Richest billionaires in Georgia

The first billionaire ever is thought to be Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller back in 1916, or perhaps Henry Ford in 1925.

Fast forward some 100 years to 2021: As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage, a record-breaking 660 people became billionaires globally, growing the previous year's number by 30%.

While the U.S. is home to the most billionaires out of any other country, Americans are somewhat split in their feelings on the billionaire class. According to Pew Research Center data, people in the U.S. became somewhat more critical of billionaires between 2020 and 2021.

Although support for individual billionaires like Bill Gates is relatively strong, many Americans view the ultra-rich—as a group rather than as individuals—negatively. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world's first trillionaire by 2026.

The U.S.'s wealthiest billionaires are mostly concentrated within just a couple of industries: finance and investments, and technology. Other wealthy sectors include food and drink, fashion and retail, and media and entertainment. Stacker compiled a list of the richest billionaires who are residents of Georgia, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of March 24. Forbes lists 17 billionaires in Georgia.

#17. Tyler Perry
- Net worth: $1.0 billion (#2,438 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: movies, television, self made

#16. Sara Blakely
- Net worth: $1.1 billion (#2,382 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Spanx, self made

#15. Tope Awotona
- Net worth: $1.2 billion (#2,208 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: software, self made

#14. Joe Rogers Jr
- Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,717 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Waffle House

#13. David Zalik
- Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,680 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: financial technology, self made

#12. Ted Turner
- Net worth: $2.4 billion (#1,268 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: cable television

#11. Raj Sardana
- Net worth: $2.7 billion (#1,178 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: technology services, self made

#9. Ben Chestnut (tie)
- Net worth: $4.2 billion (#647 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: email marketing, self made

#9. Dan Kurzius (tie)
- Net worth: $4.2 billion (#647 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: email marketing, self made

#8. Gary Rollins
- Net worth: $5.5 billion (#458 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: pest control

#7. John Brown
- Net worth: $6.0 billion (#422 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: medical equipment, self made

#4. Bubba Cathy (tie)
- Net worth: $6.6 billion (#371 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Chick-fil-A

#4. Dan Cathy (tie)
- Net worth: $6.6 billion (#371 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Chick-fil-A

#4. Trudy Cathy White (tie)
- Net worth: $6.6 billion (#371 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Hampton
- Source of wealth: Chick-fil-A

#3. Arthur Blank
- Net worth: $7.5 billion (#291 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Home Depot, self made

#2. Bernard Marcus
- Net worth: $8.0 billion (#263 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: Home Depot, self made

#1. Jim Kennedy
- Net worth: $8.4 billion (#235 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Atlanta
- Source of wealth: media, automotive