For decades, Forbes has been the gold standard in ranking the wealthiest individuals and entities across the globe. Building upon this legacy, their definitive ranking of the 50 Wealthiest Families In America offers a fascinating glimpse into the enduring power of generational wealth. These aren’t just millionaires; we’re talking about clans whose empires span industries, shaping the very fabric of American commerce and culture. From household names to less publicly known powerhouses, these families control a staggering amount of the nation’s wealth.
The past half-decade has been particularly fruitful for these top families. Riding the wave of booming markets, the collective worth of these 50 families has surged to a massive $1.2 trillion. This represents an impressive 30% increase from the $916 billion they held in 2015, the last time Forbes undertook such an extensive ranking. The entry bar to even make this prestigious list has also risen significantly, now requiring a minimum family net worth of $7.3 billion, up from $6 billion just five years prior.
Topping the list, unsurprisingly, are the Waltons. As the heirs to the Walmart fortune, founded by Sam Walton and Bud Walton, this family’s wealth is almost synonymous with American retail dominance. Owning approximately half of Walmart’s stock, their annual dividend income alone exceeds $700 million. Following closely behind are the Kochs, controlling 84% of Koch Industries, a diversified conglomerate with a staggering $115 billion in revenue across sectors ranging from pipelines and chemicals to consumer goods like Dixie cups and Stainmaster carpet.
Sam and Helen Walton with their children in 1962, showcasing the origins of the Walmart dynasty, one of the wealthiest families in America.
However, not all stories are of upward trajectories. A notable exception is the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, the company infamous for producing OxyContin. Facing a barrage of lawsuits from nearly every state attorney general due to their alleged role in the opioid crisis, the Sackler family’s fortune has seen a downturn since 2015, a stark reminder that even immense wealth is not immune to societal and legal pressures.
Beyond these top contenders, the list is a roll call of iconic American brands and industries. The Mars family, synonymous with M&Ms and Pedigree pet food, the Brown family, behind the legendary Jack Daniel’s whiskey, the Dorrance family, inheritors of Campbell’s Soup, and the Fisher family, who brought Gap clothing to the masses, all feature prominently. Even the fast-food giant McDonald’s relies on the Simplot and Reyes families as key food suppliers, highlighting the often-unseen networks of wealth that power everyday life.
While legendary names like Du Pont and Rockefeller still grace the list, the absence of other historically prominent dynasties like Astor, Vanderbilt, and Ford speaks volumes. Their once colossal fortunes have, over generations, been diluted, demonstrating the challenges of maintaining extreme wealth across numerous descendants and changing economic landscapes.
The list also showcases families who amassed their fortunes in relatively recent times. The Hughes family, controlling the self-storage behemoth Public Storage, the Cathy family, founders of the beloved Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, and the Chao family, of Westlake Chemical, a leading producer of essential plastics, represent the new guard of American wealth, built within a few decades. Notably, the Chaos are the only Asian-American family and among the few non-white families on the ranking, underscoring the persistent racial wealth gap in the United States, even at the highest echelons of affluence. Their story begins in the 1980s when T.T. Chao moved his family from Taiwan, establishing Westlake Chemical and initiating their American fortune.
The Mars siblings, inheritors of the Mars, Inc. confectionery and pet food empire, exemplify the enduring legacy of family-owned businesses among America’s wealthiest families.
However, immense wealth doesn’t guarantee familial bliss. A surprising number – six families on this year’s list – are grappling with intense and public family feuds. These internal conflicts, ranging from bitter legal battles over trust funds and accusations of sham adoptions to even more extreme allegations, serve as a stark reminder that money can amplify, rather than solve, family complexities.
Below is Forbes‘ definitive ranking of the 50 richest families in America, offering a detailed look at their net worth, the change in their wealth since 2015, and the origin of their vast fortunes. This list provides not just a ranking, but a window into the dynasties that have shaped, and continue to shape, the American economic landscape.
The Definitive Ranking: America’s Top Wealthiest Families
Here is the list of the top wealthiest families in America, ranked by net worth:
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
4. Cargill-MacMillan Family
- Worth: $47 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Cargill Inc. (Agriculture)
5. Lauder Family
- Worth: $40 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Estee Lauder (Cosmetics)
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, Automotive
9. Pritzker Family
- Worth: $32.5 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels, Investments (Hyatt)
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)
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)
August Busch Sr. and August Busch IV, representing generations of the Busch family’s influence in the beer industry, before Anheuser-Busch was sold.
16. Busch Family
- Worth: $17.6 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Anheuser-Busch (Beer)
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
19. Dorrance Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Campbell Soup Co.
20. Ziff Family
- Worth: $15 billion
- Change: EVEN
- Origin of Wealth: Publishing
Bennett Dorrance and Charlotte Colket Weber of the Dorrance family, highlighting the generational stewardship of the Campbell Soup Company fortune.
21. Cathy Family
- Worth: $14.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Chick-fil-A (Fast Food)
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, Northern Trust)
30. Bass Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Oil, Investments
31. Sackler Family
- Worth: $10.8 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Pain Medicines (Purdue Pharma)
32. Johnson Family
- Worth: $10.7 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Johnson & Johnson (Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals)
Bill and Richard Marriott, representing the Marriott family’s continued leadership in the global hotel industry.
33. Marriott Family
- Worth: $10.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Hotels (Marriott International)
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. (Self-Storage)
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)
39. Jenkins Family
- Worth: $8.8 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Publix Super Markets (Grocery)
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 (Steel, Investments)
John D. Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller Jr., representing the historical depth of wealth and influence associated with the Rockefeller family, pioneers in the oil industry.
43. Rockefeller Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: DOWN
- Origin of Wealth: Oil
44. E.W. Scripps Family
- Worth: $8.4 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Newspapers, Media (Scripps Company)
45. Bechtel Family
- Worth: $8.3 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Construction, Engineering (Bechtel Corporation)
46. Gore Family
- Worth: $8.2 billion
- Change: UP
- Origin of Wealth: Gore-Tex (Materials Science)
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 (Car Rental)
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:
Forbes‘ ranking of America’s Richest Families differs from their individual wealth rankings by focusing on multigenerational families, from small to vast clans. It excludes self-made entrepreneurs already listed individually and married couples counted as nuclear families in other rankings.
Family fortunes are calculated by summing assets, including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, and cash, while accounting for estimated debt. Publicly traded holdings are valued using stock prices from December 4, 2020. Irrevocably pledged charitable assets are excluded. Forbes states they have attempted to verify figures with families or their representatives, with varying levels of cooperation. For any omissions or corrections, Forbes encourages readers to contact them at [email protected].
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
