Ranking the Rich

These 12 Dallas billionaires land on Forbes' list of richest Americans

Houston, Bruno Mars Art After Dark Super Bowl Party, Jan 2017, Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban's net worth is estimated at $3.3 billion.

Photo by F. Carter Smith

Nearly 10 percent of the 400 richest Americans live in Texas, with most of the state’s uber-billionaires making their home in Dallas.

Dallas lays claim to 12 billionaires on Forbes' 2017 ranking of the 400 richest Americans, while Houston has 11, Fort Worth has six, Austin has four, and Temple has one. No one from San Antonio shows up on the list.

Walmart heiress Alice Walton of Fort Worth is the richest Texan with an estimated net worth of $38.2 billion. She ranks as the 13th richest person in the U.S.

At No. 2 among the richest Texans is Austin tech titan Michael Dell, whose net worth is estimated at $23.2 billion. Forbes puts him at No. 19 among the richest Americans.

The third richest Texan, according to Forbes, is Andrew Beal. The Dallas banker and real estate mogul is worth an estimated $10.9 billion. Beal is the country’s 45th richest person.

Coming in at No. 4 is Houston energy titan Richard Kinder, whose net worth is pegged at $6.7 billion. He’s the 74th richest American.

Holding down the No. 5 spot is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, with a net worth estimated at $6.7 billion. Overall, he sits at No. 95 on the list of the richest Americans.

“America’s richest are richer than ever. The minimum net worth to make the Forbes list of 400 wealthiest Americans is now a record $2 billion,” say Luisa Kroll and Kerry Dolan, assistant managing editors of wealth at Forbes Media.

Two San Antonians — Rod Lewis and Red McCombs — failed to make this year’s list because their net worth falls below $2 billion. Meanwhile, another San Antonian, Charles Butt, doesn’t appear on the list because Forbes combines his net worth with the rest of the Butt family. The family fortune is estimated at $10.7 billion.

Here's a list of the 29 other richest of the rich in Texas, including their estimated net worth and main source of wealth.

Dannine Avara, No. 97 (tie), Houston, $5.5 billion, pipelines.
Scott Duncan, No. 97 (tie), Houston, $5.5 billion, pipelines.
Milane Frantz, No. 97 (tie), Houston, $5.5 billion, pipelines.
Randa Williams, No. 97 (tie), Houston, $5.5 billion, pipelines.
Robert Rowling, No. 108, Dallas, $5.2 billion, investments.
Robert Bass, No. 122 (tie), Fort Worth, $4.9 billion, oil and investments.
Ray Lee Hunt, No. 122 (tie), Dallas, $4.9 billion, oil and real estate.
Trevor Rees-Jones, No. 132, Dallas, $4.8 billion, oil and gas.
Kelcy Warren, No. 161, Dallas, $4.2 billion, pipelines.
Ross Perot Sr., No. 167, Dallas, $4.1 billion, computer services and real estate.
Robert McNair, No. 186, Houston, $3.8 billion, energy.
Dan Friedkin, No. 200, Houston, $3.7 billion, Toyota dealerships.
Jeffery Hildebrand, No. 206, Houston, $3.6 billion, oil.
Tilman Fertitta, No. 212, Houston, $3.5 billion, restaurants and casinos.
Sid Bass, No. 219, Fort Worth, $3.4 billion, oil and investments.
John Arnold, No. 226 (tie), Houston, $3.3 billion, hedge funds.
Mark Cuban, No. 226 (tie), Dallas, $3.3 billion, online media.
Robert Smith, Austin, No. 226 (tie), $3.3 billion, private equity.
John Paul DeJoria, No. 248, Austin, $3.1 billion, hair care products and tequila.
Gerald Ford, No. 278, Dallas, $2.9 billion, banking.
Ray Davis, No. 288, Dallas, $2.8 billion, pipelines.
Lee Bass, No. 315 (tie), Fort Worth, $2.6 billion, oil and investments.
David Bonderman, No. 315 (tie), Fort Worth, $2.6 billion, private equity.
Edward Bass, No. 324 (tie), Fort Worth, $2.5 billion, oil and investments.
Bert “Tito” Beveridge, No. 324 (tie), Austin, $2.5 billion, vodka.
George Bishop, No. 324 (tie), The Woodlands (Houston), $2.5 billion, oil.
W. Herbert Hunt, No. 374 (tie), Dallas, $2.1 billion, oil.
Drayton McLane Jr., No. 374 (tie), Temple, $2.1 billion, Walmart and logistics.
Ross Perot Jr., 374 (tie), Dallas, $2.1 billion.

lists rankings

best in the world

6 DFW universities named best in the world on 2026 U.S. News list

The University of Texas at Dallas/Facebook

UT Dallas ranked 7th in Texas and No. 110 nationally.

Six Dallas-Fort Worth universities have been named among the best universities worldwide in U.S. News & World Report's just-released comprehensive list for 2026-2027.

U.S. News' Best Global Universities report ranks more than 2,250 schools based exclusively on their academic research performance and international reputation. Only 275 universities from the U.S. were included in the global ranking, and 21 based in Texas.

Harvard University topped the list for 2026-2027, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University claimed the coveted No. 2 and No. 3 spots worldwide.

Dallas' University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center topped the list of the best local schools, and it ranked as the 113th best university in the world.

Earlier in June, UT Southwestern ranked No. 69 in a separate list of the best universities in the world from the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), which compared 2,000 schools globally.

Here's how the rest of Dallas-Fort Worth's local institutions ranked:

No. 503 – University of Texas at Dallas
No. 739 – University of North Texas, Denton
No. 875 – University of Texas at Arlington
No. 944 – Southern Methodist University
No. 1,906 – Texas Christian University

In a statement explaining global university trends, the managing editor for Education at U.S. News, LaMont Jones, Ed.D., said schools in the U.S. have continued to rank "disproportionately high" while major universities from other countries in China and South America are starting to catch up.

"The continuing strength of [American university] reputations and academic research are, for the most part, unmatched," he said. "It's why students all over the world flock here to learn."

Top-ranking Texas universities
The University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 1 statewide and No. 56 worldwide, further cementing the university's reputation as the top choice for students seeking a higher education in Texas. CWUR also ranked UT Austin as the 35th best university in the world.

Here's where other Texas universities stand among the top 1,000 in this year's global rankings:

No. 144 – Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
No. 177 – Texas A&M University, College Station
No. 201 – Rice University
No. 296 – University of Texas at San Antonio
No. 324 – University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
No. 390 – University of Houston
No. 451 – Baylor University, Waco
No. 562 – Texas Tech University, Lubbock
No. 599 – University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

Additionally, five other Texas universities ranked outside the top 1,000: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (No. 1,153); University of Texas El Paso (No. 1,238); Texas State University in San Marcos (No. 1,531); Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock (No. 1,871); and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville (No. 2,141).

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