From sports ownership to oil and pipelines, Texas billionaires dominate the Forbes 400 list.
TEXAS, USA — The richest people in America are richer than ever, and Texans are a major part of that story.
According to Forbes, the 400 wealthiest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion, a staggering $1.2 trillion increase in just the past year amid surging stock markets and what the magazine calls “AI mania.”
It’s never been harder to make the list. Forbes reports the minimum net worth required is now $3.8 billion, a level that just a decade ago would have landed comfortably in the top half of the ranking. Despite tariffs, inflation, and slowing employment nationwide, billionaire wealth continues to grow. Fourteen newcomers, including four worth $10 billion or more, muscled their way onto the list this year.
Houston heavyweights among Texas billionaires
While Austin and Dallas make headlines for tech money and sports ownership, Houston has its own share of billionaires featured on the 2025 Forbes 400 list. Three of the most prominent include:
Richard Kinder – $11.1 billion (#108)
Richard Kinder chairs pipeline giant Kinder Morgan, which Forbes notes is one of the largest U.S. energy infrastructure firms, owning or operating 79,000 miles of pipeline. He cofounded the company in 1997 after stepping down as president of Enron Corp. Kinder led Kinder Morgan as CEO until 2015.
Beyond business, Forbes reports Kinder’s philanthropic arm, the Kinder Foundation, funds education, green space, and quality-of-life initiatives in Houston. In May 2025, Kinder and his wife pledged $150 million to Texas Children’s Hospital and MD Anderson to create the Kinder Children’s Cancer Center, with the goal of ending childhood cancer.
Tilman Fertitta – $11 billion (#109)
Known as one of Houston’s most colorful entrepreneurs, Fertitta is the chairman and CEO of Landry’s, a Texas-based restaurant and entertainment empire. Forbes highlights Landry’s ownership of household brands, including Landry’s Seafood House, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Saltgrass Steak House. Fertitta also owns the Golden Nugget Casinos and the Houston Rockets.
Forbes notes he took Landry’s private in 2010 in a $1.4 billion deal and recently put his 275-foot yacht, Boardwalk, up for sale for about $175 million while a larger vessel is on order.
Jeffery Hildebrand – $10 billion (#123)
Oilman Jeffery Hildebrand turned Hilcorp Energy into America’s largest privately owned oil company by production volumes, Forbes reports. He cofounded the company in 1990, later buying out his partner for $500 million.
Hildebrand has expanded aggressively, including a $5.6 billion acquisition of BP’s Alaska assets in 2020, according to Forbes. He also made headlines in 2015 when he handed out $100,000 bonuses to each of his 1,400 employees after they doubled the size of the company in five years.
Texas remains a billionaire powerhouse
From Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to H-E-B supermarket heir Charles Butt, Texans appear throughout the Forbes 400, representing industries from sports and supermarkets to pipelines and private equity.
As Forbes puts it, “The wealthiest people in America have never been wealthier.” For Texas, that means familiar names—and some new ones—are continuing to shape both the state’s economy and its national influence.
Texans on the Forbes 400 List (2025)
1. Elon Musk
Net worth: $428 billion | Age: 54
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, xAI
10. Michael Dell
Net worth: $129 billion | Age: 60
Source: Dell Technologies
15. Alice Walton
Net worth: $106 billion | Age: 75
Source: Walmart
32. Elaine Marshall & family
Net worth: $30.9 billion | Age: 83
Source: Koch Inc.
35. Lyndal Stephens Greth & family
Net worth: $27.4 billion | Age: 50
Source: Oil & gas
47. Stanley Kroenke
Net worth: $21.3 billion | Age: 78
Source: Sports, real estate
50. Jerry Jones & family
Net worth: $19.6 billion | Age: 82
Source: Dallas Cowboys
86. Ken Fisher
Net worth: $13.2 billion | Age: 74
Source: Money management
91. Ann Walton Kroenke
Net worth: $12.8 billion | Age: 76
Source: Walmart
101. Andrew Beal
Net worth: $12 billion | Age: 72
Source: Banks, real estate
108. Richard Kinder
Net worth: $11.1 billion | Age: 80
Source: Pipelines
109. Tilman Fertitta
Net worth: $11 billion | Age: 68
Source: Entertainment, Houston Rockets
120. Charles Butt
Net worth: $10.3 billion | Age: 87
Source: Supermarkets
123. Jeffery Hildebrand
Net worth: $10 billion | Age: 66
Source: Oil & gas
123. Robert F. Smith
Net worth: $10 billion | Age: 62
Source: Private equity
128. Dan Friedkin
Net worth: $9.7 billion | Age: 60
Source: Toyota dealerships
130. Randa Duncan Williams
Net worth: $9.5 billion | Age: 64
Source: Pipelines
135. Dannine Avara
Net worth: $9.4 billion | Age: 61
Source: Pipelines
135. Milane Frantz
Net worth: $9.4 billion | Age: 56
Source: Pipelines
141. Scott Duncan
Net worth: $9.2 billion | Age: 42
Source: Pipelines
149. Robert Rowling
Net worth: $8.8 billion | Age: 71
Source: Hotels, investments
172. Joe Gebbia
Net worth: $8 billion | Age: 44
Source: Airbnb
192. Kelcy Warren
Net worth: $7.5 billion | Age: 69
Source: Pipelines
192. Thai Lee
Net worth: $7.5 billion | Age: 66
Source: IT provider
201. Janice McNair & family
Net worth: $7.3 billion | Age: 88
Source: Energy, sports
223. Joseph Liemandt
Net worth: $6.6 billion | Age: 57
Source: Software
224. Ray Lee Hunt
Net worth: $6.5 billion | Age: 82
Source: Oil, real estate
224. H. Ross Perot Jr.
Net worth: $6.5 billion | Age: 66
Source: Real estate
244. Robert Bass
Net worth: $6.1 billion | Age: 77
Source: Oil, investments
246. Mark Cuban
Net worth: $6 billion | Age: 67
Source: Online media, Dallas Mavericks
255. Trevor Rees-Jones
Net worth: $5.9 billion | Age: 74
Source: Oil & gas
264. Carl Thoma
Net worth: $5.7 billion | Age: 76
Source: Private equity
264. Margot Birmingham Perot
Net worth: $5.7 billion | Age: 91
Source: Computer services, real estate
270. Bert Beveridge
Net worth: $5.6 billion | Age: 63
Source: Vodka
308. David Dean Halbert
Net worth: $4.9 billion | Age: 69
Source: Biotech
325. George Bishop
Net worth: $4.7 billion | Age: 87
Source: Oil & gas
339. Steven Udvar-Hazy
Net worth: $4.5 billion | Age: 79
Source: Aircraft leasing
352. Eleanor Butt Crook & family
Net worth: $4.2 billion | Age: 93
Source: Supermarkets
352. Paul Foster
Net worth: $4.2 billion | Age: 67
Source: Oil refining
362. Drayton McLane Jr.
Net worth: $4.1 billion | Age: 89
Source: Walmart, logistics
389. Sid Bass
Net worth: $3.8 billion | Age: 83
Source: Oil, investments
389. Jim Breyer
Net worth: $3.8 billion | Age: 64
Source: Venture capital
389. Ray Davis
Net worth: $3.8 billion | Age: 83
Source: Pipelines