Special Report

The Richest Person in Each State

Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins

Published: January 4, 2016 5:51 am

Last Updated: April 15, 2020 2:22 pm

The net worth of just 20 U.S. citizens is greater than the combined wealth of more than half of the U.S. population. Political discourse over the past few years has focused on comparisons between the average American and the wealthiest 1%, but this comparison does not capture the wealth disparity within this top echelon of affluent Americans. It ignores an additional strata of individuals whose bank accounts and influence dwarf most of the 1%.

These individuals are so wealthy that they have the resources to singlehandedly affect the course of a national election or to start a massive philanthropic organization. Often, these donations and foundations primarily impact the region in which these individuals live. As might be expected, most of the nation’s hyper-wealthy live in New York, Florida, California, and Texas — some of the country’s largest and most productive economies.

But even in the most sparsely-populated states, there are individuals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. 24/7 Wall st. reviewed the wealthiest person in each state.

Click here to see the richest person in every state.

As the election season continues, many of these ultra-wealthy individuals will be in the spotlight as major political donors. Many of the names on this list are well known for contributing massive sums to political action committees in past. The wealthiest person in Nevada and Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson contributed more than $100 million to Republican candidates during the 2012 presidential race. A number of GOP candidates have been actively courting Adelson for support. The brothers Charles and David Koch, wealthiest in Kansas and New York, respectively, are also powerful and influential donors for conservative causes.

On the left, Oklahoma’s wealthiest resident George Kaiser contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign.

How the people on this list amassed their fortunes varies. Many of the country’s wealthiest residents earned billions through their own ingenuity, risk, and hard work. One prominent example is Bill Gates, who is one of wealthiest — if not the wealthiest — individual in the world. Born into a middle class family, Gates earned $20,000 at age 15 for developing a computer program to track Seattle traffic patterns. He dropped out of college and went on to start the now ubiquitous Microsoft and is worth an estimated $76 billion today.

In stark contrast to the self-made narrative embodied by those like Bill Gates and others, many of the individuals on this list did little to earn their vast fortunes. Alice Walton, for example, inherited much of her $32 billion estate from Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton. While she remains largely uninvolved in her family’s business, Walton is the wealthiest person in Texas. Similarly, Bill and Susan Alfond — the wealthiest people in Maine — acquired each of their $1.2 billion fortunes as the Berkshire Hathaway stock they inherited from their father increased in value.

While many of the wealthiest people in each state inherited either an established business or a vast fortune from a family member, others took an inheritance and turned it into something much bigger. Harry Stine, Iowa’s richest resident, for example, took his father’s soybean cleaning business and expanded it by genetically modifying and breeding soybeans and seed corn to improve crop yields. Though he did not start the Stine Seed company, he played a major role in the company’s expansion. This likely contributed to the size of his current $3.4 billion fortune and his status as Iowa’s richest man.

The practically unlimited resources these individuals have also give them the opportunity to create massive public trusts and charities that can fund anything from wildlife reserves to need-based scholarships. Often, the case is made that these individuals are pledging only a token of their wealth as a public relations tactic, or are simply using philanthropic activity to dodge taxes. There is no easy way to determine the motivations behind these charitable groups, but there are at least substantial differences in how much is contributed from case to case.

South Dakota billionaire T. Denny Sanford donated an estimated $800 million — more than half of his current net worth — to fund a new hospital system in his hometown. In 2006, Warren Buffett famously pledged to give more than 99% of his total wealth to charity. On the other hand, according to one estimate, the Waltons have given collectively less than $55 million, or an estimated .04% of their combined net worth.

The wealthiest person in each state list is based on Forbes’s net worth estimates. 24/7 Wall St. determined each state’s wealthiest person based on Forbes’ frequently-updated estimates, and all values listed are as of December, 2015. When a husband and wife are listed by Forbes as the wealthiest in a given state, they are both included in the summary. This is also the case for siblings who inherited equal shares of a fortune, and are also tied as the wealthiest in a state. In each case, the wealthy individual’s state refers to their current residence, as determined by Forbes, and not by their birthplace or where their business is headquartered.

These are the wealthiest people in each state.

1. Alabama
> Richest person: Garry Drummond
> Net worth: $980 million

Garry Drummond, CEO of coal production giant Drummond Company, Inc., is Alabama’s wealthiest resident, with an estimated net worth of $980 million. Drummond inherited the business from his father, H.E. Drummond, who started it in 1935. Drummond Company, Inc. has since grown into one of the largest coal companies in the United States, producing and shipping as much as 29 million tons of coal annually.

2. Alaska
> Richest person: Robert Gillam
> Net worth: $320 million

Robert Gillam is the founder, president, and CEO of McKinley Capital Management, an investment management firm headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. The firm has helped Gillam, who is currently worth $320 million, amass the largest fortune of any Alaska resident. Like the wealthiest Americans in a number of other states, Gillam is a philanthropist. Gillam’s largest philanthropic project, The Gillam Foundation, provides scholarships to Alaskan high school students.

3. Arizona
> Richest person: Bruce Halle
> Net worth: $5.7 billion

Bruce Halle founded Discount Tire Co. in Ann Arbor, Michigan over half a century ago. Today, Discount Tire Co. is the largest independent tire retailer in the world, and Halle is worth more than $6 billion. Like many others who achieved such monetary success, Halle is a philanthropist. He co-founded the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation in 2002 with the goal of combating multiple social ills, including homelessness, hunger, and social injustice. Halle’s wealth may have made him a target. On Halloween morning in 2012, Halle and his wife were robbed in their Paradise Valley home.

4. Arkansas
> Richest person: Jim Walton
> Net worth: $33.7 billion

Jim Walton is the youngest son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. With annual revenue of $482.2 billion, the superchain is by far the world’s largest retailer. Partially as a result, Jim Walton is not just the wealthiest person in Arkansas, but also one of the richest individuals in the world. His networth is estimated at around $34 billion.

5. California
> Richest person: Larry Ellison
> Net worth: $47.5 billion

Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977. The company, which would later become Oracle, is today one of the world’s largest and most profitable database technology companies. The company has also made Ellison one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet. Ellison, who is 70 years old, is currently employed by Oracle as executive chairman of the board of directors and chief technology officer.

6. Colorado
> Richest person: Charles Ergen
> Net worth: $16.4 billion

Charles Ergen, Founder and chairman of DISH Network, Ergen is worth an estimated $16.4 billion, more than anyone else in Colorado. While DISH Network has earned Ergen his vast fortune, the company has not earned itself a good reputation among its employees. Only 40% of DISH Network employees surveyed on Glassdoor.com, a business ranking website, said they would recommend a job with the company to a friend.

7. Connecticut
> Richest person: Ray Dalio
> Net worth: $15.3 billion

Ray Dalio lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, home to a number of the nation’s wealthiest Americans. Still, with an estimated networth of $15.3 billion, the hedge fund manager is the richest person in Connecticut. Among hedge fund managers, Dalio’s wealth trails that of only George Soros. Dalio’s firm, Bridgewater Associates, controls around $160 billion in assets, the most under management of any hedge fund in the world. Dalio started a charitable foundation in 2003.

8. Delaware
> Richest person: Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder
> Net worth: $675 million

Robert Gore inherited specialty manufacturing company W.L. Gore & Associates from his parents. Still, he is responsible for a good share of the company’s fortune. Gore discovered the waterproof and windproof material now known as Gore-Tex while experimenting with PTFE, commonly referred to as Teflon. Gore-Tex is now frequently used in winter clothing. Gore is no longer president or CEO, but he remains chairman of the company. Robert’s sister, Elizabeth, shares in the family fortune.

9. Florida
> Richest person: Thomas Peterffy
> Net worth: $13.6 billion

Hungarian-born billionaire Thomas Peterffy owns and runs Interactive Brokers Group, which provides trading services to individuals and companies around the world. According to the company, it currently has around $5 billion in equity under management. Unlike many other American billionaires, Peterffy’s wealth was not built on an inheritance. Not long after arriving in the United States from Hungary, Peterffy became one of the first to exploit the power of computer-based high frequency trading.

10. Georgia
> Richest person: Anne Cox Chambers
> Net worth: $18.1 billion

Anne Cox Chambers, the largest shareholder of television and newspaper giant Cox Enterprises, has an estimated net worth of $18.1 billion. That estimate may soon change. The Cox family asked a judge to dissolve a massive trust created for Anne Cox Chambers by her father, James Cox. The trust consists of roughly 8 million shares in Cox Enterprises. A willing participant in the request, Cox and the rest of her family seek to distribute the shares to other family members as well as to charity.

11. Hawaii
> Richest person: Pierre Omidyar
> Net worth: $8.0 billion

Self-made billionaire Pierre Omidyar launched in 1995 an online marketplace that would grow to revolutionize ecommerce and online communities — eBay. Like most of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, Omidyar has started charitable foundations and made political contributions of his own. Omidyar is also the principal benefactor of The Intercept, a newspaper dedicated to ensuring government transparency and famous for publishing Edward Snowden’s leaks.

12. Idaho
> Richest person: Scott Simplot
> Net worth: $2.3 billion

Idaho is famous for its potatoes, and potatoes are how the state’s wealthiest man amassed his fortune. J.R. Simplot started the Simplot Company in 1929 as a small farming operation. In the 1940s, Simplot invented a way for freeze french fries, allowing them to be stored and shipped for long periods without spoiling. Today, J.R. Simplot’s son, Scott Simplot, is chairman and executive committee member of the company his father started. Simplot is worth an estimated $2.3 billion.

13. Illinois
> Richest person: Ken Griffin
> Net worth: $7.0 billion

Ken Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel, the largest hedge fund in Chicago and one of the largest in the world, with more than $25 billion in total investment capital. In addition to his work at Citadel, the self-made billionaire is on the board of education of the Chicago Public Education Foundation. According to the company’s website, Griffin is “an active supporter of educational causes that drive community improvement.” Griffin is also an active donor for the Republican Party, gifting hundreds of thousands to action committees. Most recently, he has also pledged to aid presidential hopeful Marco Rubio’s campaign.

14. Indiana
> Richest person: Carl Cook
> Net worth: $6.2 billion

Carl Cook is the son of Bill Cook, who founded Cook Medical in 1963. The company made it big designing and manufacturing needles, catheters, and other minimally invasive medical devices. Cook inherited the family company, which became Cook Group, when his father died in 2011. Now the CEO of the company, Cook is the wealthiest man in Indiana, worth an estimated $6.2 billion.

15. Iowa
> Richest person: Harry Stine
> Net worth: $3.4 billion

Worth an estimated $3.4 billion, Harry Stine is the wealthiest man in Iowa. Like many of the wealthiest Americans, Stine amassed his fortune through a family business passed down from an older generation. Stine joined his father’s soybean cleaning company in 1964, roughly a decade after its founding. Not long after, the younger Stine began breeding soybeans to maximize crop yield. Since then, Stine Seed has revolutionized farming through genetic improvements to soybeans, among other crops. The company has partnered with Monsanto and other corporations.

16. Kansas
> Richest person: Charles Koch
> Net worth: $41.0 billion

Charles Koch and his brother David — each tied for sixth on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people — control Koch Industries, a diversified conglomerate and one of the largest private companies worldwide. The two brothers invest heavily in a range of organizations, including universities, think tanks, politicians, and charitable groups. While Charles Koch has given considerable sums to Republican presidential candidates in past election cycles, as of this writing no GOP candidate has received his support.

17. Kentucky
> Richest person: B. Wayne Hughes
> Net worth: $2.5 billion

B. Wayne Hughes is the founder of Public Storage, a massive California-based storage unit provider, the largest of its kind in the world. Hughes founded the company in 1972, growing it into an empire with more than 2,200 locations worldwide. Hughes is an active political donor — he has contributed millions to Karl Rove’s conservative PAC American Crossroads. Hughes also owns a thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky, Spendthrift Farm, which has produced several Triple Crown-winning horses.

18. Louisiana
> Richest person: Tom Benson
> Net worth: $2.2 billion

Tom Benson is the owner of both an NFL team, the New Orleans Saints, as well as an NBA team, the New Orleans Pelicans. Worth roughly $2.2 billion, he is also the owner of the largest fortune in Louisiana. Benson amassed his fortune by buying and investing in several automobile dealerships and banks. The Billionaire was recently in the news for leaving in his will ownership of both professional sports team to his third wife. Despite objections from his daughter and grandchildren, Benson was deemed mentally competent to make such a decision.

19. Maine
> Richest person: Bill and Susan Alfond
> Net worth: $1.2 billion

Siblings Bill and Susan Alfond are the wealthiest people in Maine. Unlike many of America’s billionaires, the Alfonds did little to earn their $1.2 billion fortune. Harold Alfond, the family patriarch, was the true business mastermind. Alfond senior opened Dexter Shoe Company in 1958 and sold millions of shoes and boots each year until Warren Buffet’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, bought Dexter Shoe in 1993. Bill and Susan Alfond’s fortune has increased over the years in tandem with the value of Berkshire Hathaway stock. Buffett confessed in a 2007 letter to shareholders that the Dexter Shoe deal was the worst he ever made.

20. Maryland
> Richest person: Ted Lerner
> Net worth: $5.5 billion

Real estate developer Ted Lerner is a self-made billionaire, who began building his fortune by selling homes in the 1950s. In the 1960s, Lerner built several shopping malls and business centers, becoming one of the country’s richest real estate moguls. In 2006, Lerner purchased the Washington Nationals from Major League Baseball, four years after the league had acquired the team from the Montreal Expos.

21. Massachusetts
> Richest person: Abigail Johnson
> Net worth: $13.8 billion

Abigail Johnson’s grandfather, Edward Johnson II, founded Fidelity Investments in 1946. The company was passed down through the generations, first to Edward Johnson III and then to his daughter, Abigail Johnson, in 2014. Johnson has worked as an analyst for Fidelity since 1988. After Vanguard, Fidelity is the country’s largest mutual fund company, with roughly $2 trillion in assets under management. Johnson’s fortune is estimated at $13.8 billion, the largest in Massachusetts.

22. Michigan
> Richest person: Hank & Doug Meijer
> Net worth: $7.9 billion

Hendrik Meijer founded the Meijer supermarket chain in 1934 in a small space next to his barber shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meijer left the company to his son, Fred, who left it to his two sons, Hank and Doug, when he died in 2011. The company now operates more than 200 supermarkets throughout the midwest. The two brothers share responsibilities as co-chairmen, and Hank is also CEO.

23. Minnesota
> Richest person: Whitney MacMillan
> Net worth: $4.1 billion

Worth an estimated $4.1 billion, Whitney MacMillan is the wealthiest man in Minnesota. Founded by his great grandfather 150 years ago, Cargill is one of the world’s largest private companies. The company provides agricultural and industrial products and services. MacMillan owns roughly 10% of Cargill. After working at Cargill for 44 years, 18 of which as CEO, MacMillan retired in 1995. Like many other billionaires, MacMillan is a philanthropist. Minnesota’s richest man began the WEM foundation in 1988 to provide charitable grants in arts, environment, social welfare, and education.

24. Mississippi
> Richest person: Leslie Lampton
> Net worth: $1 billion

Leslie Lampton started Ergon Inc. in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1954 with only two employees. While it started primarily as a petroleum company, Ergon has branched to asphalt manufacturing and real estate development and today employs more than 2,300 people. Lampton’s wealth has grown in tandem with the company’s size. He is the wealthiest man in Mississippi today, worth an estimated $1 billion.

25. Missouri
> Richest person: Jack Taylor
> Net worth: $10.3 billion

Founding rental car agency Enterprise in 1957, Jack Taylor is worth of $10 billion today. He named the company after the USS Enterprise, the aircraft carrier he served on in WWII. The company now has more than 7,200 locations in over 30 countries. In 2011 alone, Taylor donated nearly $100 million to numerous benefactors, including Washington University and the Crawford Taylor Foundation.

26. Montana
> Richest person: Dennis Washington
> Net worth: $6.1 billion

Billionaire Dennis Washington made his fortune through several ventures in Montana. Washington first started his own contracting business that would become the largest in the state. Then, he purchased a copper mine that would prove to be successful due to a sharp copper price increase. Washington also purchased and revitalized parts of the Montana’s rail lines. The Washington Companies today has ventures in mining, rail transportation, heavy equipment distribution, and other industries as well.

27. Nebraska
> Richest person: Warren Buffett
> Net worth: $62.6 billion

Chairman and CEO of holding company Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett is worth roughly $62.6 billion — the richest man in Nebraska and second richest in the United States. Dubbed the Oracle of Omaha for his shrewd investment sense, Buffett is considered the most successful investor in the world. Buffett is also a philanthropist and a contributor to political causes. He has pledged 99% of his fortune to philanthropic causes and is a major supporter of Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. Buffett often uses his influence towards political ends. He is an outspoken critic of the U.S.’s tax system, specifically of loopholes that allow the wealthiest Americans to pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries.

28. Nevada
> Richest person: Sheldon Adelson
> Net worth: $26.0 billion

Sheldon Adelson is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, a property development company. Adelson made his fortune running luxury resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. Today, his company operates numerous resorts around the world, including several properties in Macao, China, and Singapore. Like many other American billionaires, Adelson is a major political donor. In the 2012 election, he gave a total of around $100 million to Republican candidates. The stakes are so high for GOP candidates that the effort to charm Adelson has become known as the “Adelson primary.”

29. New Hampshire
> Richest person: Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli
> Net worth: $1 billion

Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli made her fortune in 2003 when she sold her 11% share in JAB Holding Company. New Hampshire’s wealthiest resident is one of many billionaires in a family that made its fortune with the 1823 founding of the Reckitt Benckiser Group, a chemical company and manufacturer and marketer of personal care and household products.

30. New Jersey
> Richest person: David Tepper
> Net worth: $11.6 billion

New Jersey hedge fund manager David Tepper runs Appaloosa Management, which he founded in 1993. He has since turned it into one of the largest and most successful hedge funds in the world, more than $20 billion in assets under management. A large part of Appaloosa’s success came when Tepper correctly bet the Treasury would bail out the beleaguered financial institutions during the financial crisis. As a result, Tepper’s fund made at least $7 billion in profit in 2009, including $2.5 billion for himself. Tepper is worth an estimated $11.6 billion to date.

31. New Mexico
> Richest person: Mack C. Chase
> Net worth: $650 million

New Mexico is one of only a handful of states without any billionaires. The richest person in the state, Mack Chase, is worth roughly $650 million. Chase made his fortune in oil extraction. He began working in oil fields at age 14. Roughly two decades later in 1968, he started his own business, Mack Chase, Inc., which operated 18-21 oil rigs. Since then, he has started several other companies in the oil business. Chase is also the founder of Chase Foundation, a charitable organization with a focus on New Mexico and parts of texas that provides grants and scholarships with a mission to give people “a chance to improve their quality of life for the well being of community and family.”

32. New York
> Richest person: David Koch
> Net worth: $41.0 billion
New York City

David Koch and his brother Charles — each tied for fifth on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people — control Koch Industries, a diversified conglomerate and one of the largest private companies worldwide. The two brothers, who are outspoken libertarians, have developed a massive political infrastructure that invests heavily in a range of organizations, including universities, think tanks, politicians and charitable groups. David Koch lives in New York City, where his name can be found on numerous buildings, including the David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing of the American Natural History Museum, the David H. Koch ambulatory care Center, the David H. Koch Plaza, and the Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

33. North Carolina
> Richest person: James Goodnight
> Net worth: $9.1 billion

James Goodnight is the co-founder and CEO of SAS Institute, a business data analytics software company. SAS began as a federally subsidized project to analyze agricultural research. In its first year, 1976, SAS made $138,000 in revenue. Now, the company employs nearly 14,000 people worldwide and reported more than $3 billion in revenue in its fiscal 2014. Goodnight’s wealth grew in tandem with the company. With an estimated net worth of more than $9 billion, he is the wealthiest person in North Carolina.

34. North Dakota
> Richest person: Gary Tharaldson
> Net worth: $930 million

Gary Tharaldson, North Dakota’s wealthiest resident, resides in Fargo. Tharaldson accumulated the bulk of his fortune buying and re-selling hotels. Notably, the property baron sold a chain of 130 hotels to Goldman Sachs for $1.2 billion in 2006. According to Forbes, holdings in natural resources such as ethanol, land, and water largely account for Tharaldson’s current estimated net worth of $930 million.

35. Ohio
> Richest person: Leslie Wexner
> Net worth: $7.9 billion

Leslie Wexner was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1937 to Russian immigrant parents. Today, he is the richest man in Ohio, worth an estimated $7.9 billion. Wexner’s fortune came after he founded L Brands in in 1963. Originally a single store known as The Limited, L Brands has expanded exponentially since. Wexner’s subsidiary companies now include Lane Bryant, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Victoria’s Secret, which he acquired for $1 million in 1982. Like many others with such resources, Wexner is a philanthropist. He made a $100 million pledge to The Ohio State University Medical Center in 2010. His charitable efforts have not gone unnoticed. He received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship for showing a “deep concern for the common good beyond the bottom line.”

36. Oklahoma
> Richest person: George Kaiser
> Net worth: $8.7 billion

George Kaiser began earning his fortune in 1969, when he took the reins of the family oil and gas production business, Kaiser-Francis Oil, from his father. Kaiser successfully navigated the energy boom of the late 1970s and the subsequent bust of the early 80s. Worth an estimated $8.7 billion today, Kaiser also heads the George Kaiser Family Foundation based in Kaiser’s home town of Tulsa, which focuses on childhood development. Kaiser has been a major contributor to President Barack Obama’s campaign.

37. Oregon
> Richest person: Phil Knight
> Net worth: $24.4 billion

Oregon’s wealthiest resident is Nike co-founder Phil Knight. His networth is estimated at $24.4 billion, making him also one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. The former executive of one of the world’s largest sports apparel manufacturer and retailer, Knight’s interest in athletics is not confined to the business world but also extends to his philanthropies. Knight has given generously to sports teams in Oregon and has been known as an active participant in the athletic programs he supports, attending warmups, meeting with coaches, and discussing strategy.

38. Pennsylvania
> Richest person: Mary Alice Dorrance Malone
> Net worth: $3.6 billion

Though the Campbell Soup Company was founded in 1869, it was not until 1897 — when chemist John T. Dorrance invented the condensed tomato soup formula — that the company became the giant grocery store staple recognized today. Dorrance’s granddaughter, Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, is today the largest shareholder of Campbell Soup Co., owning roughly 17% of the company. Worth an estimated $3.6 billion, Malone is the wealthiest person in Pennsylvania.

39. Rhode Island
> Richest person: Jonathan Nelson
> Net worth: $2.0 billion
Providence

Jonathan Nelson, founder and CEO of Providence Equity Partners, is the wealthiest individual in Rhode Island. While the investment firm helped Nelson accumulate his current estimated net worth of $2 billion, the company was slammed during the financial crisis and has reported enormous losses recently. At the beginning of this year, Providence Equity Partners reported a record loss of $800 million.

40. South Carolina
> Richest person: Anita Zucker
> Net worth: $2.1 billion

Jerry Zucker is the founder of The InterTech Group Inc. The diversified holding company operates in several industries, including manufacturing aerospace and chemical products, developing real estate projects, providing financial services, as well as managing its own investment portfolio among others. When Jerry Zucker passed away from cancer in 2008, he left the company to his wife. Today, Anita Zucker is the wealthiest person in South Carolina, worth an estimated $2.1 billion.

41. South Dakota
> Richest person: T. Denny Sanford
> Net worth: $1.4 billion

T. Denny Sanford bought and developed First Premier Bank, a community banking service, and Premier Bankcard, a subprime credit card company. Today, Sanford is the chairman of United National, a holding company containing Sanford’s two companies. Sanford is well known in South Dakota for his philanthropic giving, primarily to health-related causes. His donations include roughly $800 million to the Sioux Valley Hospital association. He is the largest single donor to in-state causes in South Dakota history.

42. Tennessee
> Richest person: Thomas Frist, Jr.
> Net worth: $7.6 billion

In 1968, Thomas Frist Jr. founded Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) with his father. In 1969, the company operated 11 hospitals. It has since gone public, and today HCA owns 165 hospitals and 115 freestanding surgery centers. First’s wealth grew in tandem with his company. Worth about $7.6 billion, he is the wealthiest man in Tennessee. Before co-founding the company that made him his vast fortune, First served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force.

43. Texas
> Richest person: Alice Walton
> Net worth: $32.0 billion

Alice Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, is the wealthiest resident in Texas. According to Forbes, Walton is also the second wealthiest woman in the United States after her sister-in-law Christy Walton, and the third wealthiest woman in the world. Unlike many of the other heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, Walton is relatively uninvolved with the retail giant’s operations. She is the wealthiest art collector in the country. Her collection — which she keeps in Bentonville, home to Wal-Mart’s headquarters — is worth an estimated $500 million, compared to the bare major art collector. Walton lives on a ranch near Fort Worth, Texas.

44. Utah
> Richest person: Gail Miller
> Net worth: $1.8 billion

Along with her husband Larry, Gail Miller bought her first car dealership in 1979. Less than 10 years later, the couple bought the NBA team the Utah Jazz. Since then, the couple continued acquiring different businesses, building something of an empire that includes 54 car dealerships and a movie theater chain. In early 2009, Larry died due to complications related to type II diabetes, and his wife became the sole owner of the couple’s assets. With the stated purpose of giving back to the community, the couple established Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation “to support religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes.” Today, Gail Miller is the wealthiest person in Utah, worth an estimated $1.8 billion.

45. Vermont
> Richest person: John Abele
> Net worth: $600 million

John Abele, the wealthiest Vermonter, is worth around $600 million, one of the lower figures compared to the richest persons in most other states. Together with Peter Nicholas, Abele founded Boston Scientific, a medical devices manufacturing company. The company is known for its development of several relatively non-invasive heart surgery techniques. Abele has given to the American Cancer Society, and other charitable organizations, largely through the Argosy Foundation, which he also founded.

46. Virginia
> Richest person: Jacqueline Mars
> Net worth: $23.9 billion

Jacqueline Mars, the heiress of the Mars candy empire, is the richest person in Virginia. She is also the 18th wealthiest individual in the world, according to Forbes. Mars and her two brothers still own the company, which is the world’s largest candy company. The family is relatively private, and the activities of the charitable group the Mars Foundation are small in scale compared to that of other billionaires.

47. Washington
> Richest person: Bill Gates
> Net worth: $76.0 billion

Microsoft owner and founder Bill Gates lost $3 billion in 2015, but he is still by far the wealthiest person not just in Washington but by some measures the world, with a net worth estimated at $76 billion. Gates’ fortune has grown over the four decades of Microsoft’s success as a global supplier of computer software. By far, Windows accounts for the majority of desktop operating systems worldwide. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation operates globally. While the foundation concentrates on improving education in the United States, it aims to save lives in developing countries through health initiatives as well as to help lift people from poverty.

48. West Virginia
> Richest person: Jim Justice, II.
> Net worth: $1.7 billion

West Virginia is coal mining country, and coal is at the root of the fortune of the state’s wealthiest person, Jim Justice II. Inheriting the fortune his father made in coal mining, Justice is using his resources to expand his horizons. Though he recently bought back Bluestone Coal Corp. after his family sold it in 2009, he also bought the historic Greenbrier Resorts in hopes of revitalizing the 10,000 acre luxury retreat. Justice is also making a foray into politics, currently running for governor of West Virginia on the Democratic ticket.

49. Wisconsin
> Richest person: John Menard, Jr.
> Net worth: $10.5 billion

In 1958, long before Home Depot, John Menard Jr. founded the home improvement chain Menards. With the first location opening in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Menards now has more than 280 locations across 14 states, primarily in the Midwest. The chain earned its founder a vast fortune. Worth an estimated $10.5 billion, Menard is Wisconsin’s wealthiest resident. Mother Jones reported in 2011 that Menard, a major donor to conservative political causes, donated more than $1 million to the Charles Koch Foundation.

50. Wyoming
> Richest person: Christy Walton
> Net worth: $29.7 billion

As is the case in both Arkansas and Texas, the wealthiest person in Wyoming is a benefactor of the Wal-Mart fortune. Christy Walton married into the Walton family and inherited her $29.7 billion fortune when her husband, John Walton, died in an airplane crash in 2005. Though she has been widely regarded as Wyoming’s wealthiest resident, her true net worth has recently come under scrutiny. According to an investigation by Bloomberg earlier this year, John Walton only left about 17% of his fortune to his wife, rather than all of it, as previously assumed.