The 20 Richest Americans in the World
If someone was to ask you who the richest American in the world is today, what would be your answer? Of all the extremely wealthy Americans, there are always a few who come to mind, including Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, or perhaps, Michael Bloomberg. They’re all incredibly wealthy, but would you have guessed the right answer? The very rich don’t usually go around telling everyone how much they’re worth, in fact, it’s usually just the opposite. We were curious about who America’s richest are, so we did our research to assess the current net worth of the very richest to include in our list of the top 20 Richest Americans in the world for 2019. We also included immigrants who are now U.S. citizens:
20. Elon Musk – $22.3 Billion
Elon has an incredible net worth that goes pretty far up into the billions. According to Menard, he’s the second richest immigrant to become an American today, but he’s the twentieth when it comes to the big picture. Musk was born in South Africa and he then immigrated to Canada as a teenager. He came to America to pursue his education in economics and physics and ended up staying, founding some of the most innovative tech companies in the world including Neuralink, Zip2 and SpaceX. Thanks to Elon Musk, we’re looking forward to taking leisure trips into outer space as well as colonizing Mars in the near future.
19. John Mars – $26.2 Billion
John Mars comes in just under Elon Musk with a net worth of $26.2 billion which is up by $2.3 billion over the past few years, showing he’s becoming even richer with every passing year. Most of us have heard of the Mars Candy company. It was his grandfather who founded the company that has been the primary source of the family worth. It seems obvious that candy sales have been up for the past few years. In addition to the candy sales, the company also owns Pedigree, Whiskas and Uncle Ben’s rice.
18. Jacqueline Mars – $26.2 Billion
Jacqueline is the sister of John Mars and is also heir to the Mars family fortune. She is also an investor on her own. Her net worth is officially listed as the same as her brother John, holding stable at $26.2 billion, making her the 18th richest American in the world.
17. Phil Knight – $33.5 Billion
Phil Knight is the multi-billionaire American who founded the Nike Corporation. It’s one of the top sneaker brands in the world today. Knight serves as the chairman emeritus of Nike. Shoe sales are continually going up with new and innovative specialty sneakers being designed and engineered as often as the seasons change. In addition to owning Nike Inc., Knight also owns Laika, which is a stop motion film production company. He is an entrepreneur as well as philanthropist who is generous in giving donations to those who are less fortunate than he.
16. Michael Dell – $34.3 Billion
Michael Dell has a last name that conjures images of some of the highest quality personal computers around, and this is because he’s the founder of Dell Technologies. He’s a well known investor and business man who has made his fortune in the technology infrastructure business. He’s still the CEO of Dell Technologies in addition to being an author and philanthropist.
15. Sheldon Adelson – $37 Billion
Sheldon Adleson is the fifteenth wealthiest American in the world today. The 85 year old entrepreneur was born into a family that was financially strapped, but Adelson knew he wanted a different life so he went out into the world and carved a very large niche for himself. He’s the controlling shareholder in the Las Vegas Sands as well as the chairman and owns a variety of casino resorts, convention centers and more throughout America and Asia.
14. Steve Ballmer – $41.2 Billion
Steve Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft, and he made a fortune leading one of the nation’s richest companies. After stepping down from Microsoft’s executive team, he went on to buy the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. He’s continued to build his personal net worth and is now estimated to be worth $41.2 billion in assets. He’s the 14th richest American in the world today.
13. Rob Walton – $44.6 Billion
Samuel Robson Walton, also known as Rob Walton is the oldest member of the family which is heir to the Walmart billions. He was previously in leadership at one of the richest companies in terms of market cap value in the world until 2015. In addition to his career with the family business, he co-founded the Rob and Melani Walton Foundations and is also a member of the Conservation International board as well as the Environment Program Committee and the Arizona State University Global Institute of Sustainability board. Mr. Walton was previously an attorney and a partner with the Tulsa, Oklahoma law firm Conner & Winters.
12. Alice Walton – $44.6 Billion
Alice Walton is Rob’s sister and is also heir to the Walmart family fortune. Her net worth is the same her brother’s. Alice has gone out and pursued other ventures, including the Llama Company which is no longer in business. In addition to being an heir to the Walmart corporation, Alice Walton is a philanthropist, a patron of the arts and the board chairwoman for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
11. Jim Walton – $44.6 Billion
Like his siblings Alice and Rob Walton, Jim is also an heir to the fortune of the Walton family thanks to their ownership of Walmart, one of the richest retail stores in America. Jim, as his brother and sister has a net worth of $44.6 billion. He is currently serving as on Walmart’s board of directors. Jim also founded a company of his own called Arvest Bank and he serves as the CEO.
10. Sergey Brin – $50.3 Billion
According to The Richest, Sergey BRin is currently worth an estimated 50.3 billion dollars. He’s the tenth richest American in the world today. Brin made his fortune when he and his partner Larry Page founded Google. He currently serves as the president of Alphabet, the parent company of Google and many other highly ranking companies.
9. David Koch – $51.2 Billion
David Koch is the ninth richest American in the world. He’s a native of Wichita Kansas who made his fortune of some fifty billion plus through cultural and medical institutions and his philanthropy. He is an economist by profession. The 78 year old was born in 1940 in Kansas and he’s since relocated and lives in Manhattan very comfortably. He’s the co-owner of Koch Industries along with his brother Charles and also serves as he company’s Executive Vice President.
8. Charles Koch – $51.2 Billion
Charles Koch is the brother of the ninth richest American and he also is part owner of Koch Industries, where the brothers have made their billions. Charles is a businessman and philanthropist and the company he and his brother co-founded deals with technologies and equipment in the pollution control industry as well as a variety of consumer, commodity trading, farm and ranch products.
7. Larry Page – $50.8 Billion
Larry Page is the co-founder of the internet giant Google. This is where he made his billions. In addition to owning Google, he and his partner Sergey Brin have gone out into the world and made other investments and acquisitions, YouTube being one of them.
6. Michael Bloomberg – $55.5 Billion
Michael Bloomberg founded the financial data and media company called Bloomberg L.P. He is also the CEO of the mega company. Bloomberg is an entrepreneur as well as a politician who believes in dreaming big and when he shares this philosophy, it’s believable because of what he has accomplished in his own life. He also served as Mayor and he serves as an inspirational figure for Americans aspiring to achieve the American dream.
5. Mark Zuckerberg – $62.3 Billion
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook, the highly popular social media site on the internet. Facebook is one of the richest companies in America by Market Cap value and he’s the man responsible for its creation. Mark has made his billions from his creation of the site and he stands today as the fifth richest American in the world for 2019. Prior to the scandals and his appearances before congress, it was reported by money.com that Zuckerberg’s worlth was as high as $86 billion before it took a sharp down turn.
4. Larry Ellison – $62.5 Billion
Larry Ellison made his fortune after the company that he co-founded became a major success in the tech scene. He is one of the founders of the Oracle Corporation. Ellison also served as CEO of the company for a period of time. He is also on Tesla’s board of directors and is now the fourth richest American in the world today.
3. Warren Buffett – $82.5 Billion
Warren Buffett was at one time the richest American in the world, but today he reigns as the third in ranking. According to Forbes he’s worth an estimated $82.5 billion as of 2019. He’s an investor and entrepreneur as well as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, which is one of the highest valued companies in the world. There are many different companies which are owned by Mr. Buffett. He’s established a reputation for being one of the most humble billionaires to walk the face of the earth, preferring to live a simple lifestyle instead of a lavish one which he could well afford if he had the desire.
2. Bill Gates – $100 Billion
The second richest American in the world is Bill Gates of Microsoft fame. Mr. Gates continues to appear on lists naming the richest people in the world because he earned his fortune at a young age and he continues to increase his net worth. He’s the founder of Microsoft and although he’s been replaced as the richest man in the world for several years in a row, he’s still not doing bad with a net worth of $100 Billion as of March of 2019. He and Paul Allen founded the astronomically valuable company in 1975 and after a few years of struggle, the two would go on to become rich beyond their wildest imaginations. He and his wife Melinda Gates continue to support multiple worthy causes and are heavily involved in efforts to help improve the lives of others who are less fortunate through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
1. Jeff Bezos – $161.81 billion
Jeff Bezos, the founder of the insanely successful online retailer Amazon, has increased his net worth, yet again with a several billion dollar jump for an amazing net worth of an estimated $161.81 billion. This is up from $136 billion earlier in the year, then $145 billion. We’re not quite sure where his fortune will be at the end of the year, but from all indications, it could be even higher. When Jeff started Amazon, it was initially just a very simple online bookstore and he even ran it from his bedroom. He didn’t have a lot of sales at first, but Jeff is an innovative fellow and it wasn’t long before his e-commerce business began to grow as he added more features and products, until there is very little that you can’t find on Amazon.
