The Wealthiest People in Each State Are 19 Percent Richer Than Last Year

The richest in each state are worth $540 billion, 19 percent more than in 2012.

ByABC News
October 30, 2013, 8:19 AM
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates attends the Clinton Global Initiative during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) on Sept. 24, 2013 in New York.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates attends the Clinton Global Initiative during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) on Sept. 24, 2013 in New York.
Mehdi Taamallah/AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 30, 2013 — -- intro: The rich are indeed getting richer, according to a new list of the richest person in each of the 50 states. As it turns out, the namest of the richest 10 people haven't changed at all, led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in Washington state. But their net worth values have ticked up. The top 10 are collectively worth a whopping $362 billion, 67 percent of the total wealth of the 50 folks in a list compiled by Wealth-X, a firm that researches ultra-high net worth individuals.

Among the reports showing an increase in the wealth gap is a Pew Research Center report that showed the mean net worth of households in the highest 7 percent of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28 percent during the first two years of the nation's economic recovery, while the net worth in the lower 93 percent dropped by 4 percent.

Infographic: See a Map of the Richest Person in Each State

The top two richest people in Wealth-X's list, Gates and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, happen to be the most generous people in the country.

Designating a residence can be tricky for the super-rich in this list, who are known to have multiple homes across the country if not the world. Wealth-X tries to solve this problem by tying each person to their primary place of business at times. For example, Kenneth Dart, $6.6 billion, chairman of Dart Container Corp., renounced his citizenship and is reportedly living out of the country, though Wealth-X lists him as the richest person in Michigan.

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Some folks on last year's list aren't present in 2013, such as Robert Earl Holding, owner of Sinclair Oil, who used to be the richest person in Utah. This year it's Blake Roney, chairman of Nu Skin Enterprises.

Sometimes wealth transfers don't go very far. Last year, Pauline Keinath, great-granddaughter of W. W. Cargill, was the richest person in Minnesota, according to Wealth-X. This year, it's Whitney MacMillan, her brother, who is CEO of Cargill Inc.

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There are nine new people in the list, in Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Utah. These nine are collectively worth $34 billion, which is 50 percent more than the combined net worth of the people in the same states last year.

Here is Wealth-X's list of the richest person in each of the 50 states:

quicklist:1category: Washingtonmedia: 20716726title: Bill Gates: $70.8 billion text: Microsoft chairman, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country

quicklist: 2category: Nebraskamedia: 17762033title: Warren Buffett: $59.8 billiontext: Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

quicklist: 3category: Californiamedia: 18005707title: Lawrence Ellison: $46.4 billion text: CEO of Oracle Corp.

Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country

quicklist: 4category: Kansasmedia: 14933177title: David Koch: $41.5 billiontext: Executive vice president of Koch Industries

quicklist: 5category: Arkansasmedia: 18005675title: James Walton: $37.1 billiontext: Chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank, son of Walmart founder, Sam Walton

quicklist: 6category: Nevadamedia:title: Sheldon Adelson: $32.2 billiontext: Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands

Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country

quicklist: 7category: New Yorkmedia: 19418280title: Michael Bloomberg: $21.4 billiontext: New York City Mayor and owner of Bloomberg LP

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quicklist: 8category: Virginiamedia:title: Forrest Mars, Jr.: $20.1 billiontext: Part-owner of Mars candy company and grandson of the late Frank C. Mars

quicklist: 9category: Massachusetts media:title: Abigail Johnson: $16.9 billiontext: President, Fidelity Financial Services

quicklist: 10category: Texasmedia: 14683023title: Michael Dell: $16 billiontext: CEO of Dell Inc.

Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country

quicklist: 11category: Oregonmedia:title: Philip Knight: $14.7 billiontext: Chairman of Nike Inc.

quicklist: 12category: Coloradomedia:title: Charles Ergen: $13.7 billiontext:

Founder and chairman of DISH Network

quicklist: 13category: Connecticut media:title: Raymond Dalio: $13.4 billiontext:

Founder of Bridgewater Associates LP

quicklist: 14category: Georgia media:title: Anne Cox Chambers: $11.4 billiontext: Member of Cox Enterprises' board of directors, chairwoman of Atlanta Newspapers

quicklist: 15category: New Hampshire media:title: Richard Cohen: $10 billion text: Chairman of C&S Wholesale Grocers

quicklist: 16category: Oklahoma media:title: George Kaiser: $9.8 billiontext: Chairman of BOK Financial

quicklist: 17category: Pennsylvaniamedia:title: Hansjorg Wyss: $9.2 billiontext: Chairman of Swiss medical device manufacturer Synthes Holding AG

quicklist: 18category: New Jerseymedia:title: David Tepper: $7.9 billiontext: President and founder of Appaloosa Management

quicklist: 19category: North Carolinamedia:title: James Goodnight: $7.4 billiontext: CEO of SAS

quicklist: 20category: Wisconsinmedia:title: John Menard, Jr.: $7.3 billiontext: Founder and owner of home-improvement retailer Menard Inc.

quicklist: 21category: Michiganmedia:title: Kenneth Dart: $6.6 billiontext: Chairman of Dart Container Corp.

quicklist: 22category: Florida media:title: Micky Arison: $5.9 billiontext: Chairman and CEO of Carnival

quicklist: 23category: Montanamedia: title: Dennis Washington: $5.6 billiontext: Founder of The Washington Companies and co-founder of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation

quicklist: 24category: Ohiomedia:title: Leslie Wexner: $5.2 billion text: Chairman and CEO of Limited Brands

quicklist: 25category: Indianamedia:title: Gayle Cook: $4.8 billiontext: Member of board of directors of medical device firm Cook Group

quicklist: 26category: Arizonamedia:title: Bruce Halle: $4.4 billiontext: Founder of Discount Tires

quicklist: 27category: Marylandmedia:title: Theodore Lerner: $4.1 billiontext: Founder of real estate firm Lerner Enterprises

quicklist: 28category: Illinoismedia:title: Samuel Zell: $3.8 billiontext: Founder of Equity Residential

quicklist: 29category: Minnesotamedia:title: Whitney MacMillan: $3.8 billiontext: CEO of Cargill

quicklist: 30category: Missourimedia:title: John Morris: $3.8 billiontext: Owner, Bass Pro Shops

quicklist: 31category: Tennesseemedia:title: Thomas Frist, Jr.: $3.2 billiontext:Founder of HCA, the Hospital Corporation of America

quicklist: 32category: South Carolinamedia:title: Anita Zucker: $2.6 billion text: Chairwoman and CEO of chemical manufacturer InterTech Group

quicklist: 33category: Kentuckymedia:title: Brad M. Kelley: $1.9 billiontext: Former owner of Commonwealth Brands

quicklist: 34category: Iowamedia:title: Dennis Albaugh: $1.6 billion text: Founder of Albaugh Inc.

quicklist: 35category: West Virginiamedia:title: James Justice II: $1.6 billiontext: Owner of Southern Coal Corp.

quicklist: 36category: Rhode Island media:title: Jonathan Nelson: $1.5 billion text: CEO of Providence Equity Partners

quicklist: 37category: Alabama media:title: Marguerite Harbert: $1.5 billiontext: Widow of the late construction and energy mogul, John Murdoch Harbert III

quicklist: 38category: Louisianamedia:title: Thomas Benson: $1.3 billiontext: Owner of New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Hornets

quicklist: 39category: South Dakotamedia:title: T. Denny Sanford: $1.3 billion text: Owner of First Premier Bank and board co-chair of Sanford Consortium

quicklist: 40category: Idahomedia:title: Frank VanderSloot: $1.2 billion text: CEO of Melaleuca

quicklist: 41category: Vermontmedia:title: Robert Stiller: $1.1 billiontext: Founder of Green Mountain Coffee

quicklist: 42category: North Dakotamedia:title: Gary Tharaldson: $900 milliontext: Founder of the Tharaldson Companies

quicklist: 43category: Delawaremedia:title: Robert W. Gore: $800 milliontext: Chairman, W.L. Gore & Associates

quicklist: 44category: Maine media:title: Leon Gorman: $800 milliontext: Chairman of L.L. Bean

quicklist: 45category: New Mexicomedia:title: John Yates: $800 million text: President and CEO of McKinley Capital Management LLC

quicklist: 46category: Hawaiimedia:title: Jay Shidler: $700 milliontext: Founder of the real estate company The Shidler Group

quicklist: 47category: Mississippi media:title: Jim Barksdale: $600 million text: Chairman of Barksdale Management Corp.

quicklist: 48category: Utah media:title: Blake Roney: $600 million text: Chairman of Nu Skin Enterprises

quicklist: 49category: Alaska media:title: Robert Gillam: $400 million text: President and CEO of McKinley Capital Management LLC

quicklist: 50category: Wyomingmedia:title: John Martin: $300 milliontext: Chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences

Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country