Money
Visualized: The Richest Families in America
Visualizing the Richest Families in America
When we think about the richest people in America, individual names often come to mind like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates. But often, it’s the richest families in America that hold a deeper legacy, and sometimes, even deeper pockets.
The country’s 50 richest families hold a collective wealth of $1.2 trillion. This ranking goes beyond nuclear family units and self-made fortunes, and it instead measures the wealth of multi-generational or extended families.
Our visualization, which leverages the latest data from Forbes, reveals the wealthiest families in America and the enterprises that helped them earn their billions.
Editor’s note on methodology: in this ranking, Forbes leaves out self-made entrepreneurs that appear with their nuclear families on the billionaires list. For example, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon and Rupert Murdoch founded News Corp, but these successes did not come from family wealth that was passed down to them.
Family Matters
Say the name Rockefeller or Vanderbilt, and everyone knows who you’re talking about—but how do these household names hold up in the modern rankings?
Below are the 50 richest families in America, based on net worth:
Rank | Family | Net Worth | Origin of Wealth |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | Walton Family | $247.0B | Walmart |
#2 | Koch Family | $100.0B | Koch Industries |
#3 | Mars Family | $94.0B | Mars Inc. |
#4 | Cargill-MacMillan Family | $47.0B | Cargill Inc. |
#5 | Lauder Family | $40.0B | Estee Lauder |
#6 | S.C. Johnson Family | $37.0B | SC Johnson |
#7 | Edward Johnson Family | $36.0B | Fidelity |
#8 | Cox Family | $34.5B | Cox Enterprises |
#9 | Pritzker Family | $32.5B | Hyatt Hotels |
#10 | Newhouse Family | $30.0B | Condé Nast |
#11 | Duncan Family | $22.0B | Enterprise Products Partners L.P. |
#12 | Hearst Family | $21.0B | Hearst Corporation |
#13 | Brown Family | $20.4B | Brown–Forman |
#14 | Marshall Family | $18.5B | Koch Industries (6% stake) |
#15 | Butt Family | $17.8B | H-E-B |
#16 | Busch Family | $17.6B | Anheuser-Busch |
#17 | Du Pont Family | $16.0B | DuPont |
#18 | Hunt Family | $15.5B | Hunt Oil and Petro-Hunt |
#19 | Dorrance Family | $15.0B | Campbell Soup Co. |
#20 | Ziff Family | $15.0B | Ziff-Davis |
#21 | Cathy Family | $14.2B | Chick-fil-A |
#22 | Stryker Family | $14.0B | Stryker |
#23 | Goldman Family | $13.2B | Real Estate |
#24 | Rollins Family | $13.1B | Orkin Pest control |
#25 | Gallo Family | $12.4B | E&J Gallo Winery |
#26 | Reyes Family | $12.0B | Reyes Holdings |
#27 | Kohler Family | $11.7B | Kohler Co. |
#28 | Mellon Family | $11.5B | Banking |
#29 | Smith Family | $11.3B | Illinois Tool Works, Northern Trust |
#30 | Bass Family | $10.8B | Oil |
#31 | Sackler Family | $10.8B | Purdue Pharma |
#32 | Johnson Family | $10.7B | Johnson & Johnson |
#33 | Marriott Family | $10.4B | Marriott International |
#34 | Crown Family | $10.2B | Investments |
#35 | Hughes Family | $10.2B | Public Storage Inc. |
#36 | Pigott Family | $10.1B | Paccar |
#37 | Shoen Family | $9.0B | U-Haul |
#38 | Fisher Family | $8.9B | Gap Inc. |
#39 | Jenkins Family | $8.8B | Publix Super Markets |
#40 | Chao Family | $8.6B | Westlake Chemical Corp. |
#41 | (Charles & Rupert) Johnson Family | $8.6B | Franklin Resources Inc. |
#42 | Phipps Family | $8.6B | Carnegie Steel, Bessemer Trust |
#43 | Rockefeller Family | $8.4B | Standard Oil |
#44 | E.W. Scripps Family | $8.4B | Scripps Network Interactive |
#45 | Bechtel Family | $8.3B | Bechtel |
#46 | Gore Family | $8.2B | Gore-Tex |
#47 | Durst Family | $8.1B | Real Estate |
#48 | Taylor Family | $7.8B | Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
#49 | Simplot Family | $7.7B | Simplot |
#50 | Barbey Family | $7.3B | VF Corp |
The richest family in the U.S. is the Waltons, founders of Walmart. Their net worth adds to an approximate $247 billion, making them also the richest family in the world. Over the last year, they’ve grown their family fortune by $25 billion, equal to nearly $3 million per hour.
Interestingly, the Vanderbilts—the railroad tycoons that were once the richest family in the country in the late 19th century—have been ousted from the rankings entirely. Other notable American families, like Ford and Astor, have lost their place on the list as well.
On the other hand, the Rockefellers still hold their status today, ranked at number 43 with a net worth of $8.4 billion. John D. Rockefeller became America’s first billionaire back in 1916, despite the breaking up of Standard Oil for antitrust reasons.
Building Wealth
Over the last five years, nearly every family on this list has seen wealth increase. Many of the behemoth companies on which these families built their fortunes are staples in America, like Campbell’s Soup, Cargill, Dixie Cups, Estee Lauder, and M&Ms and Snickers.
For example, the South’s beloved fast food chain, Chick-fil-A, was founded by the Cathy family and generated $12.67 billion in sales as of the latest annual data, making it the third most popular chain restaurant in the country.
Some of the newer families to make the list also owe it to the success of their enterprises:
- The Kohler family: Kohler Co. (manufacturers of kitchenware, plumbing products, furniture, etc.)
- The Taylor family: Enterprise Rent-A-Car (car rental services)
However, a few families have experienced significant losses since the last Forbes ranking. Here’s a look at some notable net worth decreases:
Family | Company | Change in Net Worth from 2015-2020 |
---|---|---|
Hearst | Hearst Corporation | $-7.0B |
Rockefeller | Standard Oil | $-2.6B |
Sackler | Purdu Pharma | $-2.2B |
Fisher | Gap Inc. | Negative growth (exact $ amount unknown) |
Johnson (Charles and Rupert) | Mutual Funds | Negative growth (exact $ amount unknown) |
Purdue Pharma recently filed for bankruptcy. The Sackler family’s plan is to reformulate the company into a new venture whose profits would go towards the opioid crisis, for which they are largely blamed. It would also cost the family around $4.3 billion directly.
Keeping it in the Family
While some families may have experienced decreases in their wealth, for many this is just a small bump in the road.
Overall, the richest families in America are the keepers of immense wealth that has accumulated over generations. For some, their names are now cultural landmarks across the U.S. and their brands have become synonymous with life in America.
Money
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

The Briefing
- Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
- After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.
Methodology and Results
The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.
Year | Fed chair | % Great deal or Fair amount |
---|---|---|
2023 | Jerome Powell | 36% |
2022 | Jerome Powell | 43% |
2021 | Jerome Powell | 55% |
2020 | Jerome Powell | 58% |
2019 | Jerome Powell | 50% |
2018 | Jerome Powell | 45% |
2017 | Janet Yellen | 45% |
2016 | Janet Yellen | 38% |
2015 | Janet Yellen | 42% |
2014 | Janet Yellen | 37% |
2013 | Ben Bernanke | 42% |
2012 | Ben Bernanke | 39% |
2011 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2010 | Ben Bernanke | 44% |
2009 | Ben Bernanke | 49% |
2008 | Ben Bernanke | 47% |
2007 | Ben Bernanke | 50% |
2006 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2005 | Alan Greenspan | 56% |
2004 | Alan Greenspan | 61% |
2003 | Alan Greenspan | 65% |
2002 | Alan Greenspan | 69% |
2001 | Alan Greenspan | 74% |
Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”
We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.
For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.
On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.
Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.
Confidence Now on the Decline
After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.
This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:
- Negative impact on the stock market
- Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
- Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable
Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Gallup (2023)
Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.
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