Michael B. Sauter
While other parts of the world might have the United States beat when it comes to income per capita or providing financial security for all its citizens, no country on earth is home to a greater concentration of wealth than the United States. Of the roughly 2,100 billionaires listed by Forbes in its real-time global billionaires list, over 600 live in the United States, and many others are American citizens living abroad. Of the 10 richest people on earth, seven are Americans.
While most wealthy people tend to live in or near major economic centers in states with large economies, the extremely wealthy live where they please and can be found all across the country. All but six states have at least one billionaire.
Based on Forbes’ list of the richest people in the world, 24/7 Wall St. identified the city in every state that is home to the most billionaires. In cases where the number of billionaires in two cities within the same state was a tie, the city with the largest total billionaire net worth was selected.
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As so much global wealth is concentrated in the United States, so too is American wealth concentrated in a handful of major cities, largely in the hubs of finance and corporate headquarters. Many of the billionaires on this list are current or former executives or board members of major companies headquartered in or near the city ranked first. Jim Walton, for example, board member and heir of the Walmart fortune, lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, where the company is headquartered. Bentonville is the only city in the state with two billionaires. These are the highest paid CEOs at America’s largest companies.
While many of the entries on this list are major cities like New York and Chicago, there are also a number of highly affluent small cities and suburbs that are either first or second in the state. A number of the places with the second-most billionaires, such as Scarsdale, New York, and Highland Park, Illinois, are affluent suburbs of the highest ranked city in the state. These are the 25 richest cities in America.
Alabama: No Billionaires
Alaska: No Billionaires
Arizona: Phoenix
- Billionaire count: 6
- Wealthiest person in Phoenix: Arturo Moreno ($3.4 billion)
- Total Phoenix billionaire net worth: ($15.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: Tempe (1 billionaire, net worth: $6.2 billion)
Arkansas: Bentonville
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in Bentonville: Jim Walton ($51.9 billion)
- Total Bentonville billionaire net worth: ($103.5 billion)
- Runner-up city: Fayetteville (1 billionaire, net worth: $3.1 billion)
California: San Francisco
- Billionaire count: 39
- Wealthiest person in San Francisco: Dustin Moskovitz ($13.5 billion)
- Total San Francisco billionaire net worth: ($107.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: Los Angeles (27 billionaires, combined net worth: $115.5 billion)
Colorado: Denver
- Billionaire count: 4
- Wealthiest person in Denver: Philip Anschutz ($11.5 billion)
- Total Denver billionaire net worth: ($25.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: Elizabeth (1 billionaire, net worth: $7.3 billion)
Connecticut: Greenwich
- Billionaire count: 11
- Wealthiest person in Greenwich: Ray Dalio ($18.7 billion)
- Total Greenwich billionaire net worth: ($50.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: Branford (1 billionaire, net worth: $5.5 billion)
Delaware: No Billionaires
Florida: Palm Beach
- Billionaire count: 10
- Wealthiest person in Palm Beach: Thomas Peterffy ($17.6 billion)
- Total Palm Beach billionaire net worth: ($51.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: Naples (5 billionaires, combined net worth: $23.0 billion)
Georgia: Atlanta
- Billionaire count: 13
- Wealthiest person in Atlanta: Jim Kennedy ($9.9 billion)
- Total Atlanta billionaire net worth: ($53.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Hawaii: Honolulu
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Honolulu: Pierre Omidyar ($13.2 billion)
- Total Honolulu billionaire net worth: ($13.2 billion)
- Runner-up city: Kauai (1 billionaire, net worth: $1.0 billion)
Idaho: Idaho Falls
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Idaho Falls: Frank VanderSloot ($3.7 billion)
- Total Idaho Falls billionaire net worth: ($3.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Illinois: Chicago
- Billionaire count: 11
- Wealthiest person in Chicago: Ken Griffin ($13.1 billion)
- Total Chicago billionaire net worth: ($44.1 billion)
- Runner-up city: Highland Park (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $3.6 billion)
Indiana: Bloomington
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Bloomington: Carl Cook ($10.4 billion)
- Total Bloomington billionaire net worth: ($10.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: Indianapolis (1 billionaire, net worth: $3.3 billion)
Iowa: Adel
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Adel: Harry Stine ($5.4 billion)
- Total Adel billionaire net worth: ($5.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Kansas: Wichita
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Wichita: Charles Koch ($42.8 billion)
- Total Wichita billionaire net worth: ($42.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: Leawood (1 billionaire, net worth: $4.1 billion)
Kentucky: Lexington
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in Lexington: Tamara Gustavson ($5.0 billion)
- Total Lexington billionaire net worth: ($7.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Louisiana: New Orleans
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in New Orleans: Gayle Benson ($3.1 billion)
- Total New Orleans billionaire net worth: ($3.1 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Maine: Scarborough
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Scarborough: Susan Alfond ($1.9 billion)
- Total Scarborough billionaire net worth: ($1.9 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Maryland: Potomac
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Potomac: Mitchell Rales ($4.8 billion)
- Total Potomac billionaire net worth: ($8.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: Chevy Chase (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $9.0 billion)
Massachusetts: Boston
- Billionaire count: 10
- Wealthiest person in Boston: Edward Johnson III ($8.0 billion)
- Total Boston billionaire net worth: ($29.3 billion)
- Runner-up city: Brookline (3 billionaires, combined net worth: $11.3 billion)
Michigan: Grand Rapids
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Grand Rapids: Hank & Doug Meijer ($10.2 billion)
- Total Grand Rapids billionaire net worth: ($10.2 billion)
- Runner-up city: Franklin (1 billionaire, net worth: $6.9 billion)
Minnesota: Mankato
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Mankato: Glen Taylor ($2.8 billion)
- Total Mankato billionaire net worth: ($2.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: St. Paul (1 billionaire, net worth: $2.2 billion)
Mississippi: Hattiesburg
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in Hattiesburg: James Duff ($1.4 billion)
- Total Hattiesburg billionaire net worth: ($2.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Missouri: St. Louis
- Billionaire count: 6
- Wealthiest person in St. Louis: Pauline MacMillan Keinath ($6.9 billion)
- Total St. Louis billionaire net worth: ($18.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: Springfield (1 billionaire, net worth: $4.0 billion)
Montana: Missoula
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in Missoula: Dennis Washington ($6.7 billion)
- Total Missoula billionaire net worth: ($8.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: Livingston (1 billionaire, net worth: $3.9 billion)
Nebraska: Omaha
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Omaha: Warren Buffett ($89.6 billion)
- Total Omaha billionaire net worth: ($95.2 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Nevada: Las Vegas
- Billionaire count: 7
- Wealthiest person in Las Vegas: Sheldon Adelson ($41.4 billion)
- Total Las Vegas billionaire net worth: ($57.1 billion)
- Runner-up city: Reno (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $2.8 billion)
New Hampshire: No Billionaires
New Jersey: Millburn
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Millburn: John Overdeck ($6.1 billion)
- Total Millburn billionaire net worth: ($6.1 billion)
- Runner-up city: Saddle River (1 billionaire, net worth: $5.3 billion)
New Mexico: No Billionaires
New York: New York
- Billionaire count: 89
- Wealthiest person in New York: Michael Bloomberg ($58.4 billion)
- Total New York billionaire net worth: ($482.3 billion)
- Runner-up city: Scarsdale (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $9.3 billion)
North Carolina: Cary
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Cary: James Goodnight ($8.0 billion)
- Total Cary billionaire net worth: ($16.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: Durham (1 billionaire, net worth: $1.8 billion)
North Dakota: Fargo
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Fargo: Gary Tharaldson ($1.0 billion)
- Total Fargo billionaire net worth: ($1.0 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Ohio: Cleveland
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Cleveland: Norma Lerner ($1.2 billion)
- Total Cleveland billionaire net worth: ($3.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: New Albany (1 billionaire, net worth: $4.5 billion)
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Oklahoma City: Harold Hamm & family ($9.7 billion)
- Total Oklahoma City billionaire net worth: ($25.2 billion)
- Runner-up city: Tulsa (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $10.6 billion)
Oregon: Hillsboro
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Hillsboro: Phil Knight & family ($40.0 billion)
- Total Hillsboro billionaire net worth: ($40billion)
- Runner-up city: Portland (1 billionaire, net worth: $2.7 billion)
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Philadelphia: Victoria Mars ($7.5 billion)
- Total Philadelphia billionaire net worth: ($10.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: Bryn Mawr (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $6.2 billion)
Rhode Island: Providence
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Providence: Jonathan Nelson ($1.8 billion)
- Total Providence billionaire net worth: ($1.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
South Carolina: Charleston
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Charleston: Anita Zucker ($1.9 billion)
- Total Charleston billionaire net worth: ($1.9 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
South Dakota: Sioux Falls
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Sioux Falls: T. Denny Sanford ($2.4 billion)
- Total Sioux Falls billionaire net worth: ($2.4 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Tennessee: Nashville
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in Nashville: Thomas Frist Jr & family ($13.0 billion)
- Total Nashville billionaire net worth: ($19.0 billion)
- Runner-up city: Knoxville (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $4.7 billion)
Texas: Dallas
- Billionaire count: 17
- Wealthiest person in Dallas: Andrew Beal ($10.2 billion)
- Total Dallas billionaire net worth: ($64.3 billion)
- Runner-up city: Houston (12 billionaires, combined net worth: $56.7 billion)
Utah: Salt Lake City
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Salt Lake City: Gail Miller ($1.6 billion)
- Total Salt Lake City billionaire net worth: ($1.6 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Vermont: No Billionaires
Virginia: McLean
- Billionaire count: 2
- Wealthiest person in McLean: William Conway Jr ($3.5 billion)
- Total McLean billionaire net worth: ($5.0 billion)
- Runner-up city: The Plains (1 billionaire, net worth: $30.2 billion)
Washington: Seattle
- Billionaire count: 8
- Wealthiest person in Seattle: Jeff Bezos ($117.1 billion)
- Total Seattle billionaire net worth: ($168.8 billion)
- Runner-up city: Medina (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $113.1 billion)
West Virginia: Lewisburg
- Billionaire count: 1
- Wealthiest person in Lewisburg: Jim Justice II ($1.5 billion)
- Total Lewisburg billionaire net worth: ($1.5 billion)
- Runner-up city: None
Wisconsin: Racine
- Billionaire count: 3
- Wealthiest person in Racine: S. Curtis Johnson ($3.9 billion)
- Total Racine billionaire net worth: ($11.7 billion)
- Runner-up city: Eau Claire (1 billionaire, net worth: $11.7 billion)
Wyoming: Jackson
- Billionaire count: 4
- Wealthiest person in Jackson: John Mars ($30.2 billion)
- Total Jackson billionaire net worth: ($58.2 billion)
- Runner-up city: Wilson (2 billionaires, combined net worth: $8.2 billion)
Methodology
To determine the city in every state with the most billionaires, 24/7 Wall St. compiled data from Forbes’ Real Time Billionaires list. Data on residency and net worth came from the list, which is updated every five minutes to reflect changes in stock prices and private company valuations. In cases where the number of billionaires in two cities within the same state was a tie, the city with the largest total billionaire net worth was given preference. Data is current as of January 13, 2020.
24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
