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 Massachusetts, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of April 30. Forbes lists 24 billionaires in Massachusetts.
[Related: Rhode Island has just 1 billionaire, this is who it is]
#20. Patrizio Vinciarelli
– Net worth: $1.3 billion (#2,147 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: electronic components, Self Made
#19. Seth Klarman
– Net worth: $1.5 billion (#1,934 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: investments, Self Made
#18. Robert Langer
– Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,864 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: biotech, Self Made
#17. Noubar Afeyan
– Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,839 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Lexington, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: biotech, Self Made
#16. Jim Koch
– Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,783 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Newton, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: beer, Self Made
#15. Phillip T. (Terry) Ragon
– Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,703 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: health IT, Self Made
#14. Timothy Springer
– Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,556 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: biotech, Self Made
#13. Herb Chambers
– Net worth: $2.0 billion (#1,501 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: car dealerships, Self Made
#12. Frank Laukien
– Net worth: $2.1 billion (#1,448 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: scientific equipment
#11. Ted Alfond
– Net worth: $2.8 billion (#1,104 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Weston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: shoes
#10. Bill Alfond
– Net worth: $2.8 billion (#1,104 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: shoes
#9. Alan Trefler
– Net worth: $3.1 billion (#996 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Brookline, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: software, Self Made
#8. Robert Hale Jr
– Net worth: $3.2 billion (#972 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: telecom, Self Made
#7. Amos Hostetter Jr
– Net worth: $3.7 billion (#806 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: cable television, Self Made
#6. Stéphane Bancel
– Net worth: $4.5 billion (#629 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: biotech, Self Made
#5. Elizabeth Johnson
– Net worth: $4.8 billion (#568 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: money management
#4. Jim Davis & family
– Net worth: $5.5 billion (#476 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Newton, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: New Balance, Self Made
#3. Edward Johnson IV
– Net worth: $5.9 billion (#422 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: money management
#2. Robert Kraft
– Net worth: $8.3 billion (#264 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Brookline, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: New England Patriots, Self Made
#1. Abigail Johnson
– Net worth: $19.7 billion (#83 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Milton, Massachusetts
– Source of wealth: money management
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This story was written by Stacker and has been re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.