The wealth of US tycoons is growing. Who is the richest person in each US state?

The richest person in each US state reflects the industries that generate wealth across the country, and they range from tech moguls to retail magnates. Some are household names, while others have built their fortunes discreetly in their home states, according to an analysis by visualcapitalist.com, based on a Forbes ranking.

The ranking presents the richest person in each US state, their estimated net worth, their city of residence and the industry they work in.

According to the source, Elon Musk is the richest person in Texas and the world, after moving to the Lone Star State from California in 2020. The 53-year-old CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla has an estimated net worth of about $388 billion.

Other notable business leaders who are the richest individuals in their states include Meta (Facebook owner) CEO Mark Zuckerberg of California, with an estimated net worth of $189 billion, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos of Florida, with $206 billion, and Warren Buffett of investment group Berkshire Hathaway, Nebraska, with $165 billion.

Another tech leader on the list is former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer of Washington, with a net worth of $118 billion. Ballmer surpassed his former boss, Bill Gates, after Forbes revised its estimate of the 2021 divorce settlement awarded to Gates' ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.

In all but three states (Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia), the richest person has a net worth of at least $1 billion.

Brad Smith, the retired CEO of Intuit and current president of Marshall University in West Virginia, is close to the billion-dollar mark, with an estimated net worth of $900 million.

According to the cited source, Michael Bloomberg, an American financial magnate, politician, and philanthropist, owner of Bloomberg LP, is the richest person in New York, with a fortune of $105 billion. Lukas Walton, the grandson-in-law of Sam Walton, founder of the retail chain Walmart, has a fortune of $39 billion and is the richest person in Illinois. Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman emeritus of the sportswear manufacturer Nike, has, along with his family, a fortune of $29 billion and is the richest person in Oregon. Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, is the richest person in Hawaii, with a fortune of $10 billion.

• Combined net worth of $2 trillion, up from 2024

The U.S. is home to more billionaires than any other country. While we might be tempted to think they all live in California, New York, Florida or Texas, these ultra-rich individuals can also be found in Hattiesburg, Mississippi or Shelburne, Vermont - or dozens of other cities across the country. In fact, there are billionaires in 47 states, according to businessinsider.com.

Forbes released its list of the richest people in each U.S. state in May 2025, with data as of April. With fortunes in industries like technology, retail, agriculture and oil, these individuals have a combined net worth of $2 trillion, up $400 billion from last year.

Reader's Opinion

write your opinion here.

Accord

By writing your opinion here you confirm that you have read the rules below and that you consent to them.

Anti-Romanian comments are prohibited.
- Use decent language.
The editorial team reserves the right to remove incoherent and vulgar opinions, which includes those with anti-social, obscene, and/or insulting content, as well as those that do not pertain to the article in question.
Stupid-aggressive comments are not allowed.
Incitement to social hatred and/or xenophobia, discrimination based on gender, age, or any other nature are not accepted.
Advertising announcements are not permitted.
Do not insert links or email addresses in the text of opinions.
Deliberate repetition of the same message (or variants) can be considered propaganda; propaganda in this form is prohibited.
- Threats of any kind are not accepted.
- Harassment of BURSA's journalists is not allowed.
- Defaming the BURSA Newspaper is prohibited.
- Revealing the identity of any commentator in the opinion section without their written consent filed with the Editorial Office is not accepted.
The use of the names of BURSA's journalists for the falsification of opinion signatures is not allowed.
Name substitution is not accepted.
The editorial team reserves the right to delete opinions and restrict access to posting opinions for those who are deemed to act in bad faith.
Violations of this regulation will result in the removal of posted opinions (an equivalent of self-censorship by the author of the message, rather than censorship practiced by the newspaper).
SPECIFICATIONS:
- All opinions express the views of the authors, not the administrator (except for messages written by the administrator); we do not take responsibility for materials posted on this site by individuals not authorized by the BURSA newspaper.
- Posting a message implies tacit acceptance of this regulation.
- If you request individual responses, please provide your real email address; we will try, within the available time, to answer all your questions.