Very fortunate

Low-profile DFW billionaire reigns as the richest woman in the world

Alice Walton has a net worth estimated at $59 billion.

Photo courtesy of Wal-Mart

Fort Worth’s Alice Walton may keep a relatively low profile, but she’s got a high profile when it comes to her stature among the world’s billionaires.

A new ranking from China’s Hurun Report puts Walton at No. 1 among the world’s richest women and at No. 12 overall, with a net worth estimated at $59 billion as of January 31. She’s one of the heirs to the Walmart retail fortune.

In all, nearly 16 percent of the billionaires on the 2020 list are women.

Walton lands one spot ahead of Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose net worth is estimated at $58 billion.

Walton sat at No. 18 on Hunan’s 2019 list, meaning she climbed six spots from last year to this year. Over the past five years, Walton has padded her wealth by $20 billion to $30 billion, according to the 2020 Hunan Report, released February 26.

Walton and her relatives reign as the world’s richest family, with a cumulative net worth of $208 billion as of January 31, the report says.

Three places behind Walton on this year’s list is the world’s second-richest woman, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. With an estimated net worth of $56 billion, the L’Oreal cosmetics heiress and her family rank 15th overall.

The world’s third-richest woman, according to the Hunan Report, is MacKenzie Bezos, ex-wife of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. Her estimated net worth of $44 billion puts her in a tie for 22nd place worldwide.

The latest ranking from Forbes magazine lists Meyers as the richest woman in the world, holding down the No. 13 spot with a fortune estimated at $54.3 billion. Forbes puts Walton at No. 15 ($51.8 billion) and MacKenzie Bezos at No. 22 ($38.4 billion).

More Texans on the list
The second-ranked Texan on the Hunan list is Austin’s Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies Inc. At $28 billion, he’s tied for the No. 35 spot worldwide.

Parked at No. 3 in Texas and No. 68 globally are Dallas’ Elaine Marshall and her family, with an estimated net worth of $17 billion. The Marshalls control a hefty stake in Wichita, Kansas-based conglomerate Koch Industries.

Tied at No. 4 in Texas are Dallas banker and real estate investor Andy Beal, and West Texas sports mogul Stan Kroenke. With an estimated fortune of $9.4 billion, each appears at No. 194 on Hunan’s global list.

With an estimated net worth of $7.2 billion, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ranks sixth in Texas and ties for 281st worldwide. (Since Beal and Kroenke are tied at No. 4, there is no fifth-ranked Texan.)

At No. 7 in Texas and No. 347 globally is Ann Walton Kroenke, wife of billionaire Stan Kroenke and an heir to the Walmart fortune. She has an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion.

Omni Hotels and Gold’s Gym honcho Robert Rowling of Dallas claims the No. 8 ranking in Texas and ties for No. 408 worldwide. His fortune is estimated at $5.6 billion.

Houston pipeline baron Richard Kinder stands at No. 9 in Texas and ties for No. 415 globally, with a net worth estimated at $5.5 billion.

Energy magnate Trevor Rees-Jones grabs the No. 10 spot in Texas and ties for the No. 425 spot worldwide. The Hunan Report pegs his net worth at $5.4 billion.

With an estimated fortune of $5.1 billion, tequila and hair care entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria of Austin checks in at No. 11 in Texas and ties for No. 464 globally.

Houston pipeline heirs Scott Duncan and Randa Williams are tied at No. 12 in Texas and No. 482 worldwide. Each has a net worth estimated at $5 billion. Their two Houston siblings, Dannine Avara and Milane Frantz, share the No. 14 spot in Texas and the No. 493 spot globally. Each has an estimated net worth of $4.9 billion.

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in this economy?

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Dallas in 2026

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Single Dallasites need to make nearly $97,000 to live comfortably in the city, the report found.

A 2026 report analyzing how much it costs to live "in sustainable comfort" in the biggest U.S. cities has found Dallas residents need to make $1,040 more than they did last year to live comfortably in the city.

Dallas is tied with neighbors Garland and Irving at No. 72 in SmartAsset's national ranking of the cities with the highest salary needed to live comfortably in 2026, with single adult residents needing to make $96,970 a year to qualify as "financially stable." Last year, single Dallasites needed to make $95,930 to be considered financially stable.

Families with two working parents and two children need to make a household income of $214,490 to have a financially stable life in Dallas, the report found. That's only $749 higher than what families needed to make last year.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset's analysts examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities and used the latest cost of living data – such as the costs for housing, food, transportation, and income taxes where applicable – from the MIT Living Wage Calculator for childless individuals and for two working adults with two children.

For the purpose of the study, the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy was used to determine "comfortable lifestyle" costs for both individuals and families: 50 percent of income to cover needs and living expenses, 30 percent for "wants," and 20 percent for savings or paying down debt.

Here's breakdown of a Dallas resident's comfortable lifestyle based on SmartAsset's findings:

$48,485 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$29,037 dedicated to wants
$19,358 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

This is SmartAsset's interpretation of a comfortable lifestyle for families of four:

$107,245 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$64,347 dedicated to wants
$42,898 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

SmartAsset said single individuals and families should compare the fluctuating local cost of living and their long-term goals to fully "understand the context" of their respective household incomes. But it's worth pointing out that a financially stable life in Dallas isn't quite attainable for many residents: The city had a median household income of $74,323 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Elsewhere in North Texas, the report found that families in Frisco and McKinney "are closest to a comfortable salary."

"In Frisco, [Texas], the median household earns $145,444 – substantially higher than the national median of $83,730," the report's author wrote. "This figure also accounts for 63.1 percent of the $230,464 income a family of four in Frisco needs to live comfortably. In McKinney, TX, the $124,177 median household income accounts for 53.9 percent of the $230,464 needed."

The two suburbs also tied with Plano for the 29th highest salary needed nationally to live comfortably in 2026. Single adults living in these cities need to make $109,242 a year to live a financially stable life this year.

Fort Worth and Arlington tied for No. 68 overall, with single adults needing a $97,552 salary to live comfortably, and $217,235 for working families of four.

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