Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia are the only states that still don't have a single billionaire resident (2024)

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Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia are the only states that still don't have a single billionaire resident? ›

As of May 2024, only three states are without a billionaire, the report found, including Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia. Forbes explained last year that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice once had billionaire status but lost it due to heavy debts in the early 2020s.

Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia aren't home to any billionaires, Forbes reported. California, in comparison, has nearly 200 billionaires. This is despite nearly 800 billionaires living in the US, per estimates.

They live in 42 of the 50 states. The only states with no billionaire residents are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.

47 states are home at least one billionaire

And in Delaware, Elizabeth Snyder is the richest person, with a $900 million net worth.

As of May 2024, only three states are without a billionaire, the report found, including Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia.

New Jersey topped a U.S. News & World Report ranking of the richest states in the U.S. The ranking, published in November, used the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates from 2022 to identify states with the highest median household income.

The top 1% of American earners now control more wealth than the nation's entire middle class, federal data show. More than one-quarter of all household wealth, 26.5%, belongs to Americans who earn enough money to rank in the top percentile by income, according to Federal Reserve statistics through mid-2023.

Why is Delaware so rich? ›

What makes Delaware a tax haven? Companies and wealthy individuals can use Delaware to avoid paying some taxes in other states. So there's a thing called the Delaware Loophole, which essentially enables companies to avoid paying state corporate income tax where they earn the revenue.

Forbes estimated Justice's net worth at $513.3 million as of October 2021. Justice serves as the owner or chief executive officer of over 50 companies, including the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, which he bought for $20.5 million in 2009, preventing its bankruptcy.

And now, as of February 2024? Bloomberg reported that Taylor's net worth is officially $1.1 billion.

In eight states, the richest person is a woman, according to Forbes. The wealthiest among them is Virginia's Jacqueline Mars, granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, the founder of the Mars candy company.

Here are the top ten U.S. states where the most billionaires live: California — 186 billionaires. New York — 135 billionaires. Florida — 78 billionaires.

New Jersey topped a U.S. News & World Report ranking of the richest states in the U.S. The ranking, published in November, used the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates from 2022 to identify states with the highest median household income.

The secretive Cargill family has 14 billionaires thanks to an agricultural empire — more than any other clan on earth. Cargill is the largest privately held company in the US. The Minnesota-based agriculture giant has 75 businesses employing 143,000 people in 67 countries.

New York City once again is home to the most billionaires in the world: It's the primary residence of an estimated 110 billionaires who are worth a collective $694 billion. The Big Apple has long dominated the ranks, coming in at No. 1 for all but one of the past 11 years.