The rich are indeed getting richer, according to a new list of the richest person in each of the 50 states. As it turns out, the namest of the richest 10 people haven't changed at all, led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates
in Washington state. But their net worth values have ticked up. The top
10 are collectively worth a whopping $362 billion, 67 percent of the
total wealth of the 50 folks in a list compiled by Wealth-X, a firm that
researches ultra-high net worth individuals.
Among the reports showing an increase in the wealth gap is a Pew
Research Center report that showed the mean net worth of households in
the highest 7 percent of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28
percent during the first two years of the nation's economic recovery,
while the net worth in the lower 93 percent dropped by 4 percent.
Infographic: See a Map of the Richest Person in Each State
The top two richest people in Wealth-X's list, Gates and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, happen to be the most generous people in the country.
Designating a residence can be tricky for the super-rich in this list,
who are known to have multiple homes across the country if not the
world. Wealth-X tries to solve this problem by tying each person to
their primary place of business at times. For example, Kenneth Dart,
$6.6 billion, chairman of Dart Container Corp., renounced his
citizenship and is reportedly living out of the country, though Wealth-X
lists him as the richest person in Michigan.
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Some folks on last year's list aren't present in 2013, such as Robert Earl Holding, owner of Sinclair Oil, who used to be the richest person in Utah. This year it's Blake Roney, chairman of Nu Skin Enterprises.
Sometimes wealth transfers don't go very far. Last year, Pauline
Keinath, great-granddaughter of W. W. Cargill, was the richest person in
Minnesota, according to Wealth-X. This year, it's Whitney MacMillan,
her brother, who is CEO of Cargill Inc.
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There are nine new people in the list, in Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Utah. These nine are collectively worth $34 billion, which is 50 percent more than the combined net worth of the people in the same states last year.
Here is Wealth-X's list of the richest person in each of the 50 states:1. Bill Gates: $70.8 billion
Microsoft chairman, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Getty Images
Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country2. Warren Buffett: $59.8 billion
Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway3. Lawrence Ellison: $46.4 billion
REUTERS
Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country4. David Koch: $41.5 billion
Wesley Hitt/Walmart Flickr
Executive vice president of Koch Industries5. James Walton: $37.1 billion
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File
Chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank, son of Walmart founder, Sam Walton6. Sheldon Adelson: $32.2 billion
Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country7. Michael Bloomberg: $21.4 billion
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8. Forrest Mars, Jr.: $20.1 billion
Part-owner of Mars candy company and grandson of the late Frank C. Mars9. Abigail Johnson: $16.9 billion
REUTERS/Jana Asenbrennerova
President, Fidelity Financial Services10. Michael Dell: $16 billion
CEO of Dell Inc.Infographic: See a Map of Some of the Richest People in the Country
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