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Forbes Daily Briefing

Inside America’s $500 Billion Family

Forbes Daily Briefing

Forbes

Business, Tech News, News

4.418 Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

OnMonday, Forbes published its second-ever ranking of America’s Decabillionaire families, featuring 54 multi-generational clans worth at least $10 billion apiece. The richest family in the country by far is the Waltons, whose fortune has nearly doubled since our last list in February 2024, surging by an estimated $253 billion, to $520 billion, as shares of Walmart have skyrocketed. The discount juggernaut became the first brick-and-mortar retailer to boast a $1 trillion market cap in February 2026, and while the stock has since cooled, it’s still more than doubled in the past two-and-a-half years.  The descendants of the Bentonville, Arkansas-based business’ founder Sam Walton (d. 1992) and his brother Bud Walton (d. 1995) are now more than three times as rich as America’s second wealthiest clan, the Kochs of Koch, Inc. (formerly Koch Industries), who are worth an estimated $157 billion. The Waltons' combined wealth is second only to that of Elon Musk, who became the world’s first trillionaire in June and is now worth an estimated $997 billion.  Most of the Waltons’ fortune comes from the nearly 39% stake in Walmart that Forbesestimates is owned through two holding companies by Sam Walton’s three living children–Rob Walton, Jim Walton and Alice Walton–and their families, as well their brother John Walton’s (d. 2005) widow Christy Walton and only child Lukas Walton. That stake was worth $359 billion on June 22, when Forbes locked in this year’s ranking, accounting for nearly four-fifths of the estimated $463 billion net worth of Sam’s side of the Walton family. (And that’s excluding a nearly 6% stake in Walmart, worth $51.3 billion, that Forbes estimates is owned by charitable trusts in the name of John Walton through the same two holding companies.) By Matt Durot, Forbes Staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Today on Forbes, Inside America's $500 billion family. At the end of June, Forbes published its second ever

0:10.1

ranking of America's deca billionaire families. The list features 54 multigenerational clans

0:16.8

worth at least $10 billion apiece. The richest family in the country, by far, is the Waltons,

0:24.3

whose fortune has nearly doubled since our last list in February 2024.

0:29.6

It is surged by an estimated $253 billion to $520 billion,

0:36.1

as shares of Walmart have skyrocketed.

0:39.3

The discount juggernaut became the first brick-and-mortar retailer to boast a $1 trillion market

0:44.9

cap in February 26.

0:47.3

While the stock has since cooled, it's still more than doubled in the past two and a half

0:52.3

years.

0:53.8

The descendants of the Bentonville,

0:55.9

Arkansas-based business's founder, Sam Walton, who died in 1992, and his brother Bud Walton,

1:02.2

who died in 1995, are now more than three times as rich as America's second wealthiest clan,

1:08.9

the Cokes of Coke Inc., formerly Coke Industries,

1:12.4

who were worth an estimated $157 billion.

1:16.4

The Walton's combined wealth is second only to that of Elon Musk,

1:21.5

who became the world's first trillionaire in June,

1:24.0

and as of this past weekend, is worth an estimated $997 billion.

1:29.7

Most of the Walton's fortune comes from the nearly 39% stake in Walmart that Forbes

1:35.0

estimates is owned through two holding companies by Sam Walton's three living children,

1:40.5

Rob Walton, Jim Walton, and Alice Walton, and their families, as well as their brother, John Walton's,

1:47.4

who died in 2005, widow, Christy Walton, and only child, Lucas Walton.

...

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