Fifty, that’s the number of billionaires in the Lone Star State and several of those are from the North Texas area.
Forbes released today its 31st Annual World’s Billionaires List – 2,043 billionaires made the list, with an average net worth of $3.75 billion.
Among those with North Texas ties are Alice Walton, the Walton fortune heir who ranks No. 17 on the list with a net worth of $33.8 billion. Also with North Texas roots is Andrew Beal, with the banking and real estate investor ranked No. 127 with a net worth of $10.4 billion. The Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones comes in at No. 303 with a net worth of $5.2 billion.
Among those with close Fort Worth ties are Robert Bass, ranked No. 441 with a net worth of $4 billion, Edward Bass at No. 660 with a net worth of $3 billion and Lee Bass at No. 693 with a net worth of $2.9 million. Sid Bass comes in at No. 717 with a net worth of $2.8 billion. David Bonderman of private equity firm TPG comes in at No. 814 with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Bill Gates remains in the top spot for the fourth year in a row and has been the richest person in the world for 18 out of the past 23 years. Gates has a fortune of $86 billion, up from $75 billion last year. Warren Buffett, worth $75.6 billion, up from $60.8 billion in 2016, reclaimed the No. 2 slot, after a two-year hiatus. The biggest gainer on the 2017 list is Jeff Bezos (No. 3), whose fortune increased by $27.6 billion for a total net worth of $72.8 billion. This is Bezos’ first time in the top three. Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) drops to No. 4, despite his net worth increasing to $71.3 billion. Rounding out the top five is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, worth $56 billion.
From the list:
• 2,043 billionaires (up from 1,810 in 2016) made the list, with an average net worth of $3.75 billion.
The change in the total number of billionaires – up 233 since last year – was the biggest increase in 31 years.
• The total combined net worth of this year’s billionaires was $7.67 trillion, up from $6.48 trillion last year.
• 1,371 members were self-made billionaires. 238 inherited their wealth; another 434 inherited at least a portion but are still growing it.
For the full list, please visit www.forbes.com/billionaires.
2017
Rank 2017 Net Worth ($B) Name Origin Of Wealth Residence State
17 33.8 Alice Walton Wal-Mart Texas
38 20.4 Michael Dell Dell computers Texas
127 10.4 Andrew Beal banks, real estate Texas
194 7.2 Richard Kinder pipelines Texas
234 6.2 Robert Rowling investments Texas
261 5.7 Dannine Avara pipelines Texas
261 5.7 Scott Duncan pipelines Texas
261 5.7 Milane Frantz pipelines Texas
261 5.7 Randa Williams pipelines Texas
294 5.3 Trevor Rees-Jones oil & gas Texas
303 5.2 Jerry Jones Dallas Cowboys Texas
339 4.8 Ray Lee Hunt oil, real estate Texas
367 4.5 Kelcy Warren pipelines Texas
402 4.3 Jeffery Hildebrand oil Texas
441 4 Robert Bass oil, investments Texas
441 4 H. Ross Perot Sr computer services, real estate Texas
522 3.6 Dan Friedkin Toyota dealerships Texas
544 3.5 Robert McNair energy, sports Texas
564 3.4 Mark Cuban online media Texas
630 3.1 John Paul DeJoria hair products, tequila Texas
660 3 John Arnold hedge funds Texas
660 3 Edward Bass oil, investments Texas
693 2.9 Lee Bass oil, investments Texas
693 2.9 Tilman Fertitta restaurants, casinos Texas
717 2.8 Sid Bass oil, investments Texas
745 2.7 Ray Davis pipelines Texas
814 2.5 George Bishop oil & gas Texas
814 2.5 David Bonderman private equity Texas
814 2.5 Robert Smith private equity Texas
896 2.3 Gerald Ford banking Texas
1030 2 W. Herbert Hunt oil Texas
1098 1.9 Leslie Alexander Houston Rockets Texas
1098 1.9 Drayton McLane Jr Wal-Mart, logistics Texas
1234 1.7 Todd Wagner online media Texas
1290 1.6 David Booth mutual funds Texas
1290 1.6 Christopher Goldsbury salsa Texas
1290 1.6 Timothy Headington oil & gas, investments Texas
1290 1.6 Thai Lee IT provider Texas
1290 1.6 Billy Joe (Red) McCombs real estate, oil, cars Texas
1290 1.6 H. Ross Perot Jr real estate Texas
1290 1.6 Fayez Sarofim money management Texas
1376 1.5 Rodney Lewis natural gas Texas
1468 1.4 Paul Foster oil refining Texas
1468 1.4 Kenny Troutt telecom Texas
1567 1.3 James Leininger medical products Texas
1567 1.3 Bryan Sheffield oil & gas Texas
1567 1.3 Dan Wilks natural gas Texas
1567 1.3 Farris Wilks natural gas Texas
1678 1.2 Darwin Deason Xerox Texas
1795 1.1 Brian Sheth investments Texas