Taylor Swift. The president of In-N-Out Burger. The great-granddaughters of agriculture entrepreneur William Wallace Cargill.

These are some of America’s 154 female billionaires. Though they are far fewer in number than the country’s 981 male billionaires, these women have roughly the same size median net worth as the men do at just over $2 billion, according to data from Altrata, a wealth-intelligence firm.

There has been a striking jump in the number of women who are self-made, meaning they got at least some of their wealth from a significant enterprise they launched on their own. Far more women—about 60%—were at least partially self-made in 2024, compared with five years earlier, when only about 40% fell into that category. The rest owe their wealth to inheritance. Nearly all male billionaires are at least partially self-made.

The richest Americans control a historically large share of wealth today. The number of billionaires in the U.S.—male and female—keeps growing, and many of them are getting wealthier.

Altrata evaluates public and private data to determine wealth, and evaluates the wives and daughters of living male billionaires individually. These wealth figures are based on estimates of assets that they hold in their own names—whether or not that was derived from family wealth or business. Altrata looked at where an individual’s primary business is located.

For example, Susan Dell, the wife of Michael Dell, is worth $5.8 billion, in part because she owns millions of shares of Dell Technologies in a trust. But Lauren Sánchez Bezos, wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos, doesn’t appear on the list because available data doesn’t show that she has large investments like an ownership stake in Amazon.com.

The Journal analyzed Altrata’s data for a look at some of America’s wealthiest women, where their money comes from, and how they spend it. The data is from between 2024 and early 2026.

Many of the women at the top of the billionaires list inherited their wealth from fortunes that their parents or grandparents built. The women in this category often keep a low public profile. Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is the richest woman in the country with a net worth of $138 billion. (Each of her two living brothers has a similar net worth).

Some of these women are actively involved in the companies that are responsible for their vast wealth. Helen Johnson-Leipold, an heir to the S.C. Johnson fortune, runs publicly traded Johnson Outdoors, so her wealth is considered a combination of inheritance and self-made. A number of the Mars heiresses have held top roles at the candy and pet-food company.

Some built careers outside their family empires. Ronda Stryker, whose grandfather founded the medical-device company that shares her last name, worked as a special-education teacher for years. Oil magnate H.L. Hunt’s daughter June Hunt has hosted a Christian call-in radio show for decades.

Others started firms that are giants in their sectors. Judy Faulkner started privately held healthcare software company Epic Systems, where the company’s internal “10 commandments” include “do not go public.” Diane Hendricks co-founded roofing firm ABC Supply with her late husband Ken Hendricks.

Some operate major companies that prior generations of their families started, making their wealth part inheritance and part self-made. Abigail Johnson runs financial firm Fidelity Investments, founded by her grandfather. Lynsi Snyder is president of In-N-Out Burger, the fast-food chain her grandparents started in the 1940s.

Some of the most philanthropic billionaires are the ex-wives and widows of famous male billionaires. Melinda French Gates, who used to be married to Bill Gates, has given away at least $31 billion over the past decade. French Gates’s philanthropy is now focused on women’s rights and young people.

Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has given away billions to causes from higher education to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, often with no strings attached.

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s widow Miriam Adelson has given at least $961 million to philanthropic causes, including many Jewish and pro-Israel organizations. She’s also a major political donor, backing Republicans including President Trump.

Altrata tracked public donations over the past decade. The analysis doesn’t include all donations from foundations or contributions from donor-advised funds. It doesn’t include donations below $1,000.

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Taylor Swift make up a handful of the self-made women billionaires, though they tend to clock in on the lower end of the billionaire scale. (Altrata notes that billionaires globally who are worth less than $2 billion have a roughly 10% chance of losing their billionaire status in a given year based on fluctuations in the value of their investments and other assets).

Some of them have amassed wealth by starting successful companies after reaching celebrity status. The bulk of Rihanna’s $1 billion net worth comes from her stakes in Fenty Beauty, estimated at $690 million, and her lingerie brand, estimated at $300 million, according to Altrata. Properties in Los Angeles and her native Barbados are worth at least a combined $43.5 million.

Taylor Swift’s $1.8 billion net worth include earnings from her monster Eras tour, which helped bring her estimated cash and other assets to $1.7 billion, according to Altrata.