Mo’ money
11 Houston billionaires join Elon Musk on Forbes' list of the world's richest
In the battle of the world’s billionaires, a newly minted Texan comes out on top — and nearly a dozen Houstonians fare quite well.
Forbes magazine’s new ranking of the world’s richest people puts Texas transplant Elon Musk at No. 1, with a net worth of $219 billion. That’s up from $151 billion in 2021, $24.6 billion in 2020, $22.3 billion in 2019, and $19.9 billion in 2018. The CEO of Austin-based vehicle manufacturer Tesla and leader of a host of other businesses, Musk was ranked second on Forbes’ 2021 list. He sat behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose net worth in 2021 was pegged at $177 million. This year, Forbes estimates Bezos’ net worth is $171 billion.
Here in Houston, 11 locals land on the prestigious list. They are:
- Oil mogul Jeffery Hildebrand: tied for No. 316, $7.5 billion, up from $2 billion
- Pipeline magnate Richard Kinder: tied for No. 316, $7.5 billion, up from $7 billion
- Houston siblings and pipeline heirs Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz, and Randa Duncan Williams: each tied for No. 375, $6.6 billion, up from $6 billion
- Hospitality titan and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta: tied for No. 471, $5.6 billion, up from $4.6 billion
- Houston software entrepreneur Robert Brockman: tied for No. 601, $4.7 billion, down from $6 billion
- Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin: tied for No. 665, $4.3 billion, up from $4.1 billion
- Houston Texans owner Janice McNair: tied for No. 687, $4.2 billion, up from $4.1 billion
- Hedge fund honcho John Arnold: tied for No. 913, $3.3 billion, unchanged from last year
Meanwhile, Nearly 30 other Texans appear in this year’s top 1,000. Here, they are grouped by where they live and their global ranking, 2022 net worth, and 2021 net worth.
Austin
- Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla: No. 1, $219 billion, up from $151 billion
- Michael Dell, founder, chairman, and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies: No. 24, $55.1 billion, up from $45.1 billion
- Venture capitalist Robert Smith: tied for No. 369, $6.7 billion, up from $6 billion
- Tito’s Vodka baron Bert “Tito” Beveridge:tied for No. 637, $4.5 billion, down from $4.6 billion
- Tech entrepreneur Thai Lee: tied for No. 709, $4.1 billion, up from $3.2 billion
Dallas
- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: tied for No. 185, $10.6 billion, up from $8.9 billion
- Banking and real estate kingpin Andy Beal: tied for No. 201, $9.9 billion, up from $7.9 billion
- Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt: tied for No. 386, $6.5 billion, up from $4.2 billion
- Money manager Ken Fisher: tied for No. 509, $5.3 billion, down from $5.5 billion
- Media magnate and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: tied for No. 601, $4.7 billion, up from $4.4 billion
- Oil and gas guru Trevor Rees-Jones: tied for No. 637, $4.5 billion, up from $4 billion
- Hotel and investment titan Robert Rowling: tied for No. 637, $4.5 billion, up from $3.9 billion
- Oil baron W. Herbert Hunt: tied for No. 665, $4.3 billion, up from $2 billion
- Margot Birmingham Perot: widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr., tied for No. 665, $4.3 billion, up from $4.1 billion
- Oil and gas tycoon Kelcy Warren: tied for No. 728, $4 billion, up from $3.4 billion
- Real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot, Jr.: tied for No. 951, $3.2 billion, up from $1.6 billion
Fort Worth
- Walmart heiress Alice Walton: No. 18, $65.3 billion, up from $61.8 billion
- Oil and investment guru Robert Bass: tied for No. 536, $5.1 billion, unchanged from last year
- Private equity magnate David Bonderma: tied for No. 637, $4.5 billion, up from $4.1 billion
- Investor and oilman Sid Bass: tied for No. 883, $3.4 billion, up from $2.9 billion
Elsewhere in Texas
- Sports and entertainment mogul Stan Kroenke (Vernon): tied for No. 183, $10.7 billion, up from $8.2 billion
- Walmart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke (Vernon): tied for No. 227, $9 billion, up from $8.4 billion
- Oil tycoon Autry Stephens (Midland): tied for No. 552, $5 billion, not previously ranked
“The tumultuous stock market contributed to sharp declines in the fortunes of many of the world’s richest,” Kerry A. Dolan, assistant managing editor of Wealth at Forbes, says of this year’s ranking. “Still, more than 1,000 billionaires got wealthier over the past year. The top 20 richest alone are worth a combined $2 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion in 2021.”