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 the most important details of each.
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.
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 on the list.
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.
Key Takeaways
- The Waltons, the Kochs, and the Mars family are the top-three richest American families per Forbes' list.
- The top-three families alone are worth a collective $290 billion.
- The Walton family, which tops the list, is worth the bottom 10 families on the list combined.
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 worldwide and revenue of over $500 billion during the 2018 fiscal year, according to its annual report.
Koch Family
Charles and the late 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 the late David Koch may be well known throughout 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.
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.