The US boasts 989 individuals with 10-figure fortunes – more than any other nation, according to the latest Forbes list. But America's billionaires don't call every corner of the country home, tending instead to cluster in key hotspots that offer everything from favorable tax regimes to top-tier luxury living and world-class amenities.
So, where are these prime locations? Read on to discover the 10 states with the biggest billionaire populations.
America is a land of contrasts when it comes to its wealthiest denizens. Four states – Alaska, Delaware, South Dakota and West Virginia – have no billionaires to speak of, while several have just one.
At the other end of the spectrum, around two-thirds of the country's billionaires reside in just four states, with one economic giant housing a particularly impressive number. Let's take a closer look...
A total of 20 billionaires reside in Connecticut, the majority in affluent Greenwich.
Hedge fund supremo and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen (pictured) is the wealthiest of the bunch, with a net worth of $26.7 billion. He's followed by fellow hedge fund legend Ray Dalio, who has $18.9 billion and logistics bigwig Brad Jacobs with $13.3 billion.
Pennsylvania is home to 21 billionaires, mainly in the Philadelphia area. The richest person in the state lives just outside the city in Haverford: Jeff Yass, the co-founder of the Midas-touch trading firm Susquehanna International Group. His net worth amounts to $77.8 billion.
Other noteworthy Pennsylvania billionaires include Michael Rubin (pictured), CEO and founder of digital sports platform Fanatics. He's worth $11.6 billion.
Georgia also has 21 billionaires and the state's frontrunner in the money stakes is Home Depot co-founder and Atlanta Falcons Chairman Arthur Blank, whose estimated wealth is $12.8 billion.
Elsewhere, Chick-fil-A owners, the Cathy siblings, Bubba (pictured), Dan and Trudy Cathy White, have a combined fortune of $36 billion. Medtech tycoon John Brown and pest control king Gary Rollins are among the state's other billionaire names.
Nevada's billionaires range from casino bosses to tech bros, with its richest resident arriving relatively recently: Google co-founder Sergey Brin spent $42 million of his estimated $265 billion on a Lake Tahoe home.
Next is Nevada's formerly richest resident Miriam Adelson (pictured), the widow of late Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson. Together with her family, she owns half of the gambling juggernaut and has a net worth of $30.3 billion.
The majority of Illinois' 31 billionaires live in or around the state's largest city, which is, of course, Chicago.
A diverse assortment, the 31 names include Walmart heir Lukas Walton, who is the richest of the lot, with a fortune of $45.5 billion. Other prominent Prairie State billionaires range from Beanie Babies creator Ty Warner to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (pictured), who is worth $4.2 billion.
Moneyed Massachusetts is also home to 31 billionaires, ranging from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to New Balance chairman Jim Davis.
Abigail Johnson (pictured) is still the richest by a long shot. The CEO of Fidelity Investments owns an estimated 28.5% of the Boston-based firm and has a fortune of $41.6 billion.
Texas is something of a paradise for the ultra-rich, thanks to factors such as its lack of income and inheritance taxes, as well as other financial advantages. No wonder it has so many billionaires, with the number totaling 88. In 2021, Elon Musk famously quit California for the Lone Star State and remains its richest resident with a world-beating net worth of $1 trillion.
Texas native Michael Dell comes second with $253 billion, followed by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, who has a fortune of $129 billion. Other billionaires who call Texas home include Stan and Ann Kroenke and Jerry Jones.
The abundance of billionaire enclaves in Florida such as Palm Beach and Fisher Island is no accident. Billionaires are drawn to the state by factors such as its year-round summer climate and luxurious coastal living, but the major pull is the absence of state income and capital gains taxes.
Jeff Bezos has reportedly saved over a billion dollars in taxes after moving to the state. He's now its wealthiest person, with a net worth of $381 billion. But Bezos isn't Florida's most famous billionaire. That would have to be President Donald Trump, whose official residence is Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. The POTUS' fortune stands at $6.5 billion.
New York's tax regime may not be all that billionaire-friendly, but the uber-rich can't get enough of living in the Big Apple and its environs, which have everything they could want and more. On top of this, as a major global financial hub, New York City naturally attracts immense wealth. In fact, the City that Never Sleeps has more billionaires than any other in the world at 146.
Gotham's former mayor Michael Bloomberg is the richest resident. The media mogul-turned-politician is worth $94.9 billion. Other billionaire New Yorkers include Rupert Murdoch, Jay-Z and Jerry Seinfeld.
California also offers the lifestyle the 0.001% seek out – and despite slapping the super-rich with more taxes than many states, it has the most billionaires in America at a jaw-dropping 255, 25% of the national total. The state's status as the epicenter of the global tech and entertainment industries helps too.
With a net worth of $246 billion, Mark Zuckerberg is the wealthiest Californian and tech bros make up much of the billionaire population. But the Golden State is also awash with celebrity billionaires, from Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Arnold Schwarzenegger, to Steven Spielberg and LeBron James.
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