# America's billionaires cluster in five states

> Nearly two-thirds of the Forbes 400 richest Americans live in just five states, led by California's tech fortunes.
- Title: America's billionaires cluster in five states | Shortify
- Summary: Nearly two-thirds of the Forbes 400 richest Americans live in just five states, led by California's tech fortunes. Two hundred forty-nine of America's four…
- Keywords: billionaires, wealth concentration, california, new york, florida, texas, illinois, forbes 400, united states, business, technology, America's
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/the-states-with-the-highest-number-of-america-billionaires-2026-9
- Author: Tristin Hoffman
- Published: 2026-09-18T16:20:28.669+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: billionaires, wealth concentration, california, new york, florida, texas, illinois, forbes 400, united states, business, technology
## Record wealth threshold for Forbes 400
Forbes released its annual list of America's four hundred richest people. A record four point four billion dollars net worth was required to make the cut.
## Billionaires concentrate in five states
Two hundred forty-nine of the Forbes four hundred billionaires live across just five states. These five states hold nearly two-thirds of America's richest people.
## California leads with eighty-five billionaires
California is home to eighty-five Forbes four hundred members, many from tech and AI. Google cofounder Larry Page is the state's richest, worth two hundred seventy-eight billion dollars.
## New York's fifty-four billionaires span industries
New York state has fifty-four billionaires. Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P., leads with ninety-four point nine billion dollars, followed by media mogul Rupert Murdoch at twenty-five billion dollars.
## Florida attracts forty-nine with low taxes
Florida hosts forty-nine billionaires, drawn by low taxes on the wealthy. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and world's second-richest person, leads with three hundred seventy-eight billion dollars.
## Texas has forty-three, many from energy
Texas is home to forty-three billionaires. Elon Musk, the world's richest person worth nine hundred eight billion dollars, usually lives near his SpaceX headquarters in Starbase.
## Illinois rounds out top five with eighteen
Illinois has eighteen billionaires. Lukas Walton, grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is the state's richest at forty-four point four billion dollars.
## Remaining states share one hundred fifty-one billionaires
The other thirty-three states and Washington D.C. share one hundred fifty-one billionaires. Some states have just one, like Oregon's Phil Knight and Nebraska's Warren Buffett.
## Key takeaway

Two hundred forty-nine of America's four hundred richest billionaires live in California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois, with California alone housing eighty-five.