Laurene Powell Jobs on stage during Vox Media's 2022 Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California.

Richest women in America

Written by:
May 31, 2023
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Richest women in America

The overwhelming majority of those who make it onto "richest people" lists—in all 50 states or the world—are men. This fact is unsurprising considering the history of discriminatory workplace practices and various barriers to women's wealth, including barring women from having credit cards until the 1970s. Even in 2023, an income gap leaves women earning $0.83 on average for every $1 a man makes.

Madam C.J. Walker, an early 19th-century purveyor of hair care and cosmetics for Black American women, is widely considered the first woman self-made millionaire in the United States. Among the 500 richest people in the world, according to the May 18, 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index, self-made women account for less than 5%.

In 2016, Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told The New York Times that "the higher up you move in the income distribution, the lower the proportion of women … [which] shows that there is a fundamental form of inequality at the top related to gender." This gender disparity is made even more clear by the fact that the number of female billionaires is growing half as fast as the number of male billionaires.

Stacker compiled a list of the richest women in America, using data from Forbes. These wealthy women are ranked by their net worth as of May 11, 2023. The women on the list have come upon their fortunes in various ways. Some, like the Waltons or the Pritzkers, are heiresses, inheriting wealth created by their families' businesses. Others, like Thai Lee, are self-made. Still, others built businesses with their husbands, like Marian Ilitch of Little Caesars Pizza and MacKenzie Scott of Amazon. Regardless of how these women came into their fortunes, their economic impact is undeniable. Keep reading to see how many names you recognize.

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#50. Marian Ilitch

- Net worth: $4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 731
- Source of wealth: Little Caesars Pizza
- Age: 90

Marian Ilitch co-founded the Little Caesars Pizza chain with her late husband Mike Ilitch in 1959. In the intervening years, she reinvested the profits of her company and now owns the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers as well as Detroit's MotorCity Casino Hotel.

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#49. Gail Miller

- Net worth: $4.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 698
- Source of wealth: Car dealerships
- Age: 79

Today, Gail Miller is the owner of the Larry H. Miller Company, which she founded with her late husband in 1979. The business began with the purchase of a single Toyota dealership in Utah, then eventually expanded into the eighth-largest auto dealer group in the United States before selling for $3.2 billion in 2021. The Millers also bought the Utah Jazz in 1986, but sold it for $1.66 billion in 2020.

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#48. Mary Alice Dorrance Malone

- Net worth: $4.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 695
- Source of wealth: Campbell Soup
- Age: 73

In 1897, Mary Alice Dorrance Malone's grandfather John T. Dorrance invented the condensed soup that rocketed Campbell's Soup Company to fame. Today, Dorrance Malone is on Campbell's board with her brother and is the single largest shareholder of the business. An avid horsewoman, she is also the president of an expansive breeding and training company called Iron Spring Farm.

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#47. Lynsi Snyder

- Net worth: $4.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 681
- Source of wealth: In-N-Out Burger
- Age: 41

In 2000, Lynsi Snyder became the sole heir to the In-N-Out Burger chain at 18 after both her uncle and father died. In 2010, she became president of the company and has since worked to expand the business to have more than 380 locations and counting in seven states in 2023.

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#46. Jean (Gigi) Pritzker

- Net worth: $4.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 680
- Source of wealth: Hotels, investments
- Age: 60

An heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, Jean "Gigi" Pritzker is a movie producer in Los Angeles. She founded Madison Wells Media, an entertainment company named after the Chicago streets where her great-grandfather once sold newspapers, and her company has produced films such as "Ender's Game" and "Hell or High Water." Pritzker is also behind the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, which donates to nonprofits focused on the arts, education, and building community.

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Patrick McMullan // Getty Images

#45. Jane Lauder

- Net worth: $4.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 670
- Source of wealth: Estée Lauder
- Age: 50

Jane Lauder, a granddaughter of cosmetics and skin care mastermind Estée Lauder, joined the family business in 1996, just one year after graduating from Stanford University. She managed the company's Clinique brand for several years before being promoted to executive vice president and chief data officer in July 2020. Since 2018, she has also served on the Eventbrite board of directors.

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#44. Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer

- Net worth: $4.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 654
- Source of wealth: Cargill
- Age: 61

An heir to the Cargill food corporation, Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer is the great-granddaughter of W.W. Cargill, who founded the company in 1865. Sontheim Meyer lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and spends a large portion of her time training show-jumping horses.

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#43. Johnelle Hunt

- Net worth: $4.4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 644
- Source of wealth: Trucking
- Age: 91

Johnelle Hunt was a stay-at-home mom until 1961 when she and her husband J.B. Hunt sold their house to start a rice hull packaging business. The duo turned that initial operation into J.B. Hunt Transport Services, one of the largest transportation companies in the world. Hunt acted as the company's corporate secretary until her retirement in 2008, and she remains the largest individual shareholder in the Arkansas-based brand that bears her late husband's name.

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#42. Margot Birmingham Perot

- Net worth: $4.4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 638
- Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate
- Age: 89

After meeting her late husband H. Ross Perot Sr. on a blind date in 1962, Margot Birmingham Perot gave him a $1,000 check to start Electronic Data Systems. When the entrepreneur and politician sold the company to General Motors 22 years later, he netted $1.5 billion. Birmingham Perot has donated large sums of money to organizations such as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Global Fund for Children, as well as providing the necessary funding for the Margot Perot Center for Women and Infants in Dallas.

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#41. Gayle Benson

- Net worth: $4.7 billion
- Worldwide rank: 596
- Source of wealth: New Orleans Saints
- Age: 76

Formerly an interior designer, Gayle Benson married Tom Benson in 2004. When he died in 2018, she became the sole owner of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. The transfer of ownership wasn't uncontested; Tom's daughter and several grandchildren fought against Gayle, his third wife, for control over the teams.

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#39. Helen Johnson-Leipold

- Net worth: $4.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 584
- Source of wealth: Cleaning products
- Age: 66

An heir to privately held S.C. Johnson & Son, whose products include Glade, Raid, and Windex, Helen Johnson-Leipold is a graduate of Cornell University. Johnson-Leipold is the CEO and chairman of Johnson Outdoors, which is publicly traded, and the chairman of the Johnson Financial Group. In 2017, she and her siblings pledged $150 million to her alma mater to fund the S.C. Johnson College of Business.

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#39. Winifred J. Marquart

- Net worth: $4.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 584
- Source of wealth: Cleaning products
- Age: 64

Winifred J. Marquart is one of the heirs to S.C. Johnson & Son and the president of the Johnson Family Foundation. Marquart lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, making her the only member of the extended Johnson family to move out of their Racine, Wisconsin, hometown. In 2017, she joined her siblings in pledging $150 million to Cornell to fund the S.C. Johnson College of Business.

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#38. Thai Lee

- Net worth: $4.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 580
- Source of wealth: IT provider
- Age: 64

Born in Bangkok and raised in South Korea, Thai Lee moved to the United States in her teens to attend high school. Equipped with an MBA from Harvard University, Lee is now the CEO of SHI International, an information technology provider with more than 20,000 customers. SHI is the largest minority and women-owned business enterprise in the United States, and has more than 6,000 employees worldwide.

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#37. Janice McNair

- Net worth: $5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 556
- Source of wealth: Energy, sports
- Age: 86

Janice McNair met her husband Robert McNair at South Carolina's Columbia College in the late 1950s. The McNairs made their first fortune in 1999 by selling their company, Cogen Technologies, to Enron for $1.5 billion. They then bought an 80% stake in the NFL's Houston Texans, which Janice McNair inherited upon her husband's death in 2018.

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#36. Dagmar Dolby and family

- Net worth: $5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 550
- Source of wealth: Dolby Laboratories
- Age: 81

The audio technology firm Dolby Laboratories pioneered the modern surround sound technology used in most of today's media, from movies to video games. The company was founded by Ray Dolby; but when he died in 2013, his widow Dagmar Dolby inherited about 36% of the brand. Since then, Dolby has donated nearly $200 million, giving to the University of Cambridge, the University of California in San Francisco, and the Academy Foundation.

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#35. Denise York and family

- Net worth: $5.1 billion
- Worldwide rank: 534
- Source of wealth: San Francisco 49ers
- Age: 72

In 1977, Denise York's father, construction magnate Edward DeBartolo Sr., bought the San Francisco 49ers for $13 million. Today, York and her family own more than 90% of the NFL team, now worth $4.175 billion—the sixth-most valuable team in the league. York was also president of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins when the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1991.

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#34. Lynda Resnick

- Net worth: $5.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 521
- Source of wealth: Agriculture
- Age: 80

Lynda Resnick is the vice chairman and co-owner of the Wonderful Company, the privately held, California-based enterprise behind Wonderful Pistachios, POM Wonderful, Fiji Water, Teleflora, and other brands. Resnick founded the company with her husband Stewart, who she met when he hired her ad agency to run marketing for an alarm business. The Resnicks have pledged to donate more than $2 billion of their combined $10.6 billion fortune to charity.

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#33. Elizabeth Johnson

- Net worth: $5.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 510
- Source of wealth: Fidelity
- Age: 60

Elizabeth Johnson is the granddaughter of Fidelity Investments founder Edward Johnson II and the sister of Abigail Johnson, the company's current CEO and chairman. In 2013, Johnson founded Louisburg Farm, a stable of show-jumping horses in Wellington, Florida. She is also a member of the research council of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts.

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Krista Kennell/Patrick McMullan // Getty Images

#31. Katharine Rayner

- Net worth: $5.5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 486
- Source of wealth: Media, automotive
- Age: 78

The younger daughter of Anne Cox Chambers, Katharine Rayner inherited a 17% stake in Cox Enterprises from her mother. Like her sister Margaretta Taylor, Rayner has never held an active role in the company. Instead, she's made her home in East Hampton, New York, where she focuses her energy on philanthropy and gardening.

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#31. Margaretta Taylor

- Net worth: $5.5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 486
- Source of wealth: Media, automotive
- Age: 81

Margaretta Taylor also inherited a 17% stake in Cox Enterprises, a media and automotive conglomerate, from her mother Anne Cox Chambers. She has never held an active role in the company. Taylor leaves the day-to-day operations of Cox Enterprises to her son Alex Taylor, who acts as the president and CEO, while she focuses her attention on philanthropy. Much of Margaretta Taylor's charitable giving is centered on conservation and education efforts.

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#30. Karen Pritzker

- Net worth: $6.1 billion
- Worldwide rank: 434
- Source of wealth: Hotels, investments
- Age: 65

Another of the 11 billionaire heirs to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, Karen Pritzker used her inheritance to make some savvy investments, growing her fortune beyond that of her siblings and cousins. In 2002, Pritzker founded the Seedlings Foundation, which ranks among the top-giving organizations in Connecticut and focuses on the physical and mental health of children. She also frequently donates to organizations such as Yale University, Teach for America, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

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#29. Melinda French Gates

- Net worth: $6.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 424
- Source of wealth: Microsoft
- Age: 58

A former high-level employee at Microsoft Corporation, Melinda French Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with her then-husband Bill Gates in 2000. In 2021, Melinda French Gates became a billionaire in her own right after Bill Gates transferred $2.4 billion worth of stock to her amid their divorce proceedings. Today, she devotes much of her time to philanthropy, focusing on girls' and women's issues, and invests in female-owned businesses through Pivotal Ventures, her venture capital firm.

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#28. Annette Lerner and family

- Net worth: $6.5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 400
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Age: 93

Annette Lerner enters the list after inheriting some of her late husband Ted Lerner's estate. He created a real-estate empire in the Washington, D.C. area, and it all started with Annette loaning him $250 in 1962. The Lerner family has also owned the Washington Nationals MLB team since 2006; the Lerner's son Mark currently serves as the managing principal owner of the team, although the family has said in the past that it hopes to sell the team.

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#27. Trudy Cathy White

- Net worth: $6.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 390
- Source of wealth: Chick-fil-A
- Age: 67

The only daughter of Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, Trudy Cathy White is an ambassador for the fried chicken company. While her two brothers took over the family business after their father's death, and now serve as CEO and executive vice president, White elected to serve as a Christian missionary and founded two religious nonprofits, Lifeshape and the Impact 360 Institute.

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Zoran Orcik // Shutterstock

#25. Dannine Avara

- Net worth: $6.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 371
- Source of wealth: Pipelines
- Age: 59

One of Dan Duncan's daughters, Dannine Avara also inherited a portion of Enterprise Production Partners after her father died in 2010. The company her father began in 1968 now owns nearly 50,000 miles of oil, natural gas, and petrochemical pipelines across the country.

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ccpixx photography // Shutterstock

#25. Milane Frantz

- Net worth: $6.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 371
- Source of wealth: Pipelines
- Age: 53

Milane Frantz's father, the late Dan Duncan, was at one point the richest man in Houston. When he died in 2010, his company, Enterprise Products Partners, passed to his four children, including Frantz. While she's not involved in the company operations, Frantz does serve as the director of the Duncan Family Foundation. She also sits on the board of Houston's Hermann Park Conservancy.

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#24. Randa Duncan Williams

- Net worth: $6.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 370
- Source of wealth: Pipelines
- Age: 61

Randa Duncan Williams is Dan Duncan's oldest daughter and the only one of his children to be involved in the operations of the family-owned company, Enterprise Production Partners. Duncan Williams joined the business in 1994 after graduating from the University of Houston with a law degree. In 2001, she was promoted to president and CEO of the company. Today, she serves as chairman of the board.

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#23. Edythe Broad and family

- Net worth: $6.9 billion
- Worldwide rank: 354
- Source of wealth: Homebuilding, insurance
- Age: 87

Edythe Broad was married to billionaire businessman Eli Broad, the founder of SunAmerica Inc. and KB Home. The two were married for nearly 70 years until Eli Broad's death in 2021. A renowned art collector and philanthropist, Edythe Broad has given away $4 billion of her fortune to causes like medical research, public education, and public arts funding.

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#22. Pauline MacMillan Keinath

- Net worth: $6.9 billion
- Worldwide rank: 351
- Source of wealth: Cargill
- Age: 89

While she is believed to be the largest single shareholder of the Cargill food and agriculture company with a 13% stake, Pauline MacMillan Keinath lives a fairly private life. The family company made $134.4 billion in revenue in 2021.

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#21. Ronda Stryker

- Net worth: $7.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 313
- Source of wealth: Medical equipment
- Age: 69

In 2013, Ronda Stryker, a former special education teacher, earned a lifetime achievement award from the YWCA, acknowledging her as a positive role model. Stryker inherited the Stryker Corporation from her parents, who had inherited it from her grandfather. She serves as director of the medical equipment company and is the only one of her three siblings to take on an active role in the business. She made headlines in 2018 when she donated $30 million to Spelman College, the largest gift from a living donor in the school's history.

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#20. Judy Faulkner

- Net worth: $7.4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 304
- Source of wealth: Healthcare software
- Age: 79

In a Wisconsin basement in 1979, computer programmer Judy Faulkner founded Epic Systems with the support of two part-time assistants. Epic Systems has grown to be the leading medical record software in America, and Faulker is still its CEO. In 2015, Faulkner signed the Giving Pledge, agreeing to give 99% of her family's wealth to a nonprofit foundation.

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#19. Tamara Gustavson

- Net worth: $7.5 billion
- Worldwide rank: 298
- Source of wealth: Self storage
- Age: 61

Tamara Gustavson is the largest individual shareholder of Public Storage, a self-storage company founded by her father in 1972. She sits on the boards of that company and another of her father's enterprises, American Homes 4 Rent. A racehorse aficionado, Gustavson also makes frequent donations to the HollyRod Foundation, which researches autism and Parkinson's disease.

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Settawat Udom // Shutterstock

#18. Elisabeth DeLuca and family

- Net worth: $8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 262
- Source of wealth: Subway
- Age: 75

When her husband and Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca died in 2015, Elisabeth inherited his half of the restaurant chain. In February 2023, Subway announced it was exploring a possible sale; and by late April 2023, CEO John Chidsey called the sale "imminent" as the company reported its ninth consecutive quarter of positive sales. DeLuca is also a noted philanthropist, serving as a director of the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation and a foundation of her own.

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#17. Blair Parry-Okeden

- Net worth: $8.4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 241
- Source of wealth: Media, automotive
- Age: 72

Barbara Cox Anthony, youngest daughter of James M. Cox and aunt to Margaretta Taylor and Katharine Rayner, had two children of her own: a son James and a daughter, Blair Parry-Okeden. Parry-Okeden inherited a 25% stake in her grandfather's company, Cox Enterprises, upon her mother's passing in 2007. She has never held an active role in the company, instead choosing to spend her life in Australia writing children's books.

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#16. Nancy Walton Laurie

- Net worth: $8.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 234
- Source of wealth: Walmart
- Age: 71

One of several Walmart heirs on this list, Nancy Walton Laurie inherited enough company stock from her father Bud Walton to make her a billionaire. Walton Laurie and her husband Bill Laurie own Missouri's Providence Bank. Outside of her business interests, in 1998 she founded the Columbia Performing Arts Center in Columbia, Missouri, and continues to be deeply invested in the center's success.

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#15. Ann Walton Kroenke

- Net worth: $9.1 billion
- Worldwide rank: 222
- Source of wealth: Walmart
- Age: 74

Ann Walton Kroenke, a registered nurse, is not at all involved in the operation of Walmart, her family's business. While she did inherit billions of dollars of shares upon the death of her father, Bud Walton, she and her husband chose to use their combined billions to purchase numerous sports teams: the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids, and the Arsenal Football Club.

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#11. Victoria Mars

- Net worth: $9.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 203
- Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
- Age: 66

Valerie Mars didn't begin working with the family's candy business until 1992. She's been actively involved since then, currently serving as the company's vice president of corporate development. Mars also sits on the board of Fiat Chrysler.

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#11. Valerie Mars

- Net worth: $9.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 203
- Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
- Age: 64

The eldest of the Mars sisters, Victoria Mars began working for the family candy company in 1978 as an assistant brand manager for Milky Way. She officially stepped down from Mars Inc. after resigning from her role as chairman in 2017. Victoria's four children stand to inherit her 8% stake in the company.

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#11. Marijke Mars

- Net worth: $9.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 203
- Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
- Age: 58

Another of the four Mars sisters, Marijke Mars inherited 8% of the company when her father, Forrest Mars Jr., died in 2016. She sits on the board of Mars Inc. and helps make decisions about the future of the business.

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#11. Pamela Mars

- Net worth: $9.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 203
- Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
- Age: 62

In 1911, Pamela Mars' great-grandfather Frank Mars founded Mars Incorporated—what was then simply a candy company. Today, Mars Inc. is the world's largest candymaker and has expanded into pet food. Mars has been actively involved in the family business since she took her first job in the company in 1986 and currently serves as the family ambassador to the Mars pet care division.

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#10. Judy Love and family

- Net worth: $10.2 billion
- Worldwide rank: 179
- Source of wealth: Gas stations
- Age: 85

Road trippers will recognize Judy Love's last name from the popular brand of gas stations she founded with her late husband Tom. Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores began as a single gas station lease in Watonga, Oklahoma, in 1964, and now spans more than 600 locations across 42 states. Tom died in March 2023 at 85.

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#9. Christy Walton

- Net worth: $11.1 billion
- Worldwide rank: 158
- Source of wealth: Walmart
- Age: 74

When Christy Walton's husband John died in 2005, she inherited one-sixth of his Walmart fortune. In 2010, she established the venture capital firm Cuna del Mar, which fights for sustainable seafood supply chains by backing brands like Earth Ocean Farms and Sol Azul Maricultivos.

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#8. Laurene Powell Jobs and family

- Net worth: $13.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 135
- Source of wealth: Apple, Disney
- Age: 59

Laurene Powell Jobs met her late husband, Apple founder Steve Jobs, after he gave a guest lecture at Stanford University, where she was an MBA student. When he died in 2011, Laurene Powell Jobs inherited billions of dollars in stock in Apple and Disney.

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#7. Diane Hendricks

- Net worth: $13.4 billion
- Worldwide rank: 133
- Source of wealth: Building supplies
- Age: 76

As a child, Diane Hendricks spent her days on a dairy farm. Once married, she and her husband Ken Hendricks founded ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding, and windows in the country. Hendricks has run the company solo since her husband died in 2007, donating millions of dollars to nonprofits in the Hendricks' native Wisconsin every year.

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#6. Abigail Johnson

- Net worth: $21.6 billion
- Worldwide rank: 76
- Source of wealth: Fidelity
- Age: 61

Abigail Johnson has served as the CEO of Fidelity Investments since 2014. After spending summers working at Fidelity during her college years, Johnson accepted a role as a full-time analyst in 1988. In 2016, Johnson became chairman as well as CEO, and currently holds an estimated 24.5% stake in the company. The Johnson family has frequently contributed to Boston area nonprofits, with donations going to Harvard, Historic New England, and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

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#5. MacKenzie Scott

- Net worth: $30.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 46
- Source of wealth: Amazon
- Age: 53

The ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott in 2019 signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate the vast majority of her wealth to philanthropic causes. Scott was awarded a 4% share of the online retailer Amazon upon the finalization of her divorce from Bezos in 2019. In March 2022, Scott donated $275 million to Planned Parenthood, the organization's single-largest donation in history.

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#4. Miriam Adelson and family

- Net worth: $37.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 33
- Source of wealth: Casinos
- Age: 77

An Israeli-American physician who focuses on addiction, Miriam Adelson is the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the founder of the Las Vegas Sands casino company. Upon Sheldon Adelson's death in 2021, she became the primary owner of the company. Adelson is a dedicated philanthropist, who focuses much of her attention on the Sheldon G. Adelson Research Clinic, which helps treat people addicted to opioids.

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Pool // Getty Images

#3. Jacqueline Mars

- Net worth: $38.3 billion
- Worldwide rank: 31
- Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
- Age: 83

Jacqueline Mars is the great-aunt of the four Mars sisters highlighted earlier in this list. She owns an estimated one-third of her grandfather's candy company, and she worked for the company for nearly 20 years, serving on the board until 2016.

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Rabbani and Solimene Photography // Getty Images

#2. Julia Koch and family

- Net worth: $59.0 billion
- Worldwide rank: 20
- Source of wealth: Koch Industries
- Age: 61

Julia Koch inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries when her husband David Koch died in 2019. The duo met on a blind date in 1991 and married in 1996. The former fashion assistant and her late husband donated a total of $1.2 billion, including $10 million to both the Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Stanford Children's Medical Center.

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#1. Alice Walton

- Net worth: $61.8 billion
- Worldwide rank: 19
- Source of wealth: Walmart
- Age: 73

The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton inherited a huge portion of the company upon her father's death in 1992. A member of the richest non-royal family in the world, Walton has spent very little time working for the family business, instead focusing on curating artwork. In 2011, she opened her own art museum in Arkansas—the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art—which features works from greats like Warhol, Rockwell, and Rothko.

Additional writing by Annalise Mantz. Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Lois Hince. Photo selection by Abigail Renaud.

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