Diane Hendricks leads the list with US$20.9 billion, while Oprah Winfrey is the highest-ranked celebrity
Women in America are absolutely crushing it when it comes to bringing in the big bucks.
The 100 wealthiest self-made women in the United States have a combined fortune of US$154 billion, Forbes reported on its annual ranking. That’s up almost 25 percent from last year. At the top of the heap sits Diane Hendricks, worth US$20.9 billion, who made her money in the building-supplies industry.
In total, there are now a record-high 31 self-made women billionaires, the publication noted, a jump from 24 last year. And the minimum net worth to make the list went up from US$225 million in 2023 to US$300 million this year, the highest baseline since the magazine started tracking the top 100 in 2020.
Following Hendricks in the crème de la crème is gas-station billionaire Judy Love and her family (US$11.6 billion), healthcare-software maven Judy Faulkner (US$7.6 billion), IT businesswoman Thai Lee (US$6.8 billion), and packaging-materials moneymaker Elizabeth Uihlein (US$6.7 billion). As far as bona fide celebs go, Oprah Winfrey leads at No. 14 with US$3 billion. Kim Kardashian isn’t far behind at No. 21, thanks to her US$1.7 billion fortune, and Rihanna cracks the top 25, sitting at No. 23 with her US$1.4 billion net worth. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, is tied for the 24th spot with US$1.3 billion to her name.
This year, the list welcomes 11 new names, too. The highest newcomer is Barbara Banke and her family with a US$2.6 billion net worth, which they accrued through their ownership of Jackson Family Wines. The other two billionaires to make the list for the first time are Susan Ocampo and her family, worth US$2 billion from the semiconductor industry, and Sara Liu, who has a net worth of US$1 billion from her work in computer hardware. Katy Perry just made the cut for the first time as well: Her US$350 million fortune puts her at No. 95 on the list.
With all sorts of industries represented in Forbes’s ranking, it’s clear that women are making strides—and lucrative strides at that—in all facets of business.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for GLAAD
