The names in the latest edition of the Forbes 400, which ranks the wealthiest Americans of the year, are worth $4.5 trillion in aggregate. Eleven are tied to the healthcare industry.
It takes $2.9 billion to make The Forbes 400 this year, the publication noted in its annual ranking. The 42nd edition marks a comeback: After losing a collective $500 billion last year, the nation's 400 wealthiest people gained it all back.
Forbes calculated net worths using stock prices from Sept. 8, 2023. "Uncovering their fortunes required us to pore over thousands of Securities and Exchange Commission documents, court filings, probate records and news articles," the publication notes. "We took into account all types of assets: stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, yachts, planes, ranches, vineyards, jewelry, car collections and more. We factored in debt and charitable giving."
Below are the 11 people ranked in the healthcare industry and some notable names from healthcare technology and retail. The list includes ties.
2. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $161 billion
Mr. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 out of his Seattle garage. The company acquired primary care chain One Medical for $3.9 billion in 2023.
3. Larry Ellison
Net worth: $156 billion
Mr. Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of Oracle, which acquired EHR business Cerner in 2022.
32. Thomas Frist Jr. and family
Net worth: $22.6 billion
Dr. Frist Jr. co-founded Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare with his father in 1968. The company today has 186 hospitals.
75. Carl Cook
Net worth: $9.8 billion
Mr. Cook is the CEO of Cook Group, a medical device manufacturer co-founded by his parents in 1963.
128. Judy Faulkner
Net worth: $7.4 billion
Ms. Faulkner founded EHR company Epic Systems in 1979.
128. Ronda Stryker
Net worth: $7.4 billion
Ms. Stryker is a director of Stryker Corp., the medical equipment company founded by her grandfather, Homer Stryker.
153. Reinhold Schmieding
Net worth: $6.8 billion
Mr. Schmieding founded Arthrex, a global medical device company, in 1981.
164. Li Ge, PhD
Net worth: $6.4 billion
Dr. Ge co-founded WuXi AppTec, a global research and development and manufacturing services company, in 2000 and serves as chair and CEO of the firm.
169. John Brown
Net worth: $6.2 billion
Mr. Brown ran Stryker Corp., a medical device and software company, for 32 years before he retired as chair emeritus in 2010.
227. Patrick Soon-Shiong
Net worth: $4.9 billion
Dr. Soon-Shiong is the founder of NantWorks, a network of healthcare, biotech and artificial intelligence startups, and inventor of cancer drug Abraxane.
244. Jon Stryker
Net worth: $4.7 billion
Mr. Stryker is the founder and president of Arcus Foundation, which primarily supports great ape conservation efforts and LGBT social justice. He is the grandson of Homer Stryker, who founded Stryker Corp. in 1941.
326. Pat Stryker
Net worth: $3.5 billion
Ms. Stryker is the founder of Bohemian Foundation, which supports music, community, global and civic programs. She is the granddaughter of Homer Stryker, who founded Stryker Corp. in 1941.
338. Stewart Rahr
Net worth: $3.4 billion
Mr. Rahr expanded Kinray, a pharmaceutical distributor his father founded in 1944, and sold it to Cardinal Health in 2010 for $1.3 billion.
379. Leonard Schleifer, MD, PhD
Net worth: $3 billion
Dr. Schleifer is the co-founder and CEO of biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which he established in 1988.