The richest people in the U.S. are still, by and large, men. But there are more women on The Forbes 400 ranking of the wealthiest Americans than last year, and they’ve gotten richer, too.
In all, 60 women found a spot on this year’s Forbes 400 list, up from 58 in 2022. They’re worth a combined $621 billion, up from $535 billion a year ago.
The richest woman in America is Walmart heir Alice Walton, who reclaimed top place after losing it last year to Julia Koch, who inherited a 42% stake in industrial conglomerate Koch Industries from her late husband David Koch (d. 2019). Walton, who had been the nation’s wealthiest woman for seven years before 2022, added $10.8 billion to her fortune since last year after a 26% rise in Walmart stock. The daughter of Walmart cofounder Sam Walton (d. 1992), she’s worth an estimated $66.5 billion. Koch, who got a $3.8 billion wealthier, is now the second-richest woman in the country, worth an estimated $59.8 billion.
At number three among women is Jacqueline Mars, who has an estimated net worth of $38.9 billion thanks to the estimated one-third stake she inherited in Mars, Inc., the beloved candy and petcare brand behind M&M’s, Snickers and Iams pet food.
Three women joined the 400 this year: Elisabeth DeLuca, Annette Lerner and Eren Ozmen. DeLuca, the wealthiest newcomer (worth an estimated $8.2 billion), inherited 50% of Subway from her husband, cofounder Fred DeLuca (d. 2015). In August, private equity firm Roark Capital agreed to swallow up the sandwich chain in a deal reported to be worth more than $9 billion. Lerner inherited her estimated $6.5 billion fortune from her late husband Ted Lerner, the real-estate tycoon and former owner of the Washington Nationals baseball team who passed away in February. Ozmen, meanwhile, has built a fortune in the aerospace industry. Sierra Space, the company she cofounded with her husband Fatih (also a new member of The Forbes 400) in 2021, is building a spaceplane and has teamed up with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to strategize replacements for the International Space Station.
Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimadenham/2023/10/03/americas-richest-women-2023/?sh=37efc38758e0
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