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.
Economy
The $16 Trillion European Union Economy
This chart shows the contributors to the EU economy through a percentage-wise distribution of country-level GDP.

The $16 Trillion European Union Economy
The European Union has the third-largest economy in the world, accounting for one-sixth of global trade. All together, 27 member countries make up one internal market allowing free movement of goods, services, capital and people.
But how did this sui generis (a class by itself) political entity come into being?
A Brief History of the EU
After the devastating aftermath of the World War II, Western Europe saw a concerted move towards regional peace and security by promoting democracy and protecting human rights.
Crucially, the Schuman Declaration was presented in 1950. The coal and steel industries of Western Europe were integrated under common management, preventing countries from turning on each other and creating weapons of war. Six countries signed on — the eventual founders of the EU.
Here’s a list of all 27 members of the EU and the year they joined.
Country | Year of entry |
---|---|
🇧🇪 Belgium | 1958 |
🇫🇷 France | 1958 |
🇩🇪 Germany | 1958 |
🇮🇹 Italy | 1958 |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 1958 |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1958 |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 1973 |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 1973 |
🇬🇷 Greece | 1981 |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 1986 |
🇪🇸 Spain | 1986 |
🇦🇹 Austria | 1995 |
🇫🇮 Finland | 1995 |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 1995 |
🇨🇾 Cyprus | 2004 |
🇨🇿 Czechia | 2004 |
🇪🇪 Estonia | 2004 |
🇭🇺 Hungary | 2004 |
🇱🇻 Latvia | 2004 |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | 2004 |
🇲🇹 Malta | 2004 |
🇵🇱 Poland | 2004 |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | 2004 |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | 2004 |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 2007 |
🇷🇴 Romania | 2007 |
🇭🇷 Croatia | 2013 |
Greater economic and security cooperation followed over the next four decades, along with the addition of new members. These tighter relationships disincentivized conflict, and Western Europe—after centuries of constant war—has seen unprecedented peace for the last 80 years.
The modern version of the EU can trace its origin to 1993, with the adoption of the name, ‘the European Union,’ the birth of a single market, and the promise to use a single currency—the euro.
Since then the EU has become an economic and political force to reckon with. Its combined gross domestic product (GDP) stood at $16.6 trillion in 2022, after the U.S. ($26 trillion) and China ($19 trillion.)
Front Loading the EU Economy
For the impressive numbers it shows however, the European Union’s economic might is held up by three economic giants, per data from the International Monetary Fund. Put together, the GDPs of Germany ($4 trillion), France ($2.7 trillion) and Italy ($1.9 trillion) make up more than half of the EU’s entire economic output.
These three countries are also the most populous in the EU, and together with Spain and Poland, account for 66% of the total population of the EU.
Here’s a table of all 27 member states and the percentage they contribute to the EU’s gross domestic product.
Rank | Country | GDP (Billion USD) | % of the EU Economy |
---|---|---|---|
1. | 🇩🇪 Germany | 4,031.1 | 24.26% |
2. | 🇫🇷 France | 2,778.1 | 16.72% |
3. | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1,997.0 | 12.02% |
4. | 🇪🇸 Spain | 1,390.0 | 8.37% |
5. | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 990.6 | 5.96% |
6. | 🇵🇱 Poland | 716.3 | 4.31% |
7. | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 603.9 | 3.64% |
8. | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 589.5 | 3.55% |
9. | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 519.8 | 3.13% |
10. | 🇦🇹 Austria | 468.0 | 2.82% |
11. | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 386.7 | 2.33% |
12. | 🇷🇴 Romania | 299.9 | 1.81% |
13. | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 295.6 | 1.78% |
14. | 🇫🇮 Finland | 281.4 | 1.69% |
15. | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 255.9 | 1.54% |
16. | 🇬🇷 Greece | 222.0 | 1.34% |
17. | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 184.7 | 1.11% |
18. | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 112.4 | 0.68% |
19. | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 85.0 | 0.51% |
20. | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 82.2 | 0.49% |
21. | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 69.4 | 0.42% |
22. | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 68.0 | 0.41% |
23. | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 62.2 | 0.37% |
24. | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 40.6 | 0.24% |
25. | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 39.1 | 0.24% |
26. | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 26.7 | 0.16% |
27. | 🇲🇹 Malta | 17.2 | 0.10% |
Total | 16,613.1 | 100% |
The top-heaviness continues. By adding Spain ($1.3 trillion) and the Netherlands ($990 billion), the top five make up nearly 70% of the EU’s GDP. That goes up to 85% when the top 10 countries are included.
That means less than half of the 27 member states make up $14 trillion of the $16 trillion EU economy.
Older Members, Larger Share
Aside from the most populous members having bigger economies, another pattern emerges, with the time the country has spent in the EU.
Five of the six founders of the EU—Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium—are in the top 10 biggest economies of the EU. Ireland and Denmark, the next entrants into the union (1973) are ranked 9th and 11th respectively. The bottom 10 countries all joined the EU post-2004.
The UK—which joined the bloc in 1973 and formally left in 2020—would have been the second-largest economy in the region at $3.4 trillion.
Sectoral Analysis of the EU
The EU has four primary sectors of economic output: services, industry, construction, and agriculture (including fishing and forestry.) Below is an analysis of some of these sectors and the countries which contribute the most to it. All figures are from Eurostat.
Services and Tourism
The EU economy relies heavily on the services sector, accounting for more than 70% of the value added to the economy in 2020. It also is the sector with the highest share of employment in the EU, at 73%.
In Luxembourg, which has a large financial services sector, 87% of the country’s gross domestic product came from the services sector.
Tourism economies like Malta and Cyprus also had an above 80% share of services in their GDP.
Industry
Meanwhile 20% of the EU’s gross domestic product came from industry, with Ireland’s economy having the most share (40%) in its GDP. Czechia, Slovenia and Poland also had a significant share of industry output.
Mining coal and lignite in the EU saw a brief rebound in output in 2021, though levels continued to be subdued.
Rank | Sector | % of the EU Economy |
---|---|---|
1. | Services | 72.4% |
2. | Industry | 20.1% |
3. | Construction | 5.6% |
4. | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1.8% |
Agriculture
Less than 2% of the EU’s economy relies on agriculture, forestry and fishing. Romania, Latvia, and Greece feature as contributors to this sector, however the share in total output in each country is less than 5%. Bulgaria has the highest employment (16%) in this sector compared to other EU members.
Energy
The EU imports nearly 60% of its energy requirements. Until the end of 2021, Russia was the biggest exporter of petroleum and natural gas to the region. After the war in Ukraine that share has steadily decreased from nearly 25% to 15% for petroleum liquids and from nearly 40% to 15% for natural gas, per Eurostat.
Headwinds, High Seas
The IMF has a gloomy outlook for Europe heading into 2023. War in Ukraine, spiraling energy costs, high inflation, and stagnant wage growth means that EU leaders are facing “severe trade-offs and tough policy decisions.”
Reforms—to relieve supply constraints in the labor and energy markets—are key to increasing growth and relieving price pressures, according to the international body. The IMF projects that the EU will grow 0.7% in 2023.
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