Yahoo Finance Who is the richest person in Charlotte? Forbes billionaire list has NC rankings
According to Forbes’ 2024 “Richest People In The World” list, the wealthiest people in North Carolina have a combined net worth of nearly $25 billion.
Tech, gaming and banking are among the industries that have produced the richest people in the state, according to Forbes.
While most of the state’s billionaires live in the Triangle, a couple of the world’s richest people, including a well-known athlete, have strong ties to the Charlotte area.
Here’s what to know about the richest people in Charlotte, billionaires with connections to the Queen City and the wealthiest leaders in the Tar Heel State.
Who is the richest person in Charlotte?
Of the eight billionaires who live in North Carolina, only one calls Charlotte home: Red Ventures co-founder and CEO Ric Elias.
According to Forbes, Elias’ net worth sits at $1 billion, making him the 2,692nd richest person in the world.
Red Ventures, headquartered just south of Charlotte in Fort Mill, owns brands like CNET, Lonely Planet, Best Colleges and The Points Guy. The company bought Bankrate, the personal finance site, for $1.4 billion in 2017 and paid $500 million for product reviewer CNET in 2020.
Elias is from Puerto Rico and began multiple foundations, including Golden Door Scholars, which provides scholarships to undocumented students.
Billionaires with Charlotte connections
In addition to North Carolina residents with billions, some with strong ties to Charlotte also made Forbes’ 2023 richest persons list.
▪ Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, whose official residence is listed in Florida, came in at 94th on the list with a net worth of $20.6 billion, according to Forbes.
▪ Former North Carolina basketball and NBA legend Michael Jordan, who made headlines last year for selling his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets, has a $3.2 billion net worth, according to Forbes, making him the 1,033rd richest person in the world. The former Chicago Bulls star calls Jupiter, Florida, home now.
▪ Dennis Gillings, who founded IQVIA in Durham, a pharmaceutical company, is considered a United Kingdom resident by Forbes. He has a net worth of $2.4 billion and ranks as the 1,380th richest person in the world.
North Carolina billionaires
▪ James Goodnight, of Cary, is the richest person in North Carolina, according to Forbes.
The 81-year-old co-founder and CEO of the software company SAS is the 221st richest person in the world, Forbes says, with a net worth of $10.1 billion.
▪ Goodnight’s co-founder, John Sall, who also lives in Cary, made the 2024 Forbes list with a $5 billion net worth, making him the 612th richest person in the world.
▪ Tim Sweeney, co-founder and CEO of the Cary-based game development company Epic Games, came in at 522nd on the richest persons list, with a net worth of $5.7 billion.
▪ Greensboro-based real estate mogul Roy Carroll, with a net worth of $2.6 billion, also made the Forbes list at No. 1,286.
▪ Frank Holding, the chairman and CEO of First Citizens Bank, a Raleigh-based commercial banking chain, with a net worth of $1.2 billion, is the 2,410th richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
▪ Holding’s sister, Carson Brice, who owns 20% of First Citizens Bank, has a net worth of $1.1 billion, making her the 2,545th richest person.
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