Just as Dallas-Fort Worth’s population is growing rapidly, so too is its population of ultra-wealthy people.
A report released October 7 by Wealth-X shows that DFW saw the biggest jump in super-rich residents — 17 percent from 2018 to 2019 — among U.S. metro areas with the largest populations of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
The data shows that DFW was home to 3,165 ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals last year, landing it at No. 10 among ultra-wealthy cities in the world.
Wealth-X, which which provides data and analysis about wealthy consumers, defines UHNW as those with a net worth of more than $30 million.
Included in the Metroplex's ultra-wealthy crowd are 14 billionaires who earned spots on this year’s edition of the Forbes 400. Leading the DFW pack is Walmart heiress Alice Walton of Fort Worth, with a net worth estimated at $66.5 billion as of October 6. Among Texas’ metro areas, DFW boasts the most billionaires.
New York City topped Wealth-X’s worldwide list, with 10,435 UHNW individuals. Other U.S. metros joining DFW and NYC in the global top 10 are Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, and London round out the list.
The average net worth of a UHNW individual in 2019 was $122 million. Billionaires represented just 1 percent of the global UHNW population, yet their cumulative wealth amounted to a 27 percent share ($9.4 trillion).
According to the report, the worldwide ultra-wealthy sector expanded by 290,720 people from 2018 to 2019, an increase of 9.5 percent. Meanwhile, their combined net worth climbed 9.7 percent to $35.4 trillion.
North America witnessed the most substantial UHNW gains from 2018 to 2019. The number of ultra-wealthy individuals rose 14.5 percent to 105,080, representing a 36 percent share of the global UHNW class. In the same period, the collective net worth of UHNW individuals in North America shot up by 14.4 percent to $12.4 trillion.
The economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the wealth landscape, though. For instance, Wealth-X says North America’s UHNW population dipped by 1 percent from December 2019 to August 2020, and their wealth shrank by 3 percent.
