The 15 richest women in America (2025): Self-made, inherited, and one who did both
The richest woman in America is Alice Walton, the Walmart heiress whose net worth of $106 billion — confirmed by the 2025 Forbes 400 — makes her the first American woman ever to cross the $100 billion threshold. She holds that record by a margin that dwarfs almost every other woman on this list. Her closest rival, Julia Koch, is worth $81.2 billion. Below them, the fortunes range from Jacqueline Mars's candy-empire billions all the way down to Taylor Swift's music-and-catalog billions — a $104 billion spread that illustrates just how differently American women build (or inherit) extraordinary wealth.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- The 15 richest women in America
- 8. Elaine Marshall & family ($30.9 billion)
- 7. Marilyn Simons & family ($32.5 billion)
- 6. MacKenzie Scott ($33.9 billion)
- 5. Abigail Johnson ($35 billion)
- 4. Miriam Adelson & family ($37.9 billion)
- 3. Jacqueline Mars ($42.2 billion)
- 2. Julia Koch & family ($81.2 billion)
- 1. Alice Walton ($106 billion)
- FAQs
Key takeaways
- #1 Alice Walton holds a net worth of $106 billion, making her America's first female centibillionaire and the richest woman in the world as of 2025.
- #2 Julia Koch ($81.2B) is the runner-up, having inherited a 42.5% stake in Koch, Inc. from her late husband David Koch.
- The list spans from Taylor Swift ($2B) at #15 to Alice Walton ($106B) at #1 — a range of more than $104 billion.
- The richest self-made woman on this list is Diane Hendricks ($22.3B), chair of ABC Supply — the only woman to top Forbes' Self-Made Women ranking for nine consecutive years.
- Melinda French Gates ($29B) did both: she joined Microsoft as a self-made career woman and later received an estimated $25 billion divorce settlement from Bill Gates.
The 15 richest women in America
Our rankings are based on data from Forbes 400 (September 2025), Forbes' America's Richest Self-Made Women (June 2025/2026), the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and Celebrity Net Worth. We use the most up-to-date figures available at the time of publishing. Net worths are primarily sourced from the Forbes 400 (figures as of September 1, 2025), with Celebrity Net Worth and Bloomberg used to cross-reference and note more recent movements. For celebrity entries (Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey), we rely on Forbes' June 2025 America's Richest Self-Made Women list and the March 2026 Celebrity Billionaires report.
Summary table
Rank | Name | Net worth | Source of wealth | Wealth type |
1 | Alice Walton | $106B | Walmart | Inherited |
2 | Julia Koch & family | $81.2B | Koch, Inc. | Inherited |
3 | Jacqueline Mars | $42.2B | Mars Inc. | Inherited |
4 | Miriam Adelson & family | $37.9B | Las Vegas Sands, NBA | Inherited/Built |
5 | Abigail Johnson | $35B | Fidelity Investments | Inherited/Built |
6 | MacKenzie Scott | $33.9B | Amazon | Both |
7 | Marilyn Simons & family | $32.5B | Hedge funds (Renaissance) | Inherited |
8 | Elaine Marshall & family | $30.9B | Koch, Inc. | Inherited |
9 | Melinda French Gates | $29B | Microsoft, investments | Both |
10 | Lyndal Stephens Greth & family | $27.4B | Oil & gas (Endeavor Energy) | Inherited |
11 | Lynsi Snyder | $8.7B | In-N-Out Burger | Inherited |
12 | Judy Faulkner | $9.6B | Epic Systems | Self-made |
13 | Diane Hendricks | $22.3B | ABC Supply | Self-made |
14 | Oprah Winfrey | $3.2B | Media, OWN, investments | Self-made |
15 | Taylor Swift | $2B | Music, touring, catalog | Self-made |
15. Taylor Swift ($2 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Taylor Alison Swift
- Date of birth: December 13, 1989
- Age: 35 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Singer-songwriter, entrepreneur
- Net worth: $2 billion (Forbes, March 2026)
- Instagram: @taylorswift
Swift became a billionaire in 2023, thanks to the earnings from her Eras Tour and the value of her music catalog. Her fortune includes nearly $1 billion in estimated wealth amassed from royalties and touring, plus a music catalog worth an estimated $900 million and some $100 million of real estate.
Her signature Eras Tour started in 2023 and ended in December 2024, grossing a record-breaking $2 billion — generating earnings across ticket sales, a blockbuster movie, and a book about the tour.
In 2025, Taylor Swift reclaimed ownership of her first six albums' masters, completing a years-long battle for her back catalog. According to Forbes' March 2026 celebrity billionaires update, the pop superstar's net worth is an eye-watering $2 billion, making her the world's richest female musician.
14. Oprah Winfrey ($3.2 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Oprah Gail Winfrey
- Date of birth: January 29, 1954
- Age: 71 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Media executive, producer, philanthropist
- Net worth: $3.2 billion (Forbes, 2025)
- Instagram: @oprah
From 1986 to 2011, the Queen of All Media gained popularity as host of The Oprah Winfrey Show. She became the first Black woman to achieve the rank of billionaire in 2003 from her profits in hosting, acting, and production. In 1986, Oprah founded Harpo Productions, becoming one of the first women to own a major production company.
In 2011, she launched OWN, further expanding her media empire. Her eponymous talk show has been off the air nearly 15 years, but Winfrey remains a consistent presence on screen, appearing in the Netflix movie The Six Triple Eight and hosting three TV specials in the past year. Oprah has donated over $400 million to education and community projects.
13. Diane Hendricks ($22.3 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Diane Hendricks
- Date of birth: c. 1947
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Chairwoman, ABC Supply Co.
- Net worth: $22.3 billion (Forbes 400, September 2025)
- Source of wealth: Building materials (self-made)
The richest self-made woman on the 2025 Forbes 400 is Diane Hendricks, who owns building supplies distributor ABC Supply and is worth an estimated $22.3 billion. A Wisconsin native, Hendricks grew up as one of nine sisters on a dairy farm. She co-founded ABC Supply in 1982, revolutionizing the building materials industry. The company has over 900 branch locations and had $20.2 billion in 2025 revenues.
After her husband Ken died in 2007, Hendricks took sole control of the company and built it into North America's largest wholesale roofing distributor. For the ninth year in a row, Hendricks tops Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women. In July 2025, she began starring in the new A&E show Betting on Beloit alongside her daughter, Konya Hendricks Schuh.
12. Judy Faulkner ($9.6 billion)
- Full name: Judith R. Faulkner
- Date of birth: c. 1943
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Founder & CEO, Epic Systems
- Net worth: $9.6 billion (Forbes, June 2026)
- Source of wealth: Healthcare software (self-made)
Faulkner started Epic in a basement in 1979 in Verona, Wisconsin. She built it into the dominant force in American hospital electronic health records — and never took the company public, retaining majority ownership throughout. Faulkner is ranked No. 3 on Forbes' 2026 Self-Made Women list with $9.6 billion, as founder of Epic Systems, a healthcare software company.
On the Hurun global list, Judy Faulkner ranked 6th, up 60%, anchoring U.S. presence with Epic Systems' AI-driven healthcare software expansion. Epic's software is used by more than 250 million patients across thousands of American hospitals, making Faulkner one of the most quietly powerful people in U.S. healthcare.
11. Lynsi Snyder ($8.7 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Lynsi Lavelle Snyder-Ellingson
- Date of birth: May 5, 1982
- Age: 43 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: President & owner, In-N-Out Burger
- Net worth: $8.7 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Fast food (inherited)
In-N-Out Burger heir and president Lynsi Snyder was worth $8.7 billion on the 2025 Forbes 400. Snyder is the youngest woman on the Forbes 400, at age 43. She inherited full ownership of In-N-Out Burger — the legendary California-based fast food chain founded by her grandparents Harry and Esther Snyder in 1948 — after her father Guy Snyder's death in 1999.
Under her leadership, In-N-Out has remained one of America's most beloved and profitable fast food brands, operating over 400 locations across the western United States while refusing to franchise or go public — a deliberate choice that keeps every dollar of profit in the family.
10. Lyndal Stephens Greth & family ($27.4 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Lyndal Stephens Greth
- Date of birth: c. 1975
- Age: ~50 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Former chair, Endeavor Energy Resources
- Net worth: $27.4 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Oil & gas (inherited)
Lyndal Stephens Greth's father, Autry Stephens, founded the Texas-based oil firm Endeavor Energy Resources in 1979. Before he passed away in 2024, Autry negotiated the $26 billion sale of Endeavor Energy Resources to Diamondback Energy. As a result, Greth now owns more than a third of Diamondback's shares.
The massive Diamondback deal — one of the largest oil and gas transactions in recent Texas history — turned Greth into one of America's wealthiest women almost overnight. Based in Dallas, Greth is the daughter of the late Autry Stephens, who founded Endeavor Energy, and chaired the company following his death.
9. Melinda French Gates ($29 billion)
Source: AFP
- Full name: Melinda Ann French Gates
- Date of birth: August 15, 1964
- Age: 61 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Philanthropist, founder of Pivotal Ventures
- Net worth: $29 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Microsoft, investments
- Instagram: @melindafrenchgates
Melinda French Gates is the one woman on this list who did both — she was a self-made Microsoft product manager who later built one of the world's largest philanthropies alongside her husband Bill Gates, before receiving an estimated $25 billion divorce settlement in 2021. Forbes increased its estimate of her 2021 divorce settlement with Bill Gates, estimating it at $25 billion.
In June 2024, she resigned from the Gates Foundation to focus on Pivotal Ventures, a firm she founded to invest in women-led funds and startups. French Gates previously co-chaired the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which donated over $77.6 billion toward improving healthcare and reducing poverty around the planet during her 24-year tenure.
8. Elaine Marshall & family ($30.9 billion)
- Full name: Elaine Marshall
- Age: 83 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Koch, Inc. heiress
- Net worth: $30.9 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Koch, Inc. (inherited)
Elaine Marshall and her family have a net worth of $30.9 billion, sourced from Koch Industries. Along with her two sons, she owns approximately 16 percent of Koch Industries. Marshall is the widow of Everett Pierce Marshall, who was an heir to the Koch fortune through his relationship with the company's founders.
She ranks just below MacKenzie Scott and Marilyn Simons on the Forbes 400 women's list, and her stake in Koch — one of America's largest private companies, with revenues exceeding $125 billion — is entirely distinct from Julia Koch's larger 42.5% share. As of September 2025, Forbes placed her net worth at $30.9 billion, with Koch Inc. as the source.
7. Marilyn Simons & family ($32.5 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Marilyn Hawrys Simons
- Age: 74 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Philanthropist, chair of Simons Foundation
- Net worth: $32.5 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Hedge funds — Renaissance Technologies (inherited)
Marilyn Simons is the widow of hedge fund legend Jim Simons, who died in 2024 at age 86. Jim Simons founded Renaissance Technologies and its legendary Medallion Fund — widely considered the most successful hedge fund in history — and Marilyn became one of the wealthiest women in America after his death.
She controls the Simons Foundation, an organization the couple cofounded to support science education and research. Simons has devoted a large part of her career to philanthropic leadership, and currently sits on the boards of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the East Harlem Scholar Academies.
6. MacKenzie Scott ($33.9 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: MacKenzie Scott (born MacKenzie Tuttle)
- Date of birth: April 7, 1970
- Age: 55 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Author, philanthropist
- Net worth: $33.9 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Amazon (self-made career + divorce settlement)
- Instagram: N/A (not publicly active on Instagram)
MacKenzie Scott is a philanthropist, author and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to whom she was married for 25 years. As part of their 2019 divorce, she received a 4% stake in the online retailer. Since the divorce, Scott has become America's most prolific philanthropist by a significant margin, giving away tens of billions of dollars through a uniquely fast and unrestricted giving model.
MacKenzie Scott continues to reshape philanthropy with her unorthodox approach of rapid, large-scale donations, often surpassing traditional foundations. Despite aggressive giving, her Amazon stake has continued to appreciate, keeping her firmly among the nation's wealthiest women.
5. Abigail Johnson ($35 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Abigail Pierrepont Johnson
- Date of birth: December 19, 1961
- Age: 63 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Chair & CEO, Fidelity Investments
- Net worth: $35 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Fidelity Investments (inherited + grown)
Abigail Johnson inherited her position at Fidelity Investments — the Boston-based financial services giant founded by her grandfather Edward C. Johnson II in 1946 — but she has undeniably grown the business during her tenure. She became CEO in 2014 and chair in 2016, overseeing the firm's expansion into cryptocurrency and index-fund products.
Abigail Johnson has a net worth of $35 billion, with Fidelity Investments as her source of wealth. Under her leadership, Fidelity now manages more than $12 trillion in assets and has expanded beyond mutual funds into broader financial services, cryptocurrency custody, and workplace retirement plans — making Johnson one of the most quietly powerful figures in American finance.
4. Miriam Adelson & family ($37.9 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Miriam Adelson (née Farbstein)
- Date of birth: October 10, 1945
- Age: 79 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: Israeli-American
- Profession: Physician, businesswoman, philanthropist
- Net worth: $37.9 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Las Vegas Sands, Dallas Mavericks
Miriam Adelson is an Israeli-American physician, businesswoman, philanthropist, and conservative political donor. By the time her husband Sheldon Adelson died in 2021, Las Vegas Sands had become a major force in global gaming. Miriam inherited nearly half the company and took on a leadership role.
Miriam Adelson and her family have a net worth of approximately $32–38 billion, derived from Las Vegas Sands; she and son-in-law Patrick Dumont purchased the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban in 2023. She also holds the distinction of being the richest Israeli billionaire, underscoring her global financial prominence.
3. Jacqueline Mars ($42.2 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Jacqueline Mars
- Date of birth: October 10, 1939
- Age: 85 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Heir, Mars, Inc.
- Net worth: $42.2 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Mars, Inc. — candy, pet food (inherited)
Jacqueline Mars has a net worth of $42.2 billion; her grandfather founded Mars, the candy and pet food giant behind brands like M&M's, Snickers and Pedigree. Jacqueline Mars owns an estimated one-third of Mars, the candy, food and pet care firm founded by her grandfather.
Mars, Inc. remains one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, with annual revenues exceeding $45 billion and a portfolio that spans chocolate, chewing gum, and pet care brands sold in over 180 countries.
Despite sitting on one of America's great inherited fortunes, Jacqueline has served on Mars' board of directors and has been actively involved in equestrian sports for decades, competing at a national level in eventing.
2. Julia Koch & family ($81.2 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Julia Margaret Koch (née Flesher)
- Date of birth: April 12, 1962
- Age: 63 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Koch, Inc. stakeholder
- Net worth: $81.2 billion (Forbes 400, 2025)
- Source of wealth: Koch, Inc. (inherited from husband)
Julia Koch, with an estimated net worth of $81.2 billion, who inherited a 42.5% stake in conglomerate Koch, Inc. from her late husband David (d. 2019), again ranks as America's second richest woman. In September, she and her children struck a deal to buy a minority stake in the New York Giants NFL team.
Koch and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch, Inc. (formerly Koch Industries), the second largest private company in the U.S., spanning industries as diverse as oil refining, agriculture and real estate. Julia was a former fashion assistant before marrying David Koch in 1996, and has since transformed into one of America's most consequential businesswomen — managing an empire that dwarfs the GDP of many small countries.
1. Alice Walton ($106 billion)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Alice Louise Walton
- Date of birth: October 7, 1949
- Age: 75 (as of 2025)
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Heiress, art patron, philanthropist
- Net worth: $106 billion (Forbes 400, September 2025)
- Source of wealth: Walmart (inherited + art/philanthropy ventures)
Alice Louise Walton is an American billionaire and, as the daughter of Sam Walton, heiress to the fortune of Walmart. Forbes estimates Walton's net worth at $106 billion (up from $89.2 billion the year before) and proclaims her as the first female centibillionaire — a person with a 12-digit fortune — in America. This significant increase is attributed to a 40% rise in Walmart's stock value, where she holds an estimated 11% stake.
While her siblings Rob and Jim took executive roles at Walmart, Alice took a dramatically different path. Her ambitions led her to the world of finance, where she worked as an equity analyst and broker before founding Llama Company, an investment bank, in 1988.
Her passion for art, ignited at a young age, culminated in the establishment of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2011. She has also invested heavily in the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas — a project she has supported with over $250 million since 2023 — which welcomed its inaugural class of 48 four-year medical students in 2025.
FAQs
Who is the richest woman in America?
Fort Worth's own Alice Walton leads as the wealthiest woman in America. Walmart heiress Walton, 75, simultaneously holds the title as the richest woman in the world in 2025. Forbes estimates her net worth at $106 billion, making her the first female centibillionaire in America.
Who is richer, Oprah or Taylor Swift?
Oprah Winfrey is richer than Taylor Swift — and it isn't particularly close. Forbes' 2025 list of America's Richest Women Celebrities features Oprah Winfrey at the top with a net worth of $3.1 billion, followed by Kim Kardashian at $1.7 billion and Taylor Swift at $1.6 billion. By early 2026, Forbes puts Taylor Swift's net worth at $2 billion, making her the world's richest female musician — though the only woman who placed higher among celebrities was Oprah Winfrey, worth $3.2 billion.
What is Alice Walton's net worth?
As of July 2025, Walton has an estimated net worth of $116 billion, making her the richest woman in the world and 15th richest person overall, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Forbes 400 (September 2025) put the figure at $106 billion. Both sources agree she is America's wealthiest woman by a vast margin — more than $24 billion ahead of runner-up Julia Koch.
What is Diane Hendricks's net worth?
For the ninth consecutive year, Diane Hendricks topped Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with an estimated net worth of $21.7 billion on the 2026 list. The Forbes 400 (September 2025) placed her at $22.3 billion. She grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and is now one of America's wealthiest self-made women, having co-founded ABC Supply in 1982.
How many women are on the Forbes 400?
There are just 62 women among the nation's 400 wealthiest people, good for just 15.5% of the ranking — down from 67 women the year before, or about 17%. In aggregate, these 62 super-rich women are worth $872 billion, up from $839 billion in 2024. The drop is largely explained by the deaths of three women billionaires and two others falling below the record $3.8 billion Forbes 400 cutoff.
Legit.ng also highlighted facts about the top 10 richest women in the world in 2026 and how they amassed their wealth through various avenues like investments, inheritance, and entrepreneurship. Discover how these extraordinary women have not only garnered immense fortunes but have also significantly impacted industries ranging from retail to philanthropy, paving the way for future generations of female leaders.
Source: Legit.ng
