Multiple Arkansans have secured a spot on the Forbes 400 list in 2020.
Every year, Forbes assembles a ranking of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the United States. According to the publication, the 400 ranked in 2020 have a collective net worth of $3.2 trillion, a $240 billion increase from 2019.
In total, four Arkansas residents were named to the list, while others with close Arkansas ties also received recognition.
The top Arkansan on the list is Jim Walton, the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. With an assessed net worth of $62.1 billion, the 72-year-old is no. 11 on the Forbes list. While the majority of his wealth stems from Walmart stock, he is also the chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank Group. He was previously on Walmart’s board before handing the seat to his son Steuart Walton in 2016.
Next on the list is Rob Walton, the eldest son of Sam Walton. Rob Walton has a assessed net ccrth of $61.8 billion, as well as a real-time net worth of $65.9 billion as of Sept. 9.
Both Rob and Jim Walton are listed as residing in Bentonville.
Johnelle Hunt is the third Arkansan on the Forbes list, taking the no. 249 spot. Hunt started J.B. Hunt Transport Services with her late husband J.B. after launching a rice hull packaging operation and buying five trucks and seven trailers in the late 1960s. She is now worth approximately $3.3 billion. To date, she is the largest stakeholder in J.B. Hunt with a 17 percent stake.
Warren Stephens rounds out the Arkansas residents on the list. The Stephens Inc. CEO has a $2.6 net worth, putting him at the no. 327 spot. He has served as the investment bank’s CEO since 1986.
In addition to these Arkansas residents, there are multiple individuals with Arkansas roots who made the list. The highest-ranking individual with Arkansas connections is Alice Walton, who clinched the no. 10 spot with a net worth of $62.3 billion (as well as a real-time net worth of $66.5 billion as of Sept. 9). The Texas resident is the only daughter of Sam Walton and the chairperson of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Wyoming resident Lukas Walton was named to the no. 31 spot with a net worth of $15.8 billion and a real-time net worth of $16.4 billion on Sept. 9. The grandson of Sam Walton, he inherited his wealth from John Walton, who died in a plane crash in 2005. Lukas Walton has stakes in Walmart, Arvest Bank and First Solar.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is another Arkansas-connected Forbes 400 billionaire, ranked at no. 56c Raised in North Little Rock, Jones was the co-captain of the University of Arkansas’s 1964 national championship team. Jones is worth $8.6 billion.
Christy Walton, the mother of Lukas Walton, is no. 74 on the Forbes list with a net worth of $7.2 billion. Walton, a Wyoming resident, inherited one-sixth of her husband John Walton’s estate upon his 2005 death with Lukas taking one-third.
Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, who grew up in rural Arkansas, was ranked at no. 299 on the list with a net worth of $2.8 billion.
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