There's plenty of evidence that the wealth of women is growing. A Wells Fargo survey last year found that not only are women accruing more money, but they also enjoy investing their resources.
The rise in wealth among women got us wondering who are among the richest in the U.S.
We turned to Forbes, which listed the wealthiest person in each of the 50 states. It turns out that 20% of the states have a woman at the top of the list.
Recommended For You
Despite the immense wealth of each, the woman at the top of our list is only the sixth richest person in the U.S. overall.
Check out our countdown:
10. Elizabeth Snyder, $675 million
State: Delaware
World Rank: N/A
U.S. Rank: N/A
Source of Wealth: Snyder's brother, Bob Gore, invented Gore-Tex for the family business started by her parents, W.L. Gore & Co. She is tied with her brother, Robert, for the state's richest person.
9. Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli, $1 billion
State: New Hampshire
World Rank: 1,741st
U.S. Rank: 513th
Source of Wealth: The descendant of 19th century chemist Ludwig Reimann, Reimann-Ciardelli is the beneficiary of the German chemical company started by him and Johann Adam Bensicker. In the 1950s, consumer products were added and today nine heirs share in JAB Enterprises.
8. Susan Alfond, $1.2 billion
State: Maine
World Rank: 85th
U.S. Rank: 34th
Source of Wealth: Alfond shares the fortune her father made with three of her siblings. Her father made a smart deal when he traded his Dexter Shoe company to Warren Buffett in 1993 for shares in Berkshire Hathaway.
7. Anita Zucker, $2.2 billion
State: South Carolina
World Rank: 847th
U.S. Rank: 297th
Source of Wealth: Zucker is the CEO of InterTech Group, which includes aerospace parts manufacturing, commercial real estate and chemical businesses as well an interest in a minor league hockey team, the South Carolina Stingrays. Since she took over the business after her husband died in 2008, the company, through a subsidiary, has become the owner of the largest solar power farm in South Carolina.
6. Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, $3.2 Billion
State: Pennsylvania
World Rank: 557th
U.S. Rank: 190th
Source of Wealth: Malone is the granddaughter of the man who perfected the recipe that made Campbell's Soup mmm, mmm good. She is the company's largest shareholder. She and her brother both have seats on the company's board.
5. Abigail Johnson, $13.4 billion
State: Massachusetts
World Rank: 85th
U.S. Rank: 34th
Source of Wealth: Johnson became the third generation of her family to helm Fidelity when her father left the CEO's chair in 2014. Not a bad little family business.
4. Anne Cox Chambers, $17 billion
State: Georgia
World Rank: 53rd
U.S. Rank: 28th
Source of Wealth: Chambers is majority owner of Cox Enterprises, a media company founded by her father. She was ambassador to Belgium under President Jimmy Carter.
3. Jacqueline Mars, $26.8 billion
State: Virginia
World Rank: 22nd
U.S. Rank: 16th
Source of Wealth: The candy heiress lives the sweet life while sitting on the board of the company her grandfather founded. She and her brothers have little to do with the daily running of the firm that invented the nougat that fills Milky Way and Snickers bars, as well as M&Ms and other treats.
2. Alice Walton, $36.4 billion
State: Texas
World Rank: 11th
U.S. Rank: 8th
Source of Wealth: If Walton's name seems familiar, it's because her father was Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. Notably, she bankrolled an art museum in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.
1. Christy Walton, $39.1 Billion
State: Wyoming
World Rank: 8th
U.S. Rank: 6th
Source of Wealth: Walton has topped the list of wealthiest women in the world for five of the last six years. She inherited her fortune when her husband, John, died in a plane crash in 2005. The son of the Walmart founder made his widow the wealthiest of the clan by investing in solar energy.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
