Forbes Magazine Ranks Nations Richest

Forbes magazine recently published its ranking of the 400 richest people in America, and if you are keeping score at home, Christy Walton, at No. 6, is the highest-ranking person with ties to the state.

With a net worth estimated at $35.4 billion, Walton, who lives in Jackson, Wyo., is the richest woman in the world, according to Forbes. Here’s what else the magazine had to say about her.

“[Walton] inherited her wealth when husband John Walton, a former Green Beret and Vietnam War medic, died in an airplane crash in 2005. John’s side investment in First Solar had boosted Christy’s net worth well above the rest of her family, but the stock sank in 2012, narrowing her lead. In recent months, First Solar stock has revived, up 60 percent since last August and boosting her net worth by $380 million. The bulk of her holdings are in Wal-Mart, the massive retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Christy has received nearly $350 million in Wal-Mart dividends after taxes in 2013.”

Others from the Wal-Mart tree on Forbes’ list are Jim Walton ($33.3 billion) at No. 7, Alice Walton ($33.5 billion) at No. 8 and Rob Walton ($33.3 billion) at No. 9.

Other Arkansans on the list are Warren Stephens ($2.5 billion; No. 222) and Johnelle Hunt ($2.1 billion; No. 260).

If you’re curious, Bill Gates, with a net worth of $72 billion, is America’s richest person for the 20th consecutive year.

Still curious? The 400 wealthiest Americans are worth just over $2 trillion. That’s roughly equivalent to the GDP of Russia.

The minimum net worth needed to make the 400 list was $1.3 billion, and 61 American billionaires didn’t make the cut.