Ever wonder who the richest person in your state is? It's time to find out! Spoiler: most of their riches comes from generational wealth. Who knew!
Jimmy Rane, Alabama
Jimmy Rane's net worth is a whopping $900 million. Rane is a lumber industry big-wig who founded Great Southern Wood Preserving, the biggest lumber company in the state. He also goes by "The Yella Fella" due to his outlandish yellow cowboy outfit. He dolls himself up in yellow for the company commercials... That'll definitely get people talking.
Leonard Hyde & Jonathan Rubini, Alaska
Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini are worth $300 million each. The real estate partners own Anchorage's biggest buildings, including the well-known JL Tower and the ConocoPhillips Towers. In addition to large corporate buildings and towers, they also own Alaskan military housing developments and hotels.
Jim Walton, Arkansas
Jim Walton's $51.6 billion net worth is from the family business: Walmart. He's the youngest child of the wealthy bunch. He runs Arvest Bank, which is also a family business. He was on the Walmart board for over 10 years before giving his position to his son.
Ernest Garcia II, Arizona
Ernest Garcia II as accumulated $5.6 billion through his experience in the used car industry. He's currently the biggest shareholder of Carvana, the online buying and selling platform for cars. If you've ever seen a giant tower with cars in it, that's probably Carvana. The company was founded by his son, Ernest Garcia III. It's a subsidiary of DriveTime Automotive, which Garcia II founded.
Mark Zuckerberg, California
Mark Zuckerberg wracked up a net worth of $71 billion within 16 years. He started up the social media platform in 2004 and it quickly became a hit. He originally started it so that students could help find each other better, and then it took off to be the social media giant that it is today.
Philip Anschutz, Colorado
Philip Anschutz made his $12 billion fortune by making big investments in sports. He owns the LA Kings, the LA Galaxy, 1/4 of the LA Lakers, and the entire Staples Center. His company, Anschutz Entertainment Group, operates more than 100 arenas and venues worldwide.
Ray Dalio, Connecticut
Ray Dalio's $18.4 billion net worth is a direct result of hedge funds. He's the founder of the largest hedge fund firm, Bridgewater Associates. He launched the company from his NYC apartment in 1975. Since then, they've become a huge player in hedge fund activity. His company manages $160 billion in assets.
Robert Gore & Elizabeth Snyder, Delaware
Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder have accumulated $885 million from their materials firm W.L. Gore & Associates. Their parents started the company in 1958 and they ended up overtaking it years later. The company manufactures everything from human body implants to outdoor weather clothing.
Thomas Peterffy, Florida
Thomas Peterffy was able to live out the American dream tenfold with his $18.8 billion fortune. He moved from Hungary to America in 1965 and began working to make a living. He now owns Interactive Brokers, a sophisticated trading platform, and over 500,000 acres of timberland.
Jim Kennedy, Georgia
Jim Kennedy's $9.2 billion is mainly founded in generational wealth. His grandfather founded Cox Enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia in 1898. Kennedy is now the chairman. He also has investments in media and automobile companies.
Frank VanderSloot, Idaho
VanderSloot has an incredible $3.5 billion net worth thanks to the health and wellness company Melaleuca. The company is responsible for manufacturing more than 400 different products, from supplements to cleaners. VanderSloot used to be the national finance co-chair for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Pierre Omidyar, Hawaii
Pierre Omidyar is the founder of eBay, which helped him build up his $13.5 billion net worth. He founded the platform in 1995 and worked as the CEO for years until he took a step back to serve on the board. He is also the co-owner of multiple resorts all over California and Mexico.
Ken Griffin, Illinois
Ken Griffin is another hedge fund billionaire with $11.7 billion to his name. He started trading when he was a student at Harvard in 1987. Now, he is the founder and CEO of Citadel, a huge hedge fund that manages around $32 billion in assets. He also owns one of Wall Street's most successful makers, Citadel Securities.
Carl Cook, Indiana
Carl Cook can thank his parents for his $2.4 billion net worth. The young couple started Cook Group in their Bloomington apartment back in 1963. Carl Cook took over after his father's death in 2011, and is now the CEO.
Harry Stine, Iowa
Harry Stine used his knowledge of farming to gain his $3.8 billion net worth. As the son of a farmer, it was easy for him to use his experience to make even more money. Stine Seed Co is a company that licenses corn and soybean genetics. As a kid, he was always interested in how seeds worked. He really made use of that curiosity.
Charles Koch, Kansas
Charles Koch inherited his father's company which attributed to his $42 billion net worth. He is now the chairman of Koch Industries, which makes brawny paper towels, popular fertilizers, and Dixie cups. Koch has been leading the company since 1967.
Tamara Gustavason, Kentucky
Tamara Gustavson made an estimated $4.2 billion thanks to her father's self-storage business venture. Her father co-founded Public Storage in 1972. She held the vice president position until 2003. She began raising and breeding racehorses instead.
Gayle Benson, Louisiana
Tom Benson left a hefty $2.9 billion fortune to his wife, Gayle, after he passed away. He owned the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She ended up succeeding him as the owner of both teams. His fortune wasn't entirely hers, though, because his daughter and grandchildren fought for it as well.
Susan Alfond, Maine
Susan Alfond made her $1.7 billion fortune thanks to her father and the shoe industry. Her father founded Dexter Shoe Co. 60 years ago. They made a huge profit after it was sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 1993 for $420 million. The shares to the company are now worth billions, part of which funnel right into Alfond's pocket.
Ted Lerner, Maryland
Ted Lener turned $250 into $5.1 billion over his lifetime. In 1952, he borrowed $250 from his wife to start his company that sold homes for developers. Now, he owns 20 million square feet of commercial and retail space.
Abigail Johnson, Massachusetts
Abigail Johnson is the chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investment, which is partly where her $14.7 billion net worth comes from. The Boston-based mutual fund giant has $2.7 trillion in assets. She took over the CEO position from her father in 2014.
Daniel Gilbert, Michigan
Daniel Gilbert co-founded Quicken Loans in 1985 which lead to his $6.8 billion net worth. In 1999, he sold the company to Intuit for $532 million. In 2002, he bought Quicken Loans back for $64 million. In addition to his business ventures, he also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Glen Taylor, Minnesota
Glen Taylor has a $2.9 billion net worth that's deeply rooted in the printing business. In 1975, he bought a wedding service business for $2 million and converted it into Taylor Corp., a printing firm. He also has stakes in the NBA's Timberwolves, WNBA's Lynx, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Thomas & James Duff, Mississippi
The two Duff Brothers have a combined $1.3 billion net worth. They founded Duff Capital Investors, which became highly invested in the commercial tire dealer Southern Tire Mart. Even though the tire industry is one of their biggest assets, they manage tons of other companies that funnel money into their bank accounts.
Pauline Macmillan Keinath, Missouri
Pauline Macmillan Keinath has a $6.9 billion net worth thanks to her generational wealth. She has shares in Cargill, the biggest private company in America. She's also the largest shareholder in the firm, which is where a lot of her money comes from. The firm was started by her great-grandfather in 1865.
Dennis Washington, Montana
Dennis Washington has a wild net worth of $6.2 billion. He went from working on construction job sites to owning a business group called Washington Companies. He has stakes in copper mines, diamond mines, and regional railroads.
Warren Buffett, Nebraska
Warren Buffet is a well-known name, mostly due to his $85 billion net worth. He is considered one of the most successful investors of all time, owning companies like Geico, Duracell, and Dairy Queen. In his lifetime, he's donated $3.6 billion to charity.
Sheldon Adelson, Nevada
Sheldon Adelson is a casino man, naturally, and has earned over $35 billion in the gambling industry. He's the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, which means that he owns more than half of the entire United States' gambling empire. A lot of his money goes back into the business, towards Jewish causes, and into the Republican party.
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli, New Hampshire
Andrea Remainn-Ciardelli has a hefty stake in her family's firm, JAB, which continues to inflate her $720 million net worth. The company owns stakes in tons of other brands, which continues to feed into her pocket.
John Overdeck, New Jersey
New Jersey native John Overdeck has a $6.1 billion net worth thanks to the hedge fund industry. He is the co-founder of Two Sigma Investments, which manages over $57 billion in assets. Funny enough, he started working for Amazon back in the day before he went to start his own business.
Mack C. Chase, New Mexico
The oil tycoon has a net worth of $700 million in assets. His fortune comes from the Permian Basin oil fields in Texas and New Mexico. He cofounded Marbob Energy, which provides pumping services to well owners, and then started his own company in 1988, Mack Energy Corp.
Micheael Bloomberg, New York
Mayor Bloomberg has racked up a net worth of $53.8 billion over the course of his three terms and beyond. He cofounded Blomberg LP, a media and financial information company, in 1981, and it now has a revenue of $9 billion.
James Goodnight, North Carolina
Goodnight's $9.1 billion net worth is due to the software industry. He co-founded SAS, an analytics and software firm, in 1976. Its products are used by more than 83,000 organizations and it generates over $3.2 billion in annual revenue.
Gary Tharaldson, North Dakota
Tharaldson's $1 billion net worth is due to his stake in the hotel industry. He is North Dakota's first billionaire, and he sold his first hotel portfolio in 2006 for $1.2 billion. He now runs over 40 hotels in 14 states.
Les Wexner, Ohio
Wexner's $4.7 billion net worth is thanks to his company L Brands, a global retail empire. It owns Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works and brings in a $12.6 billion revenue. He started out in 1963 when he opened The Limited, which sold fast-moving items like clothing.
Harold Hamm, Oklahoma
Another oil and gas tycoon with a massive paycheck of $11.8 billion, Hamm runs Continental Resources in Oklahoma. That is the biggest independent oil company in the nation. It produces more than 200,000 barrels per day. Hamm came from humble beginnings, working as a cotton picker as a child and then as a gas station attendant as a teen to support his family.
Phil Knight, Oregon
Knight's $35 billion net worth is due to his standing share in Nike. He is the company's largest shareholder in the $36.4 billion business. He started the company and ran it for 52 years until his retirement in 2016.
Victoria Mars, Pennsylvania
Heiress to the Mars candy company, Victoria Mars has a $7 billion net worth. She is the great-granddaughter of Frank Mars, who founded the company in 1911. She inherited an estimated 8% stake after her father died in 2011.
Jonathan Nelson, Rhode Island
Nelson's $1.8 billion net worth is thanks to the private equity industry. He is the founder and CEO of Providence Equity Partners, which he started in 1989. He invests in more than 180 companies, from media to communications to education. His biggest names are Hulu and the Ironman Triathlon.
Anita Zucker, South Carolina
Zucker's $1.8 billion wealth is due to her standing CEO position of InterTech Group. It is a private chemical manufacturer founded by her husband Jerry Zucker, who died in 2008. They also own an aerospace engineering firm and lots of commercial real estate.
T. Denny Sanford, South Dakota
Sanford owns First Premier Bank, which helped him rack up a $2.5 billion net worth. Based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it is one of the largest issuers of Visa and Mastercards. He has given away more than $1.6 billion to charity in his lifetime.
Thomas Frist Jr., Tennessee
Frist's net worth is a whopping $11.7 billion thanks to his company HCA Healthcare. It operates hospitals and surgical centers in the U.S. and London. Though he no longer holds the executive position, his two sons are board members.
Alice Walton, Texas
This Texas heiress has a net worth of $50.1 billion thanks to her father's company, Walmart. She curates art rather than working for Walmart like the rest of her siblings. In 2011 she opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Gail Miller, Utah
Miller's $1.5 billion wealth comes from the car dealership industry. She and her husband turned one Toyota dealership into a $5.1 billion industry with 64 dealerships total. They also purchased the Utah Jazz in 1986.
John Abele, Vermont
Abele's $640 million wealth is from the health care industry. He co-founded medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific in 1979, which provides less invasive treatments for patients. He retired in 2005 and eventually sold most of his shares.
Jacqueline Mars, Virginia
Mars's $28.1 billion net worth is thanks to her one-third holding of Mars Inc., the world's largest candy maker. Founded by her grandfather, she worked under the company for nearly 20 years and served on its board until 2016.
Jeff Bezos, Washington
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a staggering 157 billion net worth. He is the richest person in the entire world. Amazon pulled in $230 billion in revenue and $10 billion in net profit in 2018. When his divorce is finalized, 16% of his stake in Amazon will go to his ex-wife.
Jim Justice II, West Virginia
Justice's $1.5 billion is due to his stake in the coal industry. He owns the Greenbrier resort as well as his shares in various coal mining expenditures. However, he's been hit with over $10 million court-ordered penalties due to tax evasion.
John Menard Jr., Wisconsin
Menard's $11.4 billion net worth is thanks to his home improvement retailer. His stores compete with Home Depot and Lowe's and are based in the middle of the U.S., from Wyoming to Ohio. He's brought in an estimated $10 billion in sales.
John Mars, Wyoming
Another one-third shareholder of Mars Inc., John Mars has a net worth of $28.1 billion. When their father died in 1999, all three Mars siblings earned a third of the company. Mars' first success was the Milky Way bar in 1923.
Bill Gates, $107.1 Billion
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has a staggering net worth of $1071 billion thanks to his invention of the Microsoft Office and Windows products. You won't find a workplace that doesn't use either Windows or Mac products. He is also one of the most philanthropic billionaires in the world and frequently donates to global causes.
Bernard Arnault, $92.2 Billion
This French businessman and art collector is the chairman and CEO of LVMH Moet Hennessy, the world's largest luxury-goods company. In 2018 he became the richest person in fashion. He briefly surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the richest man in December 2019.
Armancio Ortega, $59.3 Billion
This Spanish businessman is the founder and former chairman of Inditex fashion group, which owns Zara clothing. He was the second-wealthiest person in Europe and the sixth wealthiest person in the world in December 2019.
Carlos Slim, $64 Billion
Mexican businessman Carlos Slim has large holdings of Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso. He was the richest person in the world in 2013, and currently is the richest person in Latin America.
Larry Page, $50.8 Billion
CEO of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, Larry Page is cited as the co-founder of Google alongside Sergey Brin. Both he and Brin remain in charge of both Google and Alphabet, though they have rearranged their roles and assets multiple times.
Charles Koch, $60 Billion
As CEO of Koch Industries, he and his late brother David each owned 42% of the company. Originally an oil and chemical refinery company, Koch Industries now processes pollution control equipment. He was ranked the 11th-richest person in the world in 2019.
Lilliane Bettencourt, $44.7 Billion
Shareholder of L'Oreal, Bettencourt was a French heiress, socialite, and businesswoman. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman and fourteenth-richest person in the world.
Christy Walton, $41.7 Billion
Widow of John T. Walton, one of the sons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Christy Walson is the main heir to her late husband's fortune following his death in a plane crash in 2005. She was the richest woman in the world for several years. Much of her wealth is now in the hands of their son, Lukas Walton.
Li Ka-Shing, $31 Billion
The Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist is the 30th richest person in the world. He is the senior advisor for CK Hutchinson Holdings and is the world's leading port investor.
Stefan Persson, $18.5 Billion
The Swedish business magnate earned his net worth as the Chairman of fashion company H&M. He is the 50th richest person in the world, and he took over the fashion conglomerate in 1982 and served as its manager until 1998.