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10 States With the Most Billionaires Per Capita

By Bennett Kleinman
Read time: 5 minutes
September 24, 2025
Updated: September 24, 2025

Though it’s not quite “the billionaire’s playground,” the U.S. is still home to vast sums of wealth. Online publication Visual Capitalist estimates there to be 899 American billionaires, with every state except Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia home to at least one full-time billionaire resident. To determine the most billionaire-dense states, we analyzed Visual Capitalist’s data and combined it with recent population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and Forbes’ billionaires list for additional details. If you’ve ever been curious where the wealthiest Americans reside, here’s a look at the states with the most billionaires per capita as of 2025.

10. Illinois

Chicago River and skyline
Credit: 2d illustrations and photos/ iStock via Getty Images Plus 

Number of billionaires per million residents: 2.36

There are 30 billionaires living among the 12.7 million-plus residents of Illinois, making it the state with the 10th-highest number of billionaires per capita. According to Forbes, the richest Illinois resident is 38-year-old Chicago resident Lukas Walton, grandson and heir of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. Walton, who has an estimated worth of $39.5 billion, founded Builders Vision, a Chicago-based investment firm focused on sustainability. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a billionaire to enjoy a visit to Chicago — it’s one of America’s most walkable cities, with fascinating architecture to admire at every turn and plenty of free attractions, too.

9. Texas

Cityscape of Austin, Texas
Credit: Sean Pavone/ iStock via Getty Images Plus 

Billionaires per million residents: 2.65

Texas is the second-most-populous state in the nation, and there are 83 billionaires residing among the 31 million-plus individuals who call the Lone Star State home. Topping the list is the current richest person in the world, Elon Musk, who has an estimated worth in excess of $422 billion. Musk, who made his fortune from SpaceX and Tesla, has resided in Austin since 2020. Wealthy residents aside, Austin is one of the country’s friendliest cities, making it a top choice for visitors to Texas.

8. Massachusetts

Churches in Milton, Massachusetts
Credit: lawrencetfay/ iStock via Getty Images Plus 

Billionaires per million residents: 3.22

Among Massachusetts’ 7.1 million-plus residents, there are 23 billionaires. Topping the list is Abigail Johnson, chief executive of Fidelity Investments, who is estimated to be worth $35 billion. Speaking of finances, Massachusetts also has the highest cost of living of any state in the lower 48 — it’s 45% above the national average. 

Related: 10 States With the Highest Cost of Living

7. Connecticut

Downtown Greenwich, Connecticut
Credit: Ian G Dagnall/ Alamy Stock Photo 

Billionaires per million residents: 4.63

The Nutmeg State is another pricey place to live, and it’s home to some of the richest folks in the nation, too. Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, resides in an affluent community in Connecticut, less than an hour by car from New York City. Cohen earned his $21.3 billion fortune working in the hedge fund industry and is the richest of Connecticut’s 17 billionaires.

6. Florida

Art deco architecture in Miami Beach, Florida
Credit: Alexander Spatari/ Moment via Getty Images 

Billionaires per million residents: 5.01

Florida’s number of billionaires has jumped considerably over the last decade, more than tripling since 2015. The wealthiest individual to call Florida home is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and fourth-richest person in the world — as of 2025, he has about $243 billion to his name. Bezos lives in a part of Miami-Dade County that’s nicknamed “Billionaire Bunker” for its high concentration of wealthy residents.

Related: The Most Expensive Neighborhoods in the U.S.

5. California

Grassy hill overlooking Stanford University and Palo Alto, California
Credit: uschools/ E+ via Getty Images 

Billionaires per million residents: 5.05

Of California’s 39.4 million residents, 199 of them are billionaires. Though that figure is the highest number residing in any one state, the Golden State ranks fifth for billionaires in the U.S. on a per-capita basis. Many of these billionaires made their wealth in the tech sector, including Facebook creator and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. With a net worth around $257 billion, Zuck has spent the last 14 years buying up 11 homes on nearby streets in his Palo Alto neighborhood for a total in excess of $110 million.

4. Montana

Aerial view of Missoula, Montana
Credit: DenisTangneyJr/ iStock via Getty Images Plus 

Billionaires per million residents: 5.28

Though it ranks in the bottom 10 states in terms of total population, Montana has the fourth-highest number of billionaires per capita. This amounts to six individuals with net worths of $1 billion or more living among Montana’s 1.1 million-plus residents. Dennis Washington is the richest person in the state, with an estimated worth of $7.8 billion. His wealth comes from the copper mining, marine transportation, and construction industries.

3. Nevada

Aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip
Credit: vichie81/ iStock via Getty Images Plus 

Billionaires per million residents: 5.81

The casino industry defines the state of Nevada, especially the city of Las Vegas. There are 19 billionaires living in Nevada, including Miriam Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson, who made his vast wealth operating the Las Vegas Sands casino. Miriam now has an estimated $36.9 billion to her name, making this Vegas local the richest person in the Silver State.

2. New York

Manhattan skyline with view of Empire State Building
Credit: Michael Lee/ Moment via Getty Images 

Billionaires per million residents: 6.85

With a population of nearly 20 million people and 136 billionaires, New York ranks second in terms of billionaires per capita. At the top of the list is Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and the founder of Bloomberg LP. Bloomberg has an estimated personal net worth of $109.4 billion, and he owns eight homes in the state. In the Big Apple, you can also walk along “Billionaire’s Row,” a stretch of luxury residential towers that are among the tallest in the country.

1. Wyoming

Grand Teton Mountains seen across ranch land in Wyoming
Credit: jimfeng/ E+ via Getty Images 

Billionaires per million residents: 11.19

Despite ranking last in terms of overall population, with fewer than 600,000 residents, Wyoming has the most billionaires per capita of any state. Seven of these ultra-wealthy folks call Wyoming home — none richer than John Mars. As the chairman of the Mars confection company, he has an estimated fortune of $41.5 billion.

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About the author
Bennett Kleinman , Staff Writer
Bennett is a New York City-based staff writer for Daily Passport. He previously contributed to television programs such as the Late Show With David Letterman, as well as digital publications like the Onion. Bennett has traveled to 48 U.S. states and all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.

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