Forbes list news

27 Dallas billionaires land on new Forbes list of world's richest people

Dallas-based Kansas City Chiefs owners Clark and Tavia Hunt saw their fortunes go up this year.

Photos by Dana Driensky and John Strange

The world’s richest people are wealthier now than they've ever been, and more billionaires have made it onto the 2025 World's Billionaires List than ever before, according to Forbes. This year, 27 Dallas billionaires are among the richest people in the world.

Leading the list of richest Dallasites is Elaine Marshall and her family, who ranked No. 67 overall with an estimated net worth of $28.3 billion. Forbes says Marshall owns about 16 percent of multinational conglomerate corporation Koch Inc., which was inherited by her late husband, E. Pierce Marshall, after he died in 2006.

Ranking 10 spots behind as the No. 77 richest person in the world is oil magnate Lyndal Stephens Greth and her family. Forbes estimates her net worth at $25.8 billion in 2025.

Greth was the chairman of Endeavor Energy Resources, a private oil production firm that was founded by her late father, Autry Stephens. Prior to his death in August 2024, Stephens agreed to sell the company to Diamondback Energy in a $26 billion deal that closed in September 2024.

"Endeavor was one of the largest private oil producers in the U.S., generating some 327,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2024," Forbes says. "The company had the rights to drill on more than 500,000 acres in the U.S., mainly in Texas."

$Two x Two Gala 2024, \u200bGene Jones, Jerry Jones$ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is now worth nearly $17 billion. Photo by Bruno, Snap The Picture

Here's how the rest of Dallas billionaires fared on this year's list:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: ranked No. 127 with an estimated net worth of $16.6 billion, up from $13.8 billion in 2024
Banking and real estate mogul Andy Beal: No. 199, $12 billion, up from $11.5 billion
Money manager Ken Fisher: No. 224, $11.2 billion, up from $8.7 billion
Hotel and investment guru Robert Rowling: No. 353, $8.5 billion, down from $8.9 billion
Oil and gas tycoon Kelcy Warren: No. 464, $7.1 billion, up from $6 billion
Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt: No. 498, $6.8 billion, down from $7.2 billion
Media magnate and former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: No. 620, $5.7 billion, up from $5.4 billion
Margot Birmingham Perot of Dallas, widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr.: No. 673, $5.3 billion, up from $4.9 billion
Oil and gas honcho Trevor Rees-Jones: No. 688, $5.2 billion, up from $4.9 billion
Real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot Jr.: No. 789, $4.6 billion, up from $3.7 billion
Private equity firm cofounder Carl Thoma: No. 823, $4.4 billion, up from $3.5 billion
Oil and gas magnate Ray Davis: No. 1015, $3.6 billion, up from $3 billion
H-E-B executive Stephen Butt & family: No. 1172, $3.1 billion, up from $2 billion
Banking businessman Gerald Ford: No. 1362, $2.7 billion, flat from 2024
Online auction CEO A. Jayson Adair: No. 1763, $2 billion, flat from 2024
Media entrepreneur Todd Wagner: No. 1850, $1.9 billion, flat from 2024
Telecommunications founder Kenny Troutt: No. 2019, $1.7 billion, flat from 2024
Kansas City Chiefs owners Clark Hunt & family, Daniel Hunt & family, and Sharron Hunt & family: tied for No. 2110, $1.6 billion, up from $1.4 billion
RealPage founder Stephen Winn: No. 2233, $1.5 billion, flat from 2024
Tech entrepreneur Darwin Deason: No. 2479, $1.3 billion, flat from 2024
Oil tycoon and film producer Timothy Headington: No. 2623, $1.2 billion, flat from 2024

There are two new Dallas-based billionaire newbies that made it on the list this year: Biotech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and real estate mogul Fernando De Leon.

Lamm founded Colossal Biosciences in 2021 to de-extinct the woolly mammoth. He ranked 979th and has an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion.

Meanwhile, De Leon made his first fortune in real estate, and sold it all before the 2008 financial crisis. He now runs Austin-based holding company Leon Capital Group, but Forbes lists his residence in Dallas. His net worth is estimated at $2.8 billion.

Missing from the 2025 list is private equity kingpin David Bonderman and oil and baron W. Herbert Hunt, who both died in 2024. Bonderman, 82, was a founding partner of private equity group TPG and served on the board of conservation nonprofit The Wilderness Society, while Hunt, 95, owned a Louisiana oil refinery.

Elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, Walmart heiress Alice Walton became the wealthiest woman in the world in 2025, Forbes says. Walton knocked French L’Oreal Beauty heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers down to second place late last year and retains her spot on top for 2025. Walton is the 15th richest person on the planet.

Forbes declared Walton's net worth at $101 billion, which is $28.7 billion more than her 2024 net worth of $72.3 billion. She is now one of 15 individuals to claim 12-figure fortunes, also known as the "$100 Billion Club."

Meanwhile, Austin billionaire Elon Musk topped Forbes; list as the world's richest person in 2025. The Tesla and SpaceX founder knocked French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault down to second place this year.

Forbes declared Musk the first person to reach the $300 billion status. His current net worth stands at $342 billion, which is a staggering $147 billion more than his 2024 net worth.

"It’s another record-breaking year for the world’s richest people, despite financial uncertainty for many and geopolitical tensions on the rise," said Forbes senior editor of wealth Chase Peterson-Withorn. "And, from Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick and the other billionaires taking over the U.S. government, they’re growing more and more powerful."

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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