For decades, Forbes has been the definitive source for ranking the wealthiest individuals and families in America. This latest compilation of the nation’s 50 Richest Families showcases the incredible growth of generational wealth. Collectively, these families command a staggering $1.2 trillion, a substantial leap from the $916 billion reported in 2015. The entry threshold to even be considered among these elite families now stands at a minimum net worth of $7.3 billion, up from $6 billion just five years prior.
Leading the pack, the Walton family remains unchallenged at the top. As the heirs to the Walmart empire, founded by Sam Walton and Bud Walton, they possess approximately half of the retail giant’s stock. This ownership translates into an astounding $700 million in annual dividend income alone. Following closely are the Koch family, with their 84% stake in Koch Industries, a conglomerate boasting $115 billion in revenue across diverse sectors, from pipelines and chemicals to consumer goods like Dixie cups and Stainmaster carpet. Interestingly, not all fortunes have trended upwards; the Sackler family, associated with opioid producer Purdue Pharma, experienced a decline amidst widespread litigation concerning their role in the opioid crisis.
Beyond these top contenders, the reach of America’s richest families extends into everyday products and brands. The Mars family brings us M&Ms and Pedigree pet food, while the Brown family is synonymous with Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Campbell’s Soup is a legacy of the Dorrance family, and the Fisher family’s name is behind Gap clothing. Crucially, families like the Simplots and Reyes are vital suppliers to the McDonald’s supply chain, highlighting the often unseen influence of these wealthy dynasties. While historical names like Du Pont and Rockefeller still feature, once-dominant families such as the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Fords no longer make the cut, their vast fortunes having diffused across generations.
The list also includes families who have built immense wealth in more recent times. The Hughes family’s control of Public Storage and the Cathy family’s ownership of Chick-fil-A are examples of fortunes amassed within the last half-century. The Chao family, of Westlake Chemical, represents a significant inclusion as Asian-Americans and nonwhites in these rankings, underscoring the ongoing racial wealth gap in the country. Their American wealth story began in the 1980s when T.T. Chao relocated his family from Taiwan and established Westlake Chemical.
However, immense wealth doesn’t guarantee familial harmony. A notable six families on this year’s list have been entangled in public and acrimonious family disputes, ranging from trust fund battles to accusations of serious wrongdoing.
Below is Forbes‘ definitive ranking of the 50 Richest Families In America, detailing their net worth and the change since 2015. (The methodology is explained at the end of this article.)
The Definitive Ranking: America’s 50 Richest Families
1. Walton Family
- Worth: $247 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Walmart
Image alt text: A vintage photograph from 1962 shows Sam and Helen Walton posing with their four children, Alice, John, Rob, and Jim, founders of Walmart, one of the richest families in America.
2. Koch Family
- Worth: $100 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Diversified (Koch Industries)
3. Mars Family
- Worth: $94 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Candy, Pet Food (Mars Inc.)
Image alt text: Siblings Jacqueline Mars and John Mars, key figures in the Mars family, inheritors of the global confectionery and pet food empire and members of the wealthiest families in America.
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 (S.C. Johnson)
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 (Cox Enterprises)
9. Pritzker Family
- Worth: $32.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels, Investments (Hyatt Hotels, Pritzker Group)
Image alt text: A group portrait features third-generation Pritzker family members, prominent in Chicago and nationally known for their Hyatt Hotels fortune and diverse investments, illustrating family wealth in America.
10. Newhouse Family
- Worth: $30 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Magazines, Newspapers (Advance Publications)
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.
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, inherited 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 (formerly)
Image alt text: Historic and modern images juxtapose August Busch Sr. with his great-grandson August Busch IV, representing generations of the Busch family and their legacy with the Anheuser-Busch beer empire, a classic example of richest families in America.
17. Du Pont Family
- Worth: $16 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: DuPont (formerly)
18. Hunt Family
- Worth: $15.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Oil (Petroleum and diversified holdings)
19. Dorrance Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Campbell Soup Co.
Image alt text: Bennett Dorrance and Charlotte Colket Weber, members of the Dorrance family, are pictured, representing the lineage behind the Campbell’s Soup fortune, and their continued presence among the richest families in America.
20. Ziff Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: EVEN
- Origin of Wealth: Publishing (Ziff Davis – formerly)
21. Cathy Family
- Worth: $14.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Chick-fil-A
Image alt text: S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, is seen with his sons Dan and Bubba Cathy, who now lead the fast-food chain, illustrating a family-run business and their place among the richest families in America.
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 (Mellon Bank – formerly, diversified holdings)
29. Smith Family
- Worth: $11.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Tools, Banking (Stanley Black & Decker, Northern Trust)
30. Bass Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Oil, Investments (Bass Brothers Enterprises)
31. Sackler Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Pain Medicines (Purdue Pharma – OxyContin)
Image alt text: A portrait of Raymond and Beverly Sackler, key members of the Sackler family, whose wealth is tied to Purdue Pharma and the controversial opioid pain drug OxyContin, highlighting a complex legacy among richest families in America.
32. Johnson Family
- Worth: $10.7 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Johnson & Johnson
33. Marriott Family
- Worth: $10.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels (Marriott International)
Image alt text: Hotel tycoons Bill and Richard Marriott, brothers of the Marriott family, are shown, representing the leadership of Marriott International and their family’s prominent position among the richest families in America.
34. Crown Family
- Worth: $10.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Investments (Henry Crown and Company)
35. 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 – Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF)
37. Shoen Family
- Worth: $9 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: U-Haul
38. (Don & Doris) Fisher Family
- Worth: $8.9 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: The Gap
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)
41. (Charles & Rupert) Johnson Family
- Worth: $8.6 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Mutual Funds (Franklin Resources)
42. Phipps Family
- Worth: $8.6 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Carnegie Steel, Bessemer Trust
43. Rockefeller Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Oil (Standard Oil – formerly, diversified holdings)
Image alt text: A historical image of John D. Rockefeller, America’s first billionaire and founder of Standard Oil, with his son John D. Rockefeller Jr., representing the Rockefeller family legacy and their enduring presence among the richest families in America.
44. E.W. Scripps Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Newspapers (Scripps Howard)
45. Bechtel Family
- Worth: $8.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Construction, Engineering (Bechtel Corporation)
Image alt text: Three generations of the Bechtel family, Stephen Jr., Riley, and Brendan Bechtel, are pictured, highlighting their leadership of Bechtel, a global construction and engineering giant, and their status as one of the richest families in America.
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 – formerly)
Methodology
This ranking of America’s Richest Families differs from the Forbes 400 and World’s Billionaires lists, which focus on individual or nuclear-family wealth. This list encompasses multigenerational families, from small to very large clans. Self-made entrepreneurs already featured on the Billionaires list with their immediate families are excluded, as are married couples.
To determine family fortunes, we aggregated assets including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, and cash, accounting for estimated debt. For public holdings, stock prices from December 4, 2020, were used. Irrevocably pledged charitable foundation assets were excluded. We engaged with many families or their representatives to verify figures, with varying levels of cooperation. For any family suggestions, please contact [email protected] for 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.
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