Forbes often releases information about some of the world's richest people. From athletes and movie stars, to business moguls and some of the richest clans around, the publication outlines the net worth of the people on its lists, along with some of most important details of each.

The magazine released its last list of America's richest families in June 2016. Many of the names may not come as a surprise. The discrepancy in value grows wider moving up the list, with the top five families worth almost $40 billion more than the rest of the 20 families.

The outliers are the Walton, Koch, and Mars families, which are the only families whose net worth exceeds $50 billion each. The Walton family alone is worth more than the bottom 10 families on the list. (See also: The Richest Person in Each Decade of Life)

Rank  Name Net Worth Origin of Wealth
1 Walton family $130  billion Wal-Mart
2 Koch family $82 billion diversified
3 Mars family $78 billion candy
4 Cargill-MacMillan family $49 billion Cargill Inc.
5 Cox family $41 billion media
6 S.C. Johnson family $30 billion cleaning products
7 Pritzker family $29 billion hotels, investments
8 (Edward) 
Johnson family		 $28.5 billion money management
9 Hearst family $28 billion Hearst Corp.
10 Duncan family $21.5 billion pipelines
11 Newhouse family $18.5 billion magazines, cable TV
12 Lauder family $17.9 billion Estee Lauder
13 Dorrance family $17.1  billion Campbell Soup Co.
14 Ziff family $14.4 billion publishing
15 Du Pont family $14.3 billion DuPont (chemicals)
16 Hunt family $13.7 billion oil
16 Goldman family $13.7 billion real estate
18 Busch family $13.4 billion Anheuser-Busch
19 Sackler family $13 billion pain medicines
20 Brown family $12.3  billion liquor
21 Marshall family $12 billion diversified
22 Mellon family $11.5 billion banking
23 Butt family $11 billion supermarkets
23 Rockefeller family $11 billion oil
25 Gallo family $10.7 billion wine, liquor

Source: forbes.com

$722 billion

The combined net worth of all 25 families combined.

For the complete list of America’s 25 richest families and more details on the families, as well as how the list was made, check out the Forbes ranking here. Meanwhile, here's a look at the top three families.

Walton Family 

The Walton family dwarfs all other families in terms of net worth, with an estimated net value of $130 billion as per Forbes' list. Most recent figures estimate that value to be closer to $140 million as of the end of 2018. 

The family is best known for the all-in-one shopping chain Walmart (WMT), founded by patriarch Sam Walton. The chain is the largest retailer in the world. It currently has more than 11,760 stores world-wide and revenue of over $500 billion during the 2018 fiscal year, according to its annual report.  

Koch Family 

Charles and David Koch took the reins from their father Fred Koch to run Koch Industries, currently the second-largest private corporation in the world. The Koch family’s net worth is estimated at $82 billion. 

The political influence of brothers Charles and David Koch are well known in the country, but there are also two other siblings: Frederick and William.

The corporation is involved in a variety of industries from chemical technology and mining, to raising cattle for beef, according to the company website. According to Forbes, the company had revenue of about $110 billion, with 120,000 employees.

Mars Family 

If you’ve ever bought a bag of candy or chocolate bar somewhere in the world, chances are it was made by Mars. The Mars family’s net worth is estimated at $78 billion. 

Forbes ranked the Mars family as the richest family in America back in 1988.

The Mars family owns the privately-held corporation which deals with all sorts of consumables, particularly sweets such as Starburst, Snickers, and more. According to Forbes, the company's revenues were about $35 billion in 2017, and had about 100,000 employees.

Key Takeaways

  • The Waltons, the Kochs, and the Mars family are the top three richest American families as per Forbes' list.
  • The families are worth a collective $722 billion.
  • The Walton family, which tops the list, is worth the bottom 10 families on the list combined.