Wealth
The Richest Women in America in One Graphic
The Richest Women in America in One Graphic
The majority of the world’s billionaires hail from the United States.
But of the 724 American billionaires whose net worths are tracked daily by Forbes, only 86 are women. That’s just 12% of the country’s billionaires.
This visualization examines the select few who have made the cut into this prestigious list, using data compiled from Forbes’ real-time billionaires list.
Note: All data is as of November 1, 2021 unless otherwise stated.
Top 10 Richest Women in America
Since 2020, MacKenzie Scott has donated over $8.5 billion and counting of her wealth. Yet, she still remains one of the richest women in the world. This is largely due to the Amazon shares that she received in her divorce settlement.
Amazon’s stock performance soared amid the pandemic, which resulted in the initial value of her shares ($38.3 billion) nearly doubling.
| Top 10 overall | Name | Net Worth | Age | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Alice Walton | $68.1 B | 72 | Walmart |
| #2 | MacKenzie Scott | $56.1 B | 51 | Amazon |
| #3 | Julia Koch & family | $52.2 B | 59 | Koch Industries |
| #4 | Jacqueline Mars | $31.5 B | 82 | Candy, pet food |
| #5 | Miriam Adelson | $29.2 B | 76 | Casinos |
| #6 | Abigail Johnson | $26.2 B | 59 | Money management |
| #7 | Laurene Powell Jobs & family | $16.7 B | 57 | Apple, Disney |
| #8 | Diane Hendricks | $11.7 B | 74 | Roofing |
| #9 | Ann Walton Kroenke | $9.3 B | 72 | Walmart |
| #10 | Blair Parry-Okeden | $8.8 B | 71 | Media, automotive |
Miriam Adelson inherited her late husband’s 57% stake (worth ~$19 billion) in Las Vegas Sands, making her one of the richest newcomers to the Forbes list. The casinos have locations across Las Vegas, Singapore, and Macao.
Several of the women in this top 10 list also share membership with some of the richest families in America—from the Walmart Waltons, to the Johnsons at the helm of Fidelity Investments and Fidelity International.
The Oldest Richest Women in America
The oldest female billionaire in the world, Alice Schwartz, is 95 years old. She co-founded Bio-Rad Laboratories with her husband, which operates in the life sciences research and clinical diagnostics markets. They started the company in 1952 with only $720 in the bank.
| Oldest | Name | Net Worth | Age | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Alice Schwartz | $3.0 B | 95 | Biotech |
| #2 | Wilma Tisch | $1.4 B | 94 | Diversified |
| #3 | Doris Fisher | $2.8 B | 90 | Gap |
| #4 | Johnelle Hunt | $4.7 B | 89 | Trucking |
| #5 | Marian Ilitch | $4.4 B | 88 | Little Caesars |
| #6 | Pauline MacMillan Keinath | $8.5 B | 87 | Cargill |
| #7 | Margot Birmingham Perot | $4.2 B | 87 | Computer services, real estate |
| #8 | Martha Ingram & family | $3.9 B | 86 | Book distribution, transportation |
| #9 | Janice McNair | $4.2 B | 85 | Energy, sports |
| #10 | Norma Lerner | $1.1 B | 85 | Banking |
After her husband’s passing in 2018, Janice McNair (aged 85) took over his 80% stake in the NFL team Houston Texans, which ranks highly as one of the world’s most valuable sports teams. This also subsequently catapulted her position as being among the wealthiest sports owners in the country.
The Youngest Richest Women in America
In the online dating era, Whitney Wolfe Herd has made a name for herself. The female-first dating app she co-founded, Bumble, grew into a formidable competitor for her former employer, Match Group (which owns Tinder and OkCupid, among others).
At age 31, Wolfe Herd became the youngest self-made female CEO in the country after Bumble’s $2.2 billion IPO in February 2021.
| Youngest | Name | Net Worth | Age | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Whitney Wolfe Herd | $1.2 B | 32 | Dating app |
| #2 | Rihanna | $1.7 B | 33 | Cosmetics, music |
| #3 | Neha Narkhede | $1.4 B | 37 | Software |
| #4 | Lynsi Snyder | $4.2 B | 39 | In-N-Out Burger |
| #5 | Kim Kardashian West | $1.2 B | 41 | Cosmetics, reality TV |
| #6 | Jane Lauder | $6.7 B | 48 | Estée Lauder |
| #7 | Amy Wyss | $2.0 B | 50 | Medical equipment |
| #8 | Sara Blakely | $1.2 B | 50 | Spanx |
| #9 | MacKenzie Scott | $56.1 B | 51 | Amazon |
| #10 | Aerin Lauder | $4.2 B | 51 | Cosmetics |
Wearing many hats from influencer to entrepreneur, socialite Kim Kardashian West’s cosmetics and fashion companies (KKW Beauty and shapewear line Skims) have catapulted her to a newfound billionaire status. She has a set of diverse revenue streams, from reality TV royalties to blue-chip and real estate investments.
Top 20 Self-Made Richest Women in America
The self-made label is an additional fascinating avenue to explore. Forbes defines this category as people who establish a fortune independently, rather than partly or wholly through inheritance.
One of the newest entrants into this mix is Rihanna. She already enjoyed significant success as an entertainer, with her claim to fame being one of the best-selling artists of the 2010s. However, it was her entrepreneurial spirit that put her on the Forbes list in August 2021. Rihanna owns 50% of her cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty. The other half is run by Bernard Arnault, who is among the world’s top billionaires.
Here is the rest of the top 20 self-made richest women in America:
| Self-Made | Name | Net Worth | Age | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Diane Hendricks | $11.7 B | 74 | Roofing |
| #2 | Judy Faulkner | $6.5 B | 77 | Health IT |
| #3 | Meg Whitman | $6.3 B | 65 | eBay |
| #4 | Judy Love | $5.2 B | 84 | Retail and gas stations |
| #5 | Marian Ilitch | $4.4 B | 88 | Little Caesars |
| #6 | Johnelle Hunt | $4.1 B | 89 | Trucking |
| #7 | Thai Lee | $4.1 B | 62 | IT Provider |
| #8 | Lynda Resnick | $4.0 B | 78 | Agriculture |
| #9 | Gail Miller | $3.2 B | 77 | Car dealerships |
| #10 | Doris Fisher | $2.8 B | 90 | Gap |
| #11 | Alice Schwartz | $3.0 B | 95 | Biotech |
| #12 | Oprah Winfrey | $2.7 B | 67 | Media |
| #13 | Elaine Wynn | $2.2 B | 79 | Casinos, hotels |
| #14 | Peggy Cherng | $2.0 B | 73 | Fast food (Panda Express) |
| #15 | Sheryl Sandberg | $1.9 B | 51 | |
| #16 | Rihanna | $1.7 B | 33 | Cosmetics, music |
| #17 | Jayshree Ullal | $1.7 B | 60 | Computer networking |
| #18 | Safra Catz | $1.6 B | 59 | Software |
| #19 | Jenny Just | $1.5 B | 53 | Fintech |
| #20 | Eren Ozmen | $1.4 B | 62 | Aerospace |
Source: Forbes, as of Aug 2021 (latest available)
For those paying attention to the rapid rise of the fintech industry, Jenny Just’s entry on this list will come as no surprise. Her firm, Apex Fintech Solutions powers the trading technology behind companies like SoFi and eToro. In fact, she has started or bought 15 businesses in the space in just 24 years.
As the richest women in America continue to make great strides, this list could look very different in coming years.
Maps
Where the Ultra-Rich Spend Their Holidays
In this graphic, we visualize the destinations that saw the biggest influx of seasonal centi-millionaire residents in 2022.
Visualized: Where the Ultra-Rich Spend Their Holidays
There are more than 25,000 centi-millionaires around the world today, forming an elite club composed primarily of founders and heirs of family fortunes.
According to Henley & Partners, most of these individuals—who have more than $100 million in investable assets by definition—split their time between several properties each year.
To explore the destinations that are the most sought-after by the ultra-wealthy, we’ve visualized the cities that saw the biggest influx of seasonal centi-millionaire residents in 2022, using data from Henley & Partners.
Centi-Millionaire Vacation Hotspots
The top three seasonal vacation hotspots of the ultra-rich are found in the United States: Miami, the Hamptons, and Florida’s West Palm Beach.
This may not come as a shock given the concentration of centi-millionaires in the United States, with New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles being home to the highest number of centi-millionaire residents in the world.
Regardless of where they live year-round, the table below reveals where these elites flock for seasonal getaways in their secondary homes.
| Rank | City or Town | Year-Round Centi-Millionaire Residents, 2022 | Peak Holiday Month Centi-Millionaire Residents, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Miami, Florida | 160 | 800 |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 The Hamptons, New York | 25 | 700 |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 West Palm Beach, Florida | 64 | 400 |
| 4 | 🇫🇷 Paris, France | 126 | 300 |
| 5 | 🇺🇸 Santa Barbara & Montecito, California | 82 | 200 |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 San Diego, California | 70 | 200 |
| 7 | 🇫🇷 Nice, France | 60 | 200 |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 Napa, California | 28 | 200 |
| 9 | 🇵🇹 Golden Triangle, Algarve, Portugal | 20 | 200 |
| 10 | 🇺🇸 Aspen, Colorado | 6 | 200 |
| 11 | 🇺🇸 Carmel-by-the-Sea, California | 40 | 150 |
| 12 | 🇺🇸 Boca Raton, Florida | 38 | 150 |
| 13 | 🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal | 35 | 150 |
| 14 | 🇨🇭 Lugano, Switzerland | 30 | 150 |
| 15 | 🇫🇷 Cannes, France | 20 | 150 |
| 16 | 🇫🇷 Antibes, France | 18 | 150 |
| 17 | 🇺🇸 Jackson Hole, Wyoming | 10 | 150 |
The data above only considers centi-millionaires vacationing in their secondary residences, therefore excluding hotel stays, holiday rentals, and yachts. Peak holiday months vary for each location.
Beyond the 10 U.S. cities that constitute the top 17 centi-millionaire seasonal hotspots, we come across several French cities on the list, including Paris, Nice, Cannes, and Antibes, as well as Portugal’s Golden Triangle and Lisbon.
Global Centi-Millionaire Trends
According to Henley & Partners’ 2023 Centi-Millionaire Report, the global centi-millionaire population is expected to grow by 38% in the next decade, reaching nearly 40,000 by 2033.
Much of this growth is expected to be seen in countries such as China, India, and Saudi Arabia. China’s Hangzhou and Shenzhen, specifically, are expected to see the highest percentage growth in centi-millionaire populations through 2033, growing by 95% and 88%, respectively.
Despite the rapid growth of the wealthy in the global East, however, it’s notable that many centi-millionaires are still graduating from American universities.
More than half of the top 20 universities with the most centi-millionaire alumni are in the United States, with Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania making up the top three spots.
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