The Number of Dollar Store Items The Richest Person In Every State Can Buy

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]