With the highest-ever cutoff for entry at $ 3.3 billion, these powerful women are making their mark, reshaping the landscape of wealth and influence in the U.S.
Women are rising faster among America’s richest. With the Forbes 400 featuring more women—and wealthier ones—than last year. Despite the significant gender wealth gap, progress is clear. In all, 67 Women now hold 17% of Forbes 400 spots, up from 15% last year with 60 women, controlling $ 839 billion in total wealth. The shift may be slow, but it’s undeniable.
Brief Overview
Alice Walton remains the richest woman in America, a title she has held for nine out of the last ten years. Her dominance underlines a broader trend, where out of the 67 women on the Forbes 400 list, a whopping 54 inherited their wealth. That means less than 20% are self-made, compared to the men, 76% of whom have independently built their fortunes.
This year, five women entered the list for the first time, indicating that opportunities for the creation of wealth continue to emerge, though at a snail’s pace. The richest self-made women represent 13 industries, the most prevalent of which include food & beverage, technology, and fashion & retail. Their impact in a wide range of sectors demonstrates the increasingly larger roles that women are playing in shaping America’s economy, even as their pathway to self-made wealth remains more steep than their male counterparts.
The mix of inheritances and self-made money reflects the new geography of American wealth, where old industries like retail are hanging in but where new ones are opening the way for a new generation of women leaders.
Official List
Here are the 10 richest women on the 2024 Forbes 400.
1. Alice Walton
Alice Walton, aged 74, currently holds the title of the richest woman in the world, with a staggering net worth of $91.3 billion. She ranks 15th on the list of the world’s wealthiest individuals. As the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, she has inherited her fortune. Walton, with a self-made score of 1, meaning she hasn’t actively worked to grow her wealth.
Walmart, her primary source of income, remains a cornerstone of her financial standing. Residing in Fort Worth, Texas, Walton is a U.S. citizen and has earned a philanthropy score of 2, showcasing her dedication to giving back. Though divorced, she continues to focus on her philanthropic endeavors, especially in art and healthcare.
2. Julia Koch & Family
Julia Koch, widow of the late David Koch, inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world. As of 2024, she holds the 16th position on the Forbes 400 and ranks 2nd among the richest women globally, with a net worth of $59 billion. Koch is deeply involved in philanthropy, having contributed millions to institutions such as NYU Langone Health, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and the Cox Science Center in West Palm Beach. A widow since David Koch’s death in 2019, she resides in New York City with her three children.
At 62, Julia Koch’s wealth primarily stems from Koch Industries, a conglomerate involved in oil refining, chemicals, and more. Despite inheriting her fortune, she continues to lead charitable efforts and maintains an active presence on boards of prominent organizations, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
3. Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars, with a net worth of $47.6 billion as of October 5, 2024, is the 3rd richest woman in the world. She ranks 31st on the list of the world’s wealthiest individuals and holds the 19th spot on the Forbes 400 for 2024. Mars owns around one-third of Mars, Inc., the global candy, food, and pet care firm founded by her grandfather. She worked in the family business for nearly 20 years and served on its board until her retirement in 2016.
At 84 years old, Jacqueline Mars resides in The Plains, Virginia, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College. Despite inheriting her wealth, her self-made score is 2, reflecting her involvement in growing the family enterprise. Divorced with three children, she is also known for her philanthropic efforts, particularly in areas like environmental conservation and animal welfare.
4. MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott, a philanthropist and author with a net worth of $34.8 billion as of October 5, 2024, ranks 4th on the list of the world’s richest women and 54th globally. Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce settlement from Jeff Bezos in 2019, to whom she was married for 25 years. Shortly after the divorce, she signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to donate at least half of her wealth during her lifetime. To date, she has become known for her rapid and large-scale philanthropic contributions, earning her a philanthropy score of 5.
Scott, who is 54 years old, resides in Seattle, Washington. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, where she studied under famed author Toni Morrison and worked as her research assistant. A novelist herself, she has published two books. Despite her inherited wealth, Scott holds a self-made score of 3, reflecting her influence and contributions to literature and philanthropy. Divorced and a mother of four, she continues to focus on charitable giving and has consistently ranked high on the Forbes 400, currently at #26.
Related: Top 10 Richest People In The World As Per Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024
5. Lyndal Stephens Greth & Family
Lyndal Stephens Greth, at 49 years old, has made her mark in the oil and gas industry with a remarkable net worth of $32.3 billion. She holds the title of the fifth richest woman in the world and ranks as the 28th most affluent person in the United States as of 2024. As the chairman of Endeavor Energy Resources, a company her late father, Autry Stephens, founded, Greth inherited a substantial stake following his passing in August 2024. This company is one of the largest private oil producers in the U.S., producing approximately 327,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and holding rights to over 500,000 acres of drilling land, primarily in Texas.
With a self-made score of 2, Greth’s wealth is primarily inherited, reflecting her family’s long-standing legacy in the oil sector. Currently residing in Dallas, Texas, she balances her professional life with family, being a devoted mother of three children. Her financial success underscores the significant impact of family legacy in building and sustaining wealth in competitive industries
6. Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson, with a net worth of $31.3 billion as of October 5, 2024, ranks as the 6th richest woman in the world and the 59th richest person globally. As the Chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments, she has led the firm since 2014, taking over from her father, and has been chairman since 2016. Fidelity, founded by her grandfather Edward Johnson II in 1946, is a leading mutual fund company that manages discretionary assets totaling $5.5 trillion as of June 2024. Johnson holds an estimated 28.5% stake in the firm, which underscores her significant influence in the financial services industry.
At 62 years old, she resides in Milton, Massachusetts. Johnson is known for her forward-thinking approach, having embraced cryptocurrencies; Fidelity launched a platform for institutional investors to trade bitcoin and ether in 2018. With a self-made score of 4, her wealth reflects both inherited legacy and her strategic leadership. She is married and has two children. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an MBA from Harvard Business School, showcasing her strong educational background
7. Marilyn Simons & Family
Marilyn Simons, with a net worth of $31 billion, ranks 49th on the Forbes 2024 Billionaires list. As the 7th richest woman globally, her fortune stems from Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund founded by her late husband, Jim Simons. She has co-led the Simons Foundation, one of the largest private funders of research in mathematics, science, and health.
The foundation has donated billions to causes like autism research and mathematics, emphasizing her commitment to philanthropy. At 73, she resides in New York and remains a significant figure in the world of philanthropy.
8. Miriam Adelson & Family
Miriam Adelson, with a net worth of $35 billion as of October 2024, ranks as the 8th richest woman in the world and 32 in the forbes 400 (2024). She inherited her wealth from her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, former CEO of Las Vegas Sands. Miriam now controls more than half of the global casino empire, with major operations in Singapore and Macao, and in 2023, she acquired a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA team from Mark Cuban.
Originally from Israel, Adelson is a medical doctor specializing in addiction treatment. She resides in Las Vegas and has five children. Adelson has been a significant philanthropic figure, supporting medical research, education, and political causes, earning her a self-made score of 2.
9. Melinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates, with a net worth of $29 billion as of October 2024, ranks as the 9th richest woman globally and 68th overall. She is a leading figure in philanthropy, having co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for nearly 24 years before stepping down in June 2024. The foundation, one of the world’s largest, focused on health, poverty reduction, and education. Following her 2021 divorce from Bill Gates, Forbes revised the estimate of her settlement to $29 billion in October 2024, reflecting her significant wealth.
In addition to her philanthropic work, French Gates is a strong advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. Through her firm, Pivotal Ventures, she works to address funding gaps for female entrepreneurs, focusing on expanding opportunities for women in leadership and innovation. At 60, she continues her mission from Medina, Washington, where she resides with her three children. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Busine
10. Elaine Marshall & family
Elaine Marshall, with a net worth of $28.3 billion as of October 2024, ranks as the 10th richest woman in the world and 69th overall. She owns approximately 16% of Koch, Inc. (formerly Koch Industries), a conglomerate with sales exceeding $125 billion, inherited from her late husband, E. Pierce Marshall, who passed away in 2006. Her family’s wealth is linked to J. Howard Marshall II, an early partner of the company’s founder, Fred Koch.
At 82, Marshall resides in Dallas, Texas, and has two children. She holds a self-made score of 2, indicating she inherited her wealth, and has a philanthropy score of 1, reflecting her limited charitable involvement. Despite her significant financial influence, her public profile remains relatively low-key compared to other wealthy figures. Marshall ranks 35th on the Forbes 400 list for 2024 and 81st among billionaires.
Conclusion
This year’s list of America’s richest women represents a broad sweep of industries in which the women have made their fortunes: technology and finance, retail and media. These 13 industries reflect the increased presence and influence of women in economic life.
Notably, a good number of these women have built or expanded family fortunes with innovative leadership, while scores of others are self-made, reaping their fortunes from entrepreneurial ventures. The technology sector keeps churning out several of the richest women in the world, as it has been in the case of Mackenzie Scott, who gathered much of her wealth through Amazon, among those who dominated industries like health, manufacturing, and fashion.
Another deep current among the richest women is philanthropy, with most of them pledging huge portions of their wealth to charity. Indeed, Marilyn Simons and her husband Jim Simons have given hundreds of millions of dollars to science, education, and public research through the Simons Foundation. Others, such as Mackenzie Scott, have given billions toward the causes of philanthropy, underlining how privilege is used to fuel positive change in society.
In the final analysis, this year’s richest women not only reflect diversity across industries but also outline the rising power of female entrepreneurs, leaders, and philanthropists in the world economic and social structures. Their successes give focus to innovation, strategic investments, and commitment to philanthropy as ways of building truly lasting legacies.
