Forbes recently released its list of the richest person in every state. But when we’re talking about so much money, it can be hard to wrap our heads around just how wealthy these people are. But don’t worry, Gizmodo is here to help.
When you hear that a tech mogul like Mark Zuckerberg is the richest person in California with $62.4 billion or that Bill Gates is the richest person in Washington with $88.9 billion, it can be difficult to imagine just how rich that is. What does $62 billion actually buy a person these days?
Well, we’ve come up with a simple way to visualize the amount of wealth these people control. By running each person’s wealth through a complex algorithm, Gizmodo has broken down the list into the number of Dollar Store items each person can buy.
So now when you read that eBay founder Pierre Omidyar (the richest person in Hawaii) has a net worth of $8.9 billion, it’s easy to visualize how wealthy that is exactly. Omidyar can buy 8.9 billion items at the Dollar Store.
Or when you read that Charles Koch (the richest person in Kansas) is worth $47.5 billion, all you need to do is consult our list to see that Koch can purchase 47.5 billion items from the Dollar Store if he were to convert all his wealth into cash.
To keep things simple, we’re assuming that all of these rich people flew to a state like Oregon or New Hampshire, which don’t have any sales tax, to purchase their Dollar Store items. But if you spot any errors in our math, please let us know.
1) Washington
Bill Gates, Microsoft: $88.9 billion
Bill Gates can buy 88.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
2) Nebraska
Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway: $76.2 billion
Warren Buffett can buy 76.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
3) California
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook: $62.4 billion
Mark Zuckerberg can buy 62.4 billion items from the Dollar Store.
4) New York
Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg LP: $50.7 billion
Michael Bloomberg can buy 50.7 billion items from the Dollar Store.
5) Kansas
Charles Koch, Koch Industries: $47.5 billion
Charles Koch can buy 47.5 billion items from the Dollar Store.
6) Arkansas
Jim Walton, Wal-Mart: $38.5 billion
Jim Walton can buy 38.5 billion items from the Dollar Store.
7) Texas
Alice Walton, Wal-Mart: $38.2 billion
Alice Walton can buy 38.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
8) Nevada
Sheldon Adelson, casinos: $35.6 billion
Sheldon Adelson can buy 35.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
9) Virginia
Jacqueline Mars, candy: $27.6 billion (tied)
Jacqueline Mars can buy 27.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
9) Wyoming
John Mars, candy: $27.6 billion (tied)
John Mars can buy 27.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
11) Oregon
Phil Knight and family, Nike: $25.1 billion
Phil Knight can buy 25.1 billion items from the Dollar Store.
12) Colorado
Charles Ergen, satellite TV: $18.8 billion
Charles Ergen can buy 18.8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
13) Connecticut
Ray Dalio, hedge funds: $16.8 billion
Ray Dalio can buy 16.8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
14) Massachusetts
Abigail Johnson, money management: $14.9 billion
Abigail Johnson can buy 14.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
15) Florida
Thomas Peterffy, discount brokerage: $13.2 billion
Thomas Peterffy can buy 13.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
16) Georgia
Jim Kennedy, media: $12.6 billion
Jim Kennedy can buy 12.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
17) New Jersey
Donald Newhouse, media: $12 billion
Donald Newhouse can buy 12 billion items from the Dollar Store.
18) Wisconsin
John Menard Jr., home improvement stores: $10.9 billion
John Menard Jr. can buy 10.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
19) Oklahoma
Harold Hamm, oil and gas: $10.2 billion
Harold Hamm can buy 10.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
20) North Carolina
James Goodnight, software: $10.1 billion
James Goodnight can buy 10.1 billion items from the Dollar Store.
21) Hawaii
Pierre Omidyar, eBay: $8.9 billion
Pierre Omidyar can buy 8.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
22) Tennessee
Thomas Frist Jr. and family, health care: $8.8 billion
Thomas Frist Jr. can buy 8.8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
23) Indiana
Carl Cook, medical devices: $8 billion (tied)
Carl Cook can buy 8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
23) Illinois
Ken Griffin, hedge funds: $8 billion (tied)
Ken Griffin can buy 8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
25) Missouri
Stanley Kroenke, sports and real estate: $7.5 billion
Stanley Kroenke can buy 7.5 billion items from the Dollar Store.
26) Ohio
Les Wexner and family: $6.2 billion
Les Wexner can buy 6.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
27) Arizona
Bruce Halle, tires: $6 billion
Bruce Halle can buy 6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
28) Michigan
Daniel Gilbert, Quicken Loans: $5.9 billion (tied)
Danile Gilbert can buy 5.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
28) Montana
Dennis Washington, construction and mining: $5.9 billion (tied)
Dennis Washington can buy 5.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
30) Maryland
Ted Lerner, real estate: $5.8 billion
Ted Lerner can buy 5.8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
31) Minnesota
Whitney MacMillan, Cargill: $5.4 billion
Whitney MacMillan can buy 5.4 billion items from the Dollar Store.
32) Pennsylvania
Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, Campbell’s Soup: $3.8 billion
Mary Alice Dorrance Malone can buy 3.8 billion items from the Dollar Store.
33) Iowa
Harry Stine, agriculture: $3.3 billion
Harry Stine can buy 3.3 billion items from the Dollar Store.
34) South Carolina
Anita Zucker, chemicals: $3 billion
Anita Zucker can buy 3 billion items from the Dollar Store.
35) Kentucky
B. Wayne Hughes, self-storage: $2.7 billion
B. Wayne Hughes can buy 2.7 billion items from the Dollar Store.
36) Louisiana
Tom Benson and family, New Orleans Saints: $2.6 billion
Tom Benson can buy 2.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
37) South Dakota
T. Denny Sanford, banking and credit cards: $2.1 billion
T. Denny Sanford can buy 2.1 billion items from the Dollar Store.
38) Rhode Island
Jonathan Nelson, private equity: $2 billion
Jonathan Nelson can buy 2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
39) Idaho
Frank VanderSloot, nutrition and wellness products: $1.9 billion
Frank VanderSloot can buy 1.9 billion items from the Dollar Store.
40) West Virginia
Jim Justice, coal: $1.6 billion
Jim Justice can buy 1.6 billion items from the Dollar Store.
41) Maine
Susan Alfond, shoes: $1.4 billion
Susan Alfond can buy 1.4 billion items from the Dollar Store.
42) Utah
Gail Miller, Utah Jazz and car dealers: $1.2 billion
Gail Miller can buy 1.2 billion items from the Dollar Store.
43) New Hampshire
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli, consumer goods: $1.1 billion
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli can buy 1.1 billion items from the Dollar Store.
44) North Dakota
Gary Tharaldson, hotels: $900 million
Gary Tharaldson can buy 900 million items from the Dollar Store.
45) Mississippi
Leslie Lampton, Oil refining and chemicals: $760 million
Leslie Lampton can buy 760 million items from the Dollar Store.
46) Delaware
Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder, Gore-Tex: $720 million each
Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder can each buy 720 million items from the Dollar Store.
47) New Mexico
Mack C. Chase, oil: $700 million (tied)
Mark C. Chase can buy 700 million items from the Dollar Store.
47) Alabama
Jim Rane, lumber: $700 million (tied)
Jim Rane can buy 700 million items from the Dollar Store.
49) Vermont
John Abele, health care: $625 million
John Abele can buy 625 million items from the Dollar Store.
50) Alaska
Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini: $340 million each
Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini can each buy 340 million items from the Dollar Store.
[Forbes]
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