17 PA Billionaires Among Richest In The World: New Forbes List

PENNSYLVANIA — The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, yet billionaires in Pennsylvania and across the globe are significantly wealthier than they were a year ago, according to this year’s recently released Forbes World's Billionaires List.

The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list jumped to an unprecedented 2,755 people, 660 more than a year ago. Altogether, they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020.

Among those on the list, 86 percent are richer today than they were a year ago.

To put Philadelphia's richest person's wealth into perspective, she is worth about 1.3 million cheesesteaks.

The numbers will likely spark outrage, writes Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. “There’s no getting around a collective $5 trillion wealth surge during a pandemic, when most of the world felt scared, sick, besieged,” he wrote in a comprehensive essay titled “Operation Wealth Speed."

A total of 17 billionaires on this year’s list hail from Pennsylvania. Jeff Yass, of Haverford is at the top. Yass recently became the state's richest person with $12 billion thanks to the stake his trading firm, Susquehanna International Group, has in TikTok

Other Pennsylvania billionaires on the list include:

• Victoria Mars, candy and pet food, $7.8 billion, Philadelphia
• Thomas Hagen, insurance, $4.3 billion, Erie
• Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, Campbell Soup, $3.7 billion, Coatesville
• Michael Rubin, online retail, $3.5 billion, Bryn Mawr
• John Middleton, tobacco, $3.4 billion, Bryn Mawr
• Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles, $3 billion, Wynnewood
• Maggie Hardy Knox, building materials, $2.9 billion, Belle Vernon
• Jared Isaacman, payment processing, $2.3 billion, Easton
• Brian Roberts, Comcast, $1.9 billion, Philadelphia
• David Paul, medical devices, $1.6 billion, Audubon
• Richard Hayne, Urban Outfitters, $1.4 billion, Philadelphia
• Edward Stack, Dick's Sporting Goods, $1.4 billion, Sewickley
• Alfred West Jr., money management, $1.4 billion, Paoli
• Richard Yuengling Jr., beer, $1.4 billion, Pottsville
• Alan Miller & family, healthcare services, $1.3 billion, Lower Merion
• Thomas Tull, movies and investments, $1.7 billion, Pittsburgh

To compile this year’s list, Forbes used a snapshot of its real-time billionaires rankings by analyzing stock prices and exchange rates for March 5.

A record 493 people made their debut on this year’s list. Another 250 who’d fallen off in the past made a reappearance, according to Forbes. This year’s list includes a record 328 female billionaires, up from 241 in 2020.

Soon-to-be-former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos retained the top spot on this year’s list for the fourth consecutive year. Bezos, who founded the e-commerce giant out of his garage in Seattle, Washington, will step down as CEO at the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk soared to the No. 2 spot, up from No. 31 on last year’s ranking. Bernard Arnault of LVMH remains at No. 3, followed by Bill Gates at No. 4. Rounding out this year’s top five is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

See the full 2021 Forbes Billionaires List.