It’s undeniable that the past half-decade has been exceptionally prosperous for America’s wealthiest families. Fueled by booming markets, the collective worth of the 50 families featured in Forbes‘ most recent ranking of America’s Richest Families has surged to a staggering $1.2 trillion. This represents an impressive 30% increase from the $916 billion they held in 2015. The entry threshold to even be considered among these elite clans has also risen, now requiring a minimum net worth of $7.3 billion, up from $6 billion just five years prior when a similar ranking of this magnitude was conducted.
Topping the list, the Walton family continues their reign as the wealthiest in America. Descendants of Walmart founders Sam Walton (who passed away in 1992) and Bud Walton (who passed in 1995), this family commands approximately half of the retail behemoth’s stock. This ownership translates into over $700 million in annual dividend income alone. Following closely are the Kochs, who maintain 84% ownership of Koch Industries, a conglomerate boasting $115 billion in revenue across diverse sectors including pipelines, chemicals, Dixie cups, and Stainmaster carpet. Interestingly, amidst this widespread wealth growth, the Sackler family, owners of opioid producer Purdue Pharma, experienced a downturn. This decline is largely attributed to the numerous lawsuits filed by attorneys general across nearly every U.S. state, alleging the company’s significant role in the ongoing opioid crisis. (For a deeper dive into this, read more here.)
Many of these ultra-rich American families are behind household name brands. Consider the Mars family, synonymous with M&Ms and Pedigree pet food, the Brown family and their iconic Jack Daniel’s whiskey, the Dorrance family and Campbell’s Soup, or the Fisher family who brought us Gap clothing. The Simplot and Reyes families play crucial roles as key food suppliers to the ubiquitous McDonald’s chain. While established dynasties like the Du Ponts and Rockefellers still feature on the list, some of America’s historically prominent families, such as the Astor, Vanderbilt, and Ford families (as detailed in this Forbes article from 1918), no longer make the cut. Their vast fortunes have largely been dispersed across generations.
Families who have amassed their wealth more recently, within the last five decades, include the Hughes family, controllers of self-storage giant Public Storage; the Cathys, owners of the beloved Chick-fil-A fast-food chain; and the Chaos, of Westlake Chemical, a leading producer of low-density polyethylene, essential for milk cartons and food packaging. The Chao family stands out as the only Asian-American and nonwhite family on this prestigious list, highlighting the persistent racial wealth gap in the United States. Their American wealth story began in the 1980s when T.T. Chao (who passed in 2008) relocated his family from Taiwan to the U.S. and established Westlake Chemical.
However, immense wealth doesn’t guarantee familial bliss. Six families on this year’s ranking have navigated intensely bitter and highly publicized family feuds. These disputes encompass legal battles over trust funds, allegations of sham adoptions, and even accusations of murder, as explored in further detail in this Forbes article on billionaire family feuds.
Below is Forbes‘ definitive ranking of the 50 wealthiest families in America. The “Change” indicator reflects the shift in their net worth since 2015. (The full methodology is detailed after the list.)
Top American Families by Wealth: The Definitive Ranking
1. Walton Family
- Worth: $247 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Walmart
2. Koch Family
- Worth: $100 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Diversified
3. Mars Family
- Worth: $94 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Candy, Pet Food
The Mars family’s empire, built on beloved brands like M&M’s and Snickers, extends beyond confectionery to pet care. Siblings Jacqueline and John Mars, along with the legacy of their late brother Forrest Jr., inherited stakes in Mars Inc., a company generating $35 billion in annual revenue. Their grandfather, Frank Mars, laid the foundation for this family wealth in 1911.
4. Cargill-MacMillan Family
- Worth: $47 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Cargill Inc.
5. Lauder Family
- Worth: $40 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Estee Lauder
6. S.C. Johnson Family
- Worth: $37 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Cleaning Products
7. (Edward) Johnson Family
- Worth: $36 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Money Management (Fidelity)
8. Cox Family
- Worth: $34.5 billion
- Change: EVEN
- Origin of Wealth: Media, Communications
9. Pritzker Family
- Worth: $32.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels, Investments (Hyatt)
The Pritzker family, a Chicago powerhouse, has diversified interests from Hyatt Hotels to significant investments. The third generation continues to shape the family legacy, with members like Tom Pritzker (Chairman of Hyatt Hotels), John Pritzker (founder of Geolo Capital), Penny Pritzker (former U.S. Commerce Secretary), Tony Pritzker (managing partner, Pritzker Group), and J.B. Pritzker (Governor of Illinois) all playing prominent roles.
10. Newhouse Family
- Worth: $30 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Magazines, Newspapers (Condé Nast)
11. Duncan Family
- Worth: $22 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Pipelines (Enterprise Products Partners)
12. Hearst Family
- Worth: $21 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Hearst Corp. (Media Conglomerate)
13. Brown Family
- Worth: $20.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Liquor (Brown-Forman – Jack Daniel’s)
14. Marshall Family
- Worth: $18.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Diversified (Koch Industries Stake)
15. Butt Family
- Worth: $17.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Supermarkets (H-E-B)
16. Busch Family
- Worth: $17.6 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Anheuser-Busch (Beer)
The Busch family’s name is synonymous with American beer. August Busch Sr. and his great-grandson August Busch IV represent different eras of the Anheuser-Busch legacy. August Busch IV led the beer giant from 2006 until its significant sale to InBev of Belgium in 2008, marking a shift in the family’s direct control but not diminishing their substantial wealth.
17. Du Pont Family
- Worth: $16 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: DuPont (Chemicals)
18. Hunt Family
- Worth: $15.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Oil (Petroleum)
19. Dorrance Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Campbell Soup Co.
The Dorrance family’s fortune is deeply intertwined with Campbell’s Soup. Bennett Dorrance currently serves on the board, continuing the family’s active involvement, while Charlotte Colket Weber, another family member, served on the board until 2014, highlighting the enduring legacy and influence of the Dorrance family within the company.
20. Ziff Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: EVEN
- Origin of Wealth: Publishing
21. Cathy Family
- Worth: $14.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Chick-fil-A (Fast Food)
S. Truett Cathy’s vision in founding Chick-fil-A in Atlanta in 1967 has blossomed into a fast-food phenomenon. Today, his sons Dan and Bubba Cathy carry forward his legacy, guiding the company’s continued growth and upholding its distinctive brand identity within the competitive fast-food landscape.
22. Stryker Family
- Worth: $14 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Medical Equipment (Stryker Corporation)
23. Goldman Family
- Worth: $13.2 billion
- Change: NEW
- Origin of Wealth: Real Estate (Solil Management)
24. Rollins Family
- Worth: $13.1 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Orkin Pest Control
25. Gallo Family
- Worth: $12.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Wine & Liquor (E.& J. Gallo Winery)
26. Reyes Family
- Worth: $12 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Food & Beer Distribution (Reyes Holdings)
27. Kohler Family
- Worth: $11.7 billion
- Change: NEW
- Origin of Wealth: Plumbing Products, Sinks (Kohler Co.)
28. Mellon Family
- Worth: $11.5 billion
- Change: EVEN
- Origin of Wealth: Banking
29. Smith Family
- Worth: $11.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Tools, Banking (Stanley Black & Decker)
30. Bass Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Oil, Investments
30. Sackler Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Pain Medicines (Purdue Pharma)
Raymond and Beverly Sackler, alongside Raymond’s brothers Mortimer and Arthur, were the architects behind Purdue Pharma and its blockbuster opioid pain drug OxyContin. However, facing a deluge of lawsuits, Purdue Pharma declared bankruptcy in 2019, marking a significant turning point in the family’s trajectory and wealth narrative.
32. Johnson Family
- Worth: $10.7 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Johnson & Johnson (Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices)
33. Marriott Family
- Worth: $10.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels (Marriott International)
Brothers Bill and Richard Marriott have expanded their father’s initial hotel venture into a global hospitality giant. Bill Marriott currently chairs Marriott International, while Richard Marriott chairs Host Hotels & Resorts, demonstrating the brothers’ continued leadership and influence within the family’s extensive hotel empire.
34. Crown Family
- Worth: $10.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Investments (Henry Crown and Company)
34. Hughes Family
- Worth: $10.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Public Storage Inc.
36. Pigott Family
- Worth: $10.1 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Trucks (PACCAR)
37. Shoen Family
- Worth: $9 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: U-Haul (Moving and Storage)
38. (Don & Doris) Fisher Family
- Worth: $8.9 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: The Gap (Retail Apparel)
39. Jenkins Family
- Worth: $8.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Publix Super Markets
40. Chao Family
- Worth: $8.6 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Chemicals (Westlake Chemical)
40. (Charles & Rupert) Johnson Family
- Worth: $8.6 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Mutual Funds (Franklin Resources)
40. Phipps Family
- Worth: $8.6 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Carnegie Steel, Bessemer Trust (Investments)
The Phipps family wealth traces back to Carnegie Steel and Bessemer Trust. Their historical connection to John D. Rockefeller and Carnegie Steel laid the groundwork for a lasting financial legacy, now managed through Bessemer Trust, a wealth management firm serving ultra-high-net-worth families.
43. Rockefeller Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Oil (Standard Oil)
John D. Rockefeller, America’s first billionaire, founded Standard Oil in 1870, revolutionizing the oil industry and establishing a dynasty of wealth. Pictured with his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., the Rockefeller family’s influence extends beyond oil into philanthropy, finance, and various sectors.
43. E.W. Scripps Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Newspapers (Scripps Networks Interactive)
45. Bechtel Family
- Worth: $8.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Construction, Engineering (Bechtel Corporation)
The Bechtel family has steered Bechtel Corporation, a construction and engineering titan founded in 1889, through generations of transformative projects. From the Hoover Dam to the Channel Tunnel, the leadership of Stephen Bechtel Jr., Riley Bechtel, and Brendan Bechtel exemplifies the family’s enduring impact on global infrastructure.
46. Gore Family
- Worth: $8.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Gore-Tex (W. L. Gore & Associates)
47. Durst Family
- Worth: $8.1 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Real Estate (The Durst Organization)
48. Taylor Family
- Worth: $7.8 billion
- Change: NEW
- Origin of Wealth: Enterprise Rent-A-Car
49. Simplot Family
- Worth: $7.7 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Agribusiness (J.R. Simplot Company)
50. Barbey Family
- Worth: $7.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Textiles, Apparel (VF Corporation)
Methodology
Unlike Forbes flagship rankings such as the Forbes 400 list of America’s richest individuals and the World’s Billionaires list, which concentrate on individual or nuclear-family wealth, the America’s Richest Families ranking encompasses multigenerational families of all sizes. These families range from just a couple of brothers to expansive clans like the Du Pont family with 4,000 members. It’s important to note that self-made entrepreneurs who founded their companies and are already featured with their nuclear families on the Billionaires list are excluded from this families ranking. This exclusion includes figures like Rupert Murdoch and J. Joe Ricketts. Similarly, married couples such as Tom and Judy Love are also not included as they are considered within the scope of individual wealth rankings.
To ascertain the financial standing of these families, Forbes aggregated their assets, encompassing stakes in both public and private companies, real estate holdings, art collections, and cash reserves. Debt estimates were also factored into the valuation process. For families with publicly traded holdings, stock prices as of the close of trading on December 4, 2020, were utilized. Assets irrevocably pledged to charitable foundations were excluded from the calculations. Forbes undertook efforts to verify these figures with all families or their representatives. While some families cooperated in this process, others chose not to. For any inquiries or potential omissions, Forbes encourages readers to reach out via email at [email protected] for further investigation.
Edited by Kerry A. Dolan, Chase Peterson-Withorn and Jennifer Wang
Reporters: Angel Au-Yeung, Deniz Cam, Hayley Cuccinello, Sergei Klebnikov, Andrea Murphy, Ariel Shapiro, Giacomo Tognini, Lisette Voytko
Research: Susan Radlauer
Database manager: Dmitri Slavinsky
Additional reporting by: Elisabeth Brier, Kenrick Cai, Lauren Debter, Abigail Freeman, Sarah Hansen, Eliza Haverstock, Katherine Love, Chloe Sorvino
