Diane Hendricks Tops Wisconsin's Wealthiest List with $21.7 Billion
Diane Hendricks, chair and co-founder of ABC Supply, is the richest person in Wisconsin with a net worth of approximately $21.7 billion, according to Forbes data as of June 2026. She overtook longtime state leader John Menard Jr. in 2025 and is also America's wealthiest self-made woman. Born on a dairy farm in Mondovi, Wisconsin, Hendricks built her fortune through ABC Supply, the nation's largest roofing distributor, which generated $20.7 billion in revenue in 2024. Her rise from assembling pens at the Parker Pen Company to leading a $21.7 billion empire is one of the most remarkable wealth stories in U.S. history.
Wisconsin's Billionaire Landscape: Seven Forbes 400 Members
Wisconsin boasts at least seven billionaires on the Forbes 400 list, with a combined net worth of $71.6 billion. The state's wealth spans retail, healthcare software, agriculture, cleaning products, and sports ownership. The list includes three members of the S.C. Johnson family from Racine: Helen Johnson-Leipold ($4.6 billion), H. Fisk Johnson ($4.5 billion), and S. Curtis Johnson ($4.5 billion). Other notable names include Judy Faulkner ($9.6 billion), founder of Epic Systems; James Cargill II ($5.3 billion), heir to Cargill Inc.; Jack Link & Family ($4.0 billion) of Jack Link's Protein Snacks; and Milwaukee sports owners Wes Edens ($2.9 billion) and Mark Attanasio ($1.9 billion).
John Menard Jr.: From Pole Barns to $16.3 Billion
John Menard Jr., founder and owner of Menards, is Wisconsin's second-richest person with a net worth of $16.3 billion. He began building pole barns in 1958 to fund his college education at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, eventually opening his first hardware store in 1972. Today, Menards is the third-largest home improvement retail chain in the U.S., with over 350 stores in 15 states and approximately 45,000 employees. The company reported $13 billion in revenue in 2024. Menard has a reputation for tight control over his business, requiring even top executives to punch a time clock. He also sponsors racing cars, with his team winning the 2019 Indy 500.
Judy Faulkner: The Most Powerful Woman in Healthcare
Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO of Epic Systems, ranks third with a net worth of $9.6 billion. She founded the healthcare software company in a Wisconsin basement in 1979, originally named Human Services Computing. Epic supports the medical records of over 250 million patients and is used by top medical centers such as Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic. The company had $6.7 billion in sales in 2025, and Faulkner owns an estimated 42% of it. She has never raised venture capital or made an acquisition, developing all software in-house. In 2015, she signed The Giving Pledge, committing 99% of her assets to philanthropy. Forbes has called her "the most powerful woman in healthcare."
James Cargill II: Quiet Wealth from Agribusiness
James Cargill II, with a net worth of $5.3 billion, is an heir to Cargill Inc., the largest privately held company in the United States by revenue. He lives in Birchwood, a small town in Wisconsin's North Woods. The Cargill-MacMillan family still owns roughly 90% of the company, which did $154 billion in sales in 2025 across food, agriculture, financial, and industrial divisions. The family collects an estimated 18% of net profits as dividends annually. Cargill II serves on boards including the Center of the American West and the National Air and Space Museum's Board of Trustees.
The S.C. Johnson Heirs: Three Billionaires from One Family
Three of Wisconsin's billionaires are heirs to S.C. Johnson & Son, the global cleaning products company headquartered in Racine. Helen Johnson-Leipold ($4.6 billion) is chairman and CEO of Johnson Outdoors and chairman of Johnson Financial Group. H. Fisk Johnson ($4.5 billion) is chairman and CEO of S.C. Johnson, overseeing brands like Windex, Raid, and Ziploc. S. Curtis Johnson ($4.5 billion) is former chairman of Diversey, the commercial cleaning business spun out of S.C. Johnson. The company generates roughly $11 billion in annual revenue and employs about 13,000 people, with 2,000 in Racine County.
Jack Link & Family: A Global Snack Empire from Minong
Jack Link & Family have a net worth of $4.0 billion from Jack Link's Protein Snacks, based in Minong, Wisconsin. The company is one of the largest meat snack companies in the world, best known for Slim Jim and Jack Link's Beef Jerky. It operates manufacturing plants across the United States, Europe, and Asia, distributing products to more than 40 countries. The family has kept the business privately owned for generations, building a global snack empire from the forests of northern Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Sports Owners: Wes Edens and Mark Attanasio
Wes Edens, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, has a net worth of $2.9 billion. He co-founded Fortress Investment Group in 1998, which grew into a leading alternative asset manager before being acquired by SoftBank. Edens purchased a stake in the Bucks in 2014 and was a key driver behind the construction of Fiserv Forum. Mark Attanasio, principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, has a net worth of $1.9 billion. He co-founded Crescent Capital Group, a $40 billion alternative asset management firm, and purchased the Brewers in 2005, overseeing multiple playoff appearances.
Wisconsin's Millionaire Population and Wealth Distribution
Wisconsin has an estimated 170,000–180,000 millionaire households, accounting for approximately 5–6% of all households in the state, according to IRS data and the Phoenix Marketing International Wealth & Affluent Monitor. The state's wealth is spread across manufacturing, agriculture, technology, and finance, rather than concentrated in a single industry. The top 10 billionaires alone hold a combined net worth of over $71 billion, with a gap of nearly $20 billion between the richest and the tenth-richest.
