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DENVER (Stacker) — The first billionaire ever is thought to be Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller back in 1916, or perhaps Henry Ford in 1925. Fast forward some 100 years to 2021: as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage, a record-breaking 660 people became billionaires globally, growing the previous year’s number by 30%.

While the U.S. is home to the most billionaires out of any other country, Americans are somewhat split in their feelings on the billionaire class. According to Pew Research Center data, people in the U.S. became somewhat more critical of billionaires between 2020 and 2021. Although support for individual billionaires like Elon Musk or Bill Gates is relatively strong, many Americans view the ultra-rich—as a group rather than as individuals—negatively. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.

The U.S.’s wealthiest billionaires are mostly concentrated within just a couple of industries: finance and investments, and technology. Other wealthy sectors include food and drink, fashion and retail, and media and entertainment. In order to determine who the most affluent Americans are, as well as how they reached their billionaire status, Stacker compiled a list of the richest billionaires that are residents of Colorado, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of March 31. Forbes lists 12 billionaires in Colorado.

#12. Thomas Bailey
– Net worth: $1.2 billion (#2,312 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Aspen, Colorado
– Source of wealth: money management

#11. Stewart Butterfield
– Net worth: $1.4 billion (#2,039 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Aspen, Colorado
– Source of wealth: messaging software

#10. Gary Magness
– Net worth: $1.5 billion (#1,995 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cable TV, investments

#9. William MacMillan
– Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,775 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Englewood, Colorado
– Source of wealth: Cargill

#8. Cargill MacMillan III
– Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,775 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boulder, Colorado
– Source of wealth: Cargill

#7. Kenneth Tuchman
– Net worth: $3.0 billion (#1,038 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: call centers

#6. Pat Stryker
– Net worth: $3.3 billion (#926 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Fort Collins, Colorado
– Source of wealth: medical equipment

#5. James Leprino
– Net worth: $3.6 billion (#836 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Indian Hills, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cheese

#4. Mark Stevens
– Net worth: $5.0 billion (#567 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
– Source of wealth: venture capital

#3. John Malone
– Net worth: $7.6 billion (#327 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Elizabeth, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cable television

#2. Charles Ergen
– Net worth: $9.2 billion (#230 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: satellite TV

#1. Philip Anschutz
– Net worth: $11.3 billion (#184 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: investments


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