Eleven Houston billionaires made the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest people in America, and most of them substantially boosted their fortunes over the last year as energy prices recovered and people returned to restaurants and sporting events.
No. 128: Rich Kinder. Net worth: $9.1 billion. Age: 78. Source: pipelines
Billy Smith II/StaffWhile much of the world is recovering from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Forbes 400 richest Americans are collectively richer than ever before. The 400 richest saw their collective fortunes rise by 40 percent over the year to a record-breaking $4.5 trillion, according to Forbes.
Rich Kinder, philanthropist and chairman of pipeline giant Kinder Morgan, again led the local list with a net worth of $7.1 billion. That placed him at No. 128 on the Forbes 400 ranking released Tuesday. Kinder's net worth grew by $2.9 billion, or 47 percent, since the publication's 2020 ranking.
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New to the list is Robert Brockman, who made headlines last year on tax fraud charges, ranked No. 229 with a net worth of $4.7 billion. Brockman, 80, is the former chairman of Reynolds and Reynolds, which sells software and services to automotive dealerships. He has denied the charges.
The top 10 richest people in America
1. Jeff Bezos, $201 billion
2. Elon Musk, $190.5 billion
3. Mark Zuckerberg, $134.5 billion
4. Bill Gates, $134 billion
5. Larry Page, $123 billion
6. Sergey Brin, $118.5 billion
7. Larry Ellison, $117.3 billion
8. Warren Buffett, $102 billion
9. Steve Ballmer, $96.5 billion
10. Michael Bloomberg, $70 billion
Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and the Landry's restaurant, hotel and gaming empire, moved up in the ranking to No. 158 after boosting his net worth more than 50 percent to $6.3 billion. Last year, Fertitta ranked No. 181 with $4.1 billion.
Siblings Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz and Randa Williams saw their net worth grow by 29 percent to $6.2 billion, placing them at No. 161 on the list. They inherited their wealth from their father, Dan Duncan of Enterprise Pipeline Partners.
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Jeffery Hildebrand, founder of privately owned energy company Hilcorp, ranked No. 240 with $4.6 billion in net worth, up from $3.6 billion in 2020.
RELATED: Tilman Fertitta emerges from the pandemic as one of Forbes' richest Americans, makes magazine cover
Dan Friedkin, owner of Gulf States Toyota, ranked No. 253 with $4.4 billion in wealth. His net worth is up from $4.1 billion in 2020.
Janice McNair, the widow of Bob McNair and majority owner of the Houston Texans with a net worth of $4.2 billion, ranked No. 269 with $4.2 billion. McNair saw her fortune grow by $300 million over the year.
Philanthropist John Arnold, who gained his wealth from hedge funds, ranked No. 358 with a net worth of $3.3 billion, which held steady from 2020.
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A newly minted Texan made the top 10. Elon Musk, who has substantial operations for Tesla and SpaceX in Texas and now calls Austin home, is No. 2 on the list with a net worth of $190.5 billion.
The cut to make the Forbes 400 list rose to a record high of $2.9 billion, up from $2.1 billion last year.
