After several decades of major strides in the American workforce, the number of women in corporate leadership positions or running their own companies has exploded. There are more self-made women millionaires and billionaires today than ever, despite a gender wage gap that in 2023 means women earn $0.77 for every $1 a man makes.
In 2020, there were about 1.24 million businesses owned by women, according to the Census Bureau’s 2021 Annual Business Survey. Women-owned businesses had about $432.1 billion in annual payroll, $1.9 trillion in receipts, and 10.9 million employees. Stacker collected data from Hurun Research Institute’s 2023 report on the world’s richest self-made women billionaires. The sum of the wealth of all women on the list is $77.9 billion—about one-third of Elon Musk’s net wealth as of June 13, 2023. That’s astounding.
The wealth and ages of these powerful, self-made women are as of January 16, 2023. If an individual’s shares are held jointly—say, with their spouse—individual shareholdings were broken out where possible. When this wasn’t possible, a 50-50 split was assumed. “Self-made” in this context means wealth that was not inherited. It doesn’t take into account whether inherited wealth or privilege helped in the creation of independent wealth. Please note: The data source presumed a binary gender classification.
Based on these findings, these are the 23 Richest Self-Made Women In America In 2023
#22. Michelle Zatlyn (tie)
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch
– Global rank: #99
– Wealth: $1.1 billion
– Age: 45
– Primary company: Cloudflare
– Primary industry: CybersecurityBefore being the co-founder and COO of cybersecurity firm Cloudflare, Michelle Zatlyn held leadership positions at Google and Toshiba and launched two successful startups. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and was awarded the Dubliner Prize for Entrepreneurship.
#20. Rihanna (tie)
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Bergdorf Goodman
– Global rank: #76
– Wealth: $1.4 billion
– Age: 35
– Primary company: Music
– Primary industry: MusicRobyn Rihanna Fenty may be a global pop superstar, but the real origins of her wealth come from her beauty company, Fenty Beauty, which launched in 2017. The company alone quickly catapulted Rihanna’s net worth into another stratosphere. The cosmetics brand is known for creating makeup shades for a wider range of skin tones than other beauty companies offer.
#20. Elaine Wynn (tie)
Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize
– Global rank: #76
– Wealth: $1.4 billion
– Age: 81
– Primary company: Wynn Resort
– Primary industry: CasinoElaine Wynn co-founded her family’s eponymous resort and casino business, Wynn Resorts. The Las Vegas doyenne is an avid art collector. She told the Wall Street Journal that the price of her 2013 purchase of a Francis Bacon triptych—at $142.4 million, then the most expensive art piece sold at auction—spurred speculation that offended her: Claims a man must have purchased the paintings.
#16. Kim Kardashian (tie)
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ULTA Beauty / KKW Beauty
– Global rank: #53
– Wealth: $2 billion
– Age: 43
– Primary company: KKW Beauty
– Primary industry: Personal careKim Kardashian became a household name thanks to her family’s hit TV series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” But the reality TV star made her real fortune by branching out into personal care products. The superstar’s SKKN beauty line—formerly known as KKW—was prompted by Kardashian’s self-described desire to give people at-home access to dermatologist-quality skincare without a doctor’s office visit.
#16. Jami Gertz (tie)
Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
– Global rank: #53
– Wealth: $2 billion
– Age: 57
– Primary company: Movies
– Primary industry: ActingThe actor was discovered at age 16 in a talent search for the sitcom “Square Pegs” with Sarah Jessica Parker, which aired in the early 1980s. Since then, she has appeared in numerous television shows, among them the NBC hit “This Is Us,” “The Neighbors,” and “Modern Family” on ABC. She also starred on the cable series “Entourage” and the comedy “Still Standing” for four seasons. Onscreen, she co-starred in “The Lost Boys” and appeared in “Less Than Zero.” She and her husband, billionaire investor Anthony Ressler, own the Atlanta Hawks NBA team and are noted philanthropists through their Ressler Gertz Family Foundation.
#16. Safra Catz (tie)
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
– Global rank: #53
– Wealth: $2 billion
– Age: 62
– Primary company: Oracle
– Primary industry: Enterprise softwareSafra Catz has been the CEO of Oracle since 2014 and has sat on the board of directors since 2001. In addition to her duties at the software and services company, Catz’s net worth also comes from her position as a director of The Walt Disney Company.
#15. Doris Fisher
– Global rank: #51
– Wealth: $2.1 billion
– Age: 92
– Primary company: GAP
– Primary industry: Apparel & textile productsDoris Fisher co-founded the ubiquitous American clothing retailer Gap, Inc. Fisher founded the brand with her husband when they struggled to find jeans that fit him, following many owners’ pattern of founding companies in response to a need in their own life. Fisher is also a co-founder and major supporter of the Knowledge is Power Program Foundation, which supports public charter schools.
#12. Meg Whitman (tie)
Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
– Global rank: #47
– Wealth: $2.3 billion
– Age: 67
– Primary company: eBay
– Primary industry: E-commerceMeg Whitman spent a decade at the helm of e-commerce pioneer eBay. During Whitman’s tenure as CEO between 1998 and 2008, she grew the company from $5.7 billion to $8 billion in sales. She was subsequently the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, where she oversaw the company’s split into two entities.
#11. Sheryl Sandberg
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
– Global rank: #38
– Wealth: $2.5 billion
– Age: 54
– Primary company: Facebook
– Primary industry: MediaSheryl Sandberg may be best known for writing the controversial bestseller “Lean In,” which advised women to take charge of their own careers and destinies. Still, Sandberg’s fortune didn’t come from book sales but from her early involvement and decades of experience as COO of the social networking giant Facebook. She stepped down from the position in June 2022.
#9. Oprah Winfrey
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images
– Global rank: #31
– Wealth: $2.9 billion
– Age: 70
– Primary company: Oprah Winfrey Network
– Primary industry: EntertainmentOprah Winfrey’s eponymous “The Oprah Winfrey Show” made her a household name from 1986 until its final episode in 2011. She went on to found her TV network, Oprah Winfrey Network, which is the source of most of her wealth today.
#8. Zhang Xin
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Vanity Fair
– Global rank: #28
– Wealth: $3 billion
– Age: 58
– Primary company: SOHO China
– Primary industry: Estate holdingZhang Xi leads the real estate company SOHO China with her husband. Before working at SOHO China, she cut her teeth at firms such as Goldman Sachs and Travelers Group. The U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group said in June 2021 that it would buy the majority of SOHO China for more than $3 billion.
#7. Peggy Cherng
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
– Global rank: #24
– Wealth: $3.1 billion
– Age: 75
– Primary company: Panda Express
– Primary industry: RestaurantsPeggy Cherng is the co-founder of the Chinese fast-food company Panda Express. The company boasts more than 2,000 locations worldwide and nearly $4 billion in sales. In recent years, Cherng has also invested in hotels, including the legendary Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
#4. Gail Miller
Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images
– Global rank: #17
– Wealth: $5.2 billion
– Age: 80
– Primary company: Larry H. Miller
– Primary industry: AutomobilesGail Miller is the owner and chair of Larry H. Miller. The group of companies has held, at various points, sports teams, vast automotive dealings, and more. Miller is now focused on health care, among other industries she sees as the focus on the future.
#2. Judy Love
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
– Global rank: #11
– Wealth: $6 billion
– Age: 86
– Primary company: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
– Primary industry: Multibrand retailFar from the modern world of technology and Silicon Valley, Judy Love’s empire began with a humble gas station. She and her husband took out a $5,000 loan to open their first gas station in the 1960s. Today, that business has expanded to almost every state in America and does more than $25 billion in annual sales.
