The three richest men in America — Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos — control more wealth than the poorest 50% of Americans. This level of inequality is not the first time wealth has been so unevenly distributed in the United States. During the gilded age, just one Rockefeller or one Vanderbilt controlled wealth equal to a large fraction of the nation’s total GDP.
John D. Rockefeller, the wealthiest man in American history, is estimated to have been worth over one-quarter of a trillion dollars, inflation-adjusted, when he died, which is in a different class than America’s wealthiest persons today. Bill Gates and Warren buffet are each worth less than half what Rockefeller was worth.
Rockefeller, who was born and raised in upstate New York, helped shape both the city and the broader state’s history, as did his family. Rockefeller Center in Manhattan is only one small example of the impact Rockefeller had on New York state — those two names are forever linked. This is but one of many of the nation’s extremely wealthy becoming a significant part of an area’s identity.
A more recent example is Warren Buffett, who was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. Buffett continues to live there in a modest home, and he is an active philanthropist in his state.
While not every state in the country served as the childhood home of one of the nation’s extremely wealthy, every state has borne at least one person or family worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Not all of these richest people are still alive, and many moved out of state never to return. Still, these states can claim they contributed to the start of at least one of America’s financial elite. Reviewing estimates from a variety of sources and adjusting for inflation, 24/7 Wall St. identified the richest person of all time from every state.
Click here to see the richest person of all time from your state.
Click here to read our methodology.
Source: Courtesy of Auburn University
Alabama: Jimmy Rane
> Life: b.1946/1947
> 2018 estimate worth: $950 million
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Source: Courtesy of JL Properties
Alaska: Johnathan Rubini and Leonard Hyde
> Life: Jonathan b.1956, Leonard b.1957
> 2018 estimate worth: $950 million
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Source: Courtesy of U-Haul Company
Arizona: Mark Shoen
> Life: b.1950
> 2018 estimate worth: $3.2 billion
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Source: walmartcorporate / Flickr
Arkansas: Jim Walton
> Life: b.1948
> 2018 estimate worth: $45.2 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Irvine Company
California: Donald Bren
> Life: b.1934
> 2018 estimate worth: $16.4 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Leprino Foods
Colorado: James Leprino
> Life: b.1937/1938
> 2018 estimate worth: $4.0 billion
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Source: library_of_congress / Flickr
Connecticut: J. P. Morgan
> Life: 1837-1913
> 2018 estimate worth: $42.2 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Library of Congress
Delaware: Henry Du Pont
> Life: 1838-1926
> 2018 estimate worth: $14.3 billion
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Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Florida: Ken Griffin
> Life: b.1968
> 2018 estimate worth: $10.0 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Chick-fil-A
Georgia: Bubba Cathy
> Life: b.1953
> 2018 estimate worth: $5.5 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Cox Enterprises
Hawaii: Jim Kennedy
> Life: b.1947/1948
> 2018 estimate worth: $9.3 billion
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Source: Jeremy112233 / Wikimedia Commons
Idaho: Frank VanderSloot
> Life: b.1949
> 2018 estimate worth: $4.2 billion
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Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images
Illinois: Larry Ellison
> Life: b.1944
> 2018 estimate worth: $58.4 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Indiana: Carl Cook
> Life: b.1962/1963
> 2018 estimate worth: $8.4 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Stine Seed Company
Iowa: Harry Stine
> Life: b.1941/1942
> 2018 estimate worth: $3.9 billion
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Source: Matthew Stockman / Andrew Toth / Getty Images
Kansas: Charles & David Koch
> Life:Charles b.1935, David b.1940
> 2018 estimate worth: $51.3 billion
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Source: rreihm / Wikimedia Commons
Kentucky: Brad M. Kelley
> Life: b.1956/1957
> 2018 estimate worth: $2.4 billion
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Source: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images
Louisiana: Gayle Benson
> Life: b.1947
> 2018 estimate worth: $2.8 billion
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Source: Bain / Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons
Maine: Cyrus H. K. Curtis
> Life: 1850-1933
> 2018 estimate worth: $48.3 billion
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Maryland: Sergey Brin
> Life: b.1973
> 2018 estimate worth: $52.4 billion
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Massachusetts: Marshall Field
> Life: 1834-1906
> 2018 estimate worth: $76.3 billion
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Source: Getty Images / Getty Images
Michigan: Henry Ford
> Life: 1863-1947
> 2018 estimate worth: $68.3 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Cargill
Minnesota: Whitney MacMillan
> Life: b.1929
> 2018 estimate worth: $6.3 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Ergon
Mississippi: Leslie Lampton
> Life: 1925-2018
> 2018 estimate worth: $760 million
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Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images
Missouri: Stanley Kroenke
> Life: b.1947
> 2018 estimate worth: $8.5 billion
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Source: Courtesy of The Washington Companies
Montana: Dennis Washington
> Life: b.1934
> 2018 estimate worth: $6.2 billion
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
Nebraska: Warren Buffett
> Life: b.1930
> 2018 estimate worth: $88.3 billion
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Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Nevada: Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta
> Life: Frank b.1962, Lorenzo b.1969
> 2018 estimate worth: $2.1 billion
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Source: Pool / Getty Images
New Hampshire: Brooke Astor
> Life: 1902-2007
> 2018 estimate worth: $150 million
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
New Jersey: John Insley Blair
> Life: 1802-1899
> 2018 estimate worth: $47.7 billion
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images
New Mexico: Jeff Bezos
> Life: b.1964
> 2018 estimate worth: $160.0 billion
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Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
New York: John D. Rockefeller
> Life: 1839-1937
> 2018 estimate worth: $257.3 billion
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Source: Joe Corrigan / Getty Images
North Carolina: Ron Perelman
> Life: b.1943
> 2018 estimate worth: $9.6 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Tharaldson Hospitality Management
North Dakota: Gary Tharaldson
> Life: b.1945
> 2018 estimate worth: $900 million
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Source: Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images
Ohio: Les Wexner
> Life: b.1937
> 2018 estimate worth: $4.7 billion
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Source: pixelpackr / Flickr
Oklahoma: Sam Walton
> Life: 1918-1992
> 2018 estimate worth: $171.6 billion
See all stories featuring: Oklahoma
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Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Oregon: Phil Knight
> Life: b.1938
> 2018 estimate worth: $35.0 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pennsylvania: Richard Mellon Scaife
> Life: 1932-2014
> 2018 estimate worth: $104.7 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Providence Equity
Rhode Island: Jonathan Nelson
> Life: b.1957
> 2018 estimate worth: $1.8 billion
See all stories featuring: Rhode Island
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Source: Photo by Ryan Johnson / northcharleston / Flickr
South Carolina: Anita Zucker
> Life: b.1952
> 2018 estimate worth: $2.6 billion
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
South Dakota: Lee Raymond
> Life: b.1938
> 2018 estimate worth: $400 million
See all stories featuring: South Dakota
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Source: United Way / YouTube
Tennessee: Thomas Frist, Jr.
> Life: b.1938
> 2018 estimate worth: $12.4 billion
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Texas: Michael Dell
> Life: b.1965
> 2018 estimate worth: $27.6 billion
See all stories featuring: Texas
Source: Science History Institute / Wikimedia Commons
Utah: Robert Gore
> Life: b.1937
> 2018 estimate worth: $750 million
See all stories featuring: Utah
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
Vermont: Henry Wells
> Life: 1805-1878
> 2018 estimate worth: $570 million
See all stories featuring: Vermont
Source: John Stillwell - WPA Pool / Getty Images
Virginia: John Mars
> Life: b.1935
> 2018 estimate worth: $24.0 billion
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Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images
Washington: Bill Gates
> Life: b.1955
> 2018 estimate worth: $97.0 billion
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Source: Scott Halleran / Getty Images
West Virginia: Jim Justice II
> Life: b.1951
> 2018 estimate worth: $1.5 billion
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Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Wisconsin: John Menard Jr
> Life: b.1940
> 2018 estimate worth: $10.7 billion
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Source: Courtesy of Walton Family Foundation
Wyoming: Lukas Walton
> Life: b.1986
> 2018 estimate worth: $15.3 billion
See all stories featuring: Wyoming
Methodology
To identify the richest person of all time from every state, 24/7 Wall St. consulted lists of the wealthiest Americans, both living and historical figures. The sources include Forbes, American Heritage, and books such as “The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates-A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present,” by Michael Klepper. Those on this list who are still alive were ranked on their current net worth, while the deceased were ranked on their net worth at the height of their wealth, adjusted for inflation. Net worth figures on sites such as Forbes and Bloomberg are updated regularly. The figures we used from these two sources are as of Saturday, March 2. When estimates for net worth were not adjusted for inflation, we used the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index inflation adjustment calculator. For those on this list who are no longer living, we used net worth estimates at the end of their lives. For those who are alive, net worth figures are meant to reflect current net worth. In several cases, due to an absence of a clear record, we used business size, personal incomes, and property to determine an estimate. We considered the state where the individuals spent a large amount of their childhood to be be their state of origin. When information about where an individual spent his or her childhood was not available, birthplaces were used. Birth years were obtained from various internet sources and biographies. When only current age was available, both possible birth years were listed.
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