in at No 8.

The top-selling albums of the decade in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan:

1. The Beatles – 1,11,499,000

2. 'NSync, No Strings Attached – 11,112,000

3. Norah Jones, Come Away With Me – 10, 546,000

4. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP – 10,204,000

5. Eminem, The Eminem Show – 9,799,000

6. Usher, Confessions – 9,712,000

7. Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory – 9,663,000

8. Creed, Human Clay – 9,491,000

9. Britney Spears, Oops! ... I Did It Again – 9,185,000

10. Nelly, Country Grammar – 8,461,000

America's top-selling digital songs of the decade, according to Nielsen SoundScan:

1. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – Low, 5,214,000

2. Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis – Just Dance, 4,690,000

3. Jason Mraz, I'm Yours – 4,619,000

4. Timbaland feat. One Republic, Apologize – 4,439,000

5. The Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow – 4,349,000

6. Soulja Boy Tell'em, Crank That – 4,315,000

7. Lady Gaga, Poker Face – 4,200,000

8. Coldplay, Viva La Vida – 4,140,000

9. Taylor Swift, Love Story – 4,005,000

10. Katy Perry, Hot N Cold – 3,945,000