The first billionaire ever is thought to be Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller back in 1916, or perhaps Henry Ford in 1925. Fast forward some 100 years to 2021: as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage, a record-breaking 660 people became billionaires globally, growing the previous year’s number by 30%.
While the U.S. is home to the most billionaires out of any other country, Americans are somewhat split in their feelings on the billionaire class. According to Pew Research Center data, people in the U.S. became somewhat more critical of billionaires between 2020 and 2021.
Although support for individual billionaires like Elon Musk or Bill Gates is relatively strong, many Americans view the ultra-rich—as a group rather than as individuals—negatively. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.
The U.S.’s wealthiest billionaires are mostly concentrated within just a couple of industries: finance and investments, and technology. Other wealthy sectors include food and drink, fashion and retail, and media and entertainment.
Stacker compiled a list of the richest billionaires that are residents of Tennessee, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of June 30. Forbes lists 9 billionaires in Tennessee.
#9. Jeffrey Lorberbaum
– Net worth: $1.4 billion (#2,029 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chattanooga, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: flooring
#8. Willis Johnson
– Net worth: $1.8 billion (#1,669 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Franklin, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: damaged cars, Self Made
#7. Bill Haslam
– Net worth: $2.3 billion (#1,274 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Knoxville, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: gas stations
#6. Brad Kelley
– Net worth: $2.7 billion (#1,103 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Franklin, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: tobacco, Self Made
#5. Jon Yarbrough
– Net worth: $3.1 billion (#959 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Franklin, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: video games, Self Made
#4. Martha Ingram & family
– Net worth: $3.8 billion (#751 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Nashville, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: book distribution, transportation
#3. Jimmy Haslam
– Net worth: $3.8 billion (#747 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Knoxville, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: gas stations, retail
#2. Fred Smith
– Net worth: $5.0 billion (#515 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Memphis, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: FedEx, Self Made
#1. Thomas Frist Jr & family
– Net worth: $15.0 billion (#115 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Nashville, Tennessee
– Source of wealth: hospitals, Self Made
