The United States has more billionaires than any other country in the world. Of course, it also has a larger landmass and population than most other countries, so that helps. What also helps is the concentration of the technology and finance industries in the good ol' U.S. of A. As of the end of 2019, there are 621 American billionaires. The combined net worth of the richest 400 Americans was $2.9 trillion – which is, quite frankly, a staggering amount of wealth. We're breaking things down a bit farther, to a list of the 50 richest people in each state. It should be noted, however, that five states have no billionaires at all.
You may know who the richest person in the United States is (Jeff Bezos, not Bill Gates), or even who the wealthiest person in your state is. But do you know who wields the wealth in Iowa or Delaware or Idaho? There have been a few changes on this list since last year, so let's take a look at the richest person in every US state.
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The Richest Person in Every State
Alabama: Jimmy Rane
Net worth: $900 million
Jimmy Rane is the founder and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving. He is at the center of the advertising for his company as his alter ego, Yella Fella.
Alaska: Leonard Hyde, Jonathan Rubini and Families
Net worth: $300 million (tied)
Jonathan Rubini and Leonard Hyde made their fortune in Alaskan real estate.
Arizona: Diane Halle
Net worth: $8 billion
Arizona's Diane Halle is the widow of Discount Tire founder Bruce Halle. Bruce passed away in 2018.
Arkansas: Jim Walton
Net worth: $50 billion
Jim Walton is the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. He's also just one of the many heirs to the retail giant's fortune. He has a slightly larger stake in the company than the other heirs, as well as other investments.
California: Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $80 billion
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is the richest of all the rich people in California. He edged out Oracle's Larry Ellison and Google's Sergey Brin and Larry Page to take the title of the richest in the state.
Colorado: Philip Anschutz
Net worth: $11 billion
Philip Anschutz edged out DISH founder Charles Ergen to take the title of the richest in Colorado. Anschutz made his money in several businesses, including oil, railroads, real estate, and entertainment. His Anschutz Entertainment produces the annual Coachella Valley Music Festival and owns the NHL's Los Angeles Kings.
Connecticut: Ray Dalio
Net worth: $14 billion
Ray Dalio started Bridgewater Associates in 1975 in Westport, Connecticut. In 2012 the company became the largest hedge fund in the world and is now worth over $150 billion in assets under management.
Delaware: Elizabeth Snyder and Robert Gore
Net worth: $830 million (tied)
Delaware doesn't have any billionaires, so brother and sister Elizabeth Snyder and Robert Gore tie as the state's wealthiest people. Robert invented Gore-tex.
Florida: Thomas Peterffy
Net worth: $17.6 billion
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Thomas Peterffy moved to the US in the mid-60s. Peterffy launched his own company, Interactive Brokers, an electronic brokerage firm in the early 90s.
Georgia: Jim Kennedy
Net worth: $8.2 billion
Jim Kennedy is the chairman of Cox Enterprises, a media conglomerate founded by his grandfather, James M. Cox.
Hawaii: Pierre Omidyar
Net worth: $7.8 billion
Pierre Omidyar founded eBay and immediately committed to giving all of his billions away in his lifetime.
Idaho: Frank VanderSloot
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Frank VanderSloot is the founder and long-time head of the multi-level marketing supplements company Melaleuca.
Illinois: Ken Griffin
Net worth: $10 billion
Ken Griffin founded global investment fund Citadel in 1990. Over the past few years, he's been on a real estate buying binge.
Indiana: Carl Cook
Net worth: $6.5 billion
Carl Cook took over as CEO of the Cook Group after his father passed away in 2011. Cook Group Incorporated is an American privately held company that is involved in the manufacturing of medical devices.
Iowa: Harry Stine
Net worth: $2.6 billion
Harry Stine joined his father's soybean cleaning business in 1964. Stine is the founder and owner of The Stine Seed group of companies. He owns the largest private seed company in the United States.
Kansas: Charles Koch
Net worth: $58 billion
Charles Koch, along with his late brother David, made his fortune building and running the company founded by their father, Koch Industries.
Kentucky: Tamara Gustavson
Net worth: $5.5 billion
Tamara Gustavson inherited her father B. Wayne Hughes' substantial holdings in self-storage company Public Storage, which he founded in 1972.
Louisiana: Gayle Benson
Net worth: $2.8 billion
Gayle Benson inherited her husband Tom Benson's fortune when he died in 2018. Benson built his fortune in car dealerships and owned the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans.
Maine: Susan Alfond
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Susan Alfond's father founded the Dexter Shoe Company, which he sold to Warren Buffett for $420 million in Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1993.
Maryland: Ted Lerner and family
Net worth: $5.5 billion
Ted Lerner has been one of the biggest names in real estate for decades. In 2006, Lerner bought the MLB's Washington Nationals.
Massachusetts: Abigail Johnson
Net worth: $12 billion
Abigail Jonson is the President of the company started by her grandfather, Fidelity Investments
Michigan: Daniel Gilbert
Net worth: $4.2 billion
Daniel Gilbert co-founded the mortgage lending company Quicken Loans in 1985 when he was just 22 years old. He is also the owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
Minnesota: Whitney MacMillan
Net worth: $4.3 billion
Whitney MacMillan is a major heir to the famous Cargill fortune and is the last member of the family to serve as chief executive of the company. He held this position from 1976 on into 1995, when he stepped down in concession to his advanced age. He is 90-years-old
Mississippi: Leslie Lampton
Net worth: $2.4 billion
Leslie Lampton made his fortune after he launched Ergon, Inc., an oil refinery and distribution company. He has since grown the company to include refineries in multiple states, including Arkansas and West Virginia.
Missouri: Pauline MacMillan Keinath
Net worth: $5.2 billion
Cargill heiress Pauline MacMillan Keinath became the wealthiest person in Missouri when Stan Kroenke moved to Texas.
Montana: Dennis Washington
Net worth: $6.1 billion
Dennis Washington started his construction company, Washington Construction, in the early 1960s, with a single bulldozer and $30,000. Just five years later, the company had grown to be the largest construction firm in Montana. He then began to diversify, expanding into mining and dam construction.
Nebraska: Warren Buffett
Net worth: $89 billion
Warren Buffett founded Berkshire Hathaway. He is arguably the most famous and successful investor in history.
Nevada: Sheldon Adelson
Net worth: $35 billion
Sheldon Adelson is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates the Sands Expo and Convention Center and The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Adelson's source of wealth originates from his partnership in creating the trade show COMDEX for the computer industry.
New Hampshire: Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli
Net worth: $720 million
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli is a descendant of Ludwig Reimann, who in 1828 joined Johann Adam Benckiser as a partner in his chemical company. Now known as JAB Holding Company, the family business owns such major brands as Coty, Keurig, and Panera Bread. Reimann-Ciardelli sold her JAB stake in 2003.
New Jersey: Donald Newhouse
Net worth: $11.1 billion
Donald Newhouse is an heir to the company that owns and publishes The New Yorker, Vogue, and GQ, and owns Florida cable and internet company Bright House Networks, as well as the hugely popular website Reddit.
New Mexico: Mack C. Chase
Net worth: $910 million
Mack C. Chase founded Mack Energy Corporation. He founded his business after spending more than 50 years working in the oil and gas fields during his lifetime.
New York: Michael Bloomberg
Net worth: $62 billion
Michael Bloomberg earned his fortune through his financial news and information services media company Bloomberg LP. He owns 88% of the privately held company. Michael is also notable for being the former Mayor of New York City. He campaigned for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2020.
North Carolina: James Goodnight
Net worth: $10 billion
James Goodnight made his fortune by founding analytics software firm SAS in 1976.
North Dakota: Gary Tharaldson
Net worth: $1 billion
Gary Tharaldson launched the Tharaldson Companies, a hospitality business that operates and maintains a number of hotels across the U.S. in the early 1980s. He started with the purchase of one Super 8 Motel and has grown his company into one of the most successful developers of new hotels in the U.S.
Ohio: Les Wexner and family
Net worth: $4.85 billion
Les Wexner is the founder and CEO of L Brands which owns Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works and several more retail chains.
Oklahoma: Harold Hamm & family
Net worth: $17 billion
Harold Hamm has built his net worth as a key player in Hiland Partners and Hiland Holdings as well as the Oil-exploration Company Continental Resources.
Oregon: Phil Knight and family
Net worth: $29 billion
Phil Knight and his former University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman founded Nike.
Pennsylvania: Victoria Mars
Net worth: $6 billion
In 2016, Victoria Mars inherited and 8% stake in Mars Inc., the company founded by her great-grandfather.
Rhode Island: Jonathan Nelson
Net worth: $2 billion
Jonathan Nelson is the co-founder and CEO of Providence Equity Partners.
South Carolina: Anita Zucker
Net worth: $3 billion
Anita Zucker is the widow of Jerry Zucker who was the Governor (Chair) and Chief Executive Officer of the Hudson's Bay Company. Anita assumed the position of Governor of the Hudson Bay Company after her husband's death in 2008.
South Dakota: T. Denny Sanford
Net worth: $1.3 billion
T. Denny Sanford made his fortune with First Premier Bank. Sanford now works as CEO of the bank's holding company, United National Corporation.
Tennessee: Thomas Frist Jr and family
Net worth: $7.6 billion
Thomas Frist Jr. founded Hospital Corporation of America with his father, Thomas Frist Sr. in 1968.
Texas: Alice Walton
Net worth: $50 billion
Alice Walton is the daughter of the late Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart and Sam's Club.
Utah: Gail Miller
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Gail Miller is the head of the Larry H. Miller Group, which she started with her late husband, Larry. The group owns a variety of companies, including the NBA's Utah Jazz.
Vermont: John Abele
Net worth: $3.3 billion
John Abele co-founded Boston Scientific, a medical device company in 1979.
Virginia: Jacqueline Mars
Net worth: $37 billion
Jacqueline Mars is an heiress to the candy company Mars, Inc. fortune.
Washington: Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $126 billion
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of e-commerce juggernaut Amazon, is the wealthiest man in the world.
West Virginia: Jim Justice II
Net worth: $1.68 billion
Jim Justice II inherited a coal business from his father and still owns mines in five states. In 2016, Justice was governor of West Virginia.
Wisconsin: John Menard Jr
Net worth: $12.5 billion
John Menard, Jr. derives his fortune from the home improvement store Menard's. The business has over 300 locations around the Midwest.
Wyoming: John Mars
Net worth: $27 billion
John Mars's vast fortune stems from the company his grandfather founded – Mars, Inc. The company makes some of the world's most recognizable candies.
