Richest Person in Every State

Jacqueline Mars, heiress to the candy company Mars, Inc. fortune, is not just the richest person in Virginia, but also one of the wealthiest people in the world. She is worth an estimated $30.2 billion, making her the 33rd wealthiest person in the world. Mars, her brother John, and the heirs of her late brother Forrest Jr. own one-third of Mars, Inc. each.

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of e-commerce juggernaut Amazon, is the wealthiest man in the world. With a current net worth of nearly $117.1 billion, Bezos is billions of dollars ahead of fellow Washington resident Bill Gates, who is the second wealthiest person in the world. Bezos’ empire continues to expand into new businesses. In August 2017, Amazon bought supermarket chain Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Bezos also owns the Washington Post and aerospace company Blue Origin.

West Virginia is the largest producer of coal east of the Mississippi River and the second largest in the country. Not surprisingly, the state’s wealthiest resident, Jim Justice II, owes his fortune to coal. He inherited a coal business from his father and still owns mines in five states. In 2016, Justice was elected state governor. After running as a Democrat, Justice flipped parties to become a Republican six months after winning.

John Menard, Jr. derives his fortune from the home improvement store bearing his name, Menard’s. The business has over 300 locations around the Midwest. Menard’s business has been the subject of controversy, including assault accusations from the wife of a longtime business associate.

Like the other billionaires in his family, John Mars’s vast fortune stems from the company his grandfather founded — Mars, Inc. The company makes some of the world’s most recognizable candies, including M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix. John and his sister Jacqueline each own a third of the company, and the rest is divided among the four daughters of his late brother Forrest Jr.