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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 about 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. 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 January 3. Forbes lists 12 billionaires in Colorado.

#12. Thomas Bailey
– Net worth: $1.2 billion (#2,273 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Aspen, Colorado
– Source of wealth: money management, Self Made

#11. Stewart Butterfield
– Net worth: $1.2 billion (#2,211 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Aspen, Colorado
– Source of wealth: messaging software, Self Made

#10. Cargill MacMillan III
– Net worth: $1.3 billion (#2,097 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Boulder, Colorado
– Source of wealth: Cargill

#9. William MacMillan
– Net worth: $1.3 billion (#2,097 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Englewood, Colorado
– Source of wealth: Cargill

#8. Gary Magness
– Net worth: $1.3 billion (#2,079 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cable TV, investments

#7. James Leprino
– Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,551 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Indian Hills, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cheese

#6. Kenneth Tuchman
– Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,526 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: call centers, Self Made

#5. Pat Stryker
– Net worth: $3.0 billion (#957 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Fort Collins, Colorado
– Source of wealth: medical equipment

#4. Mark Stevens
– Net worth: $3.6 billion (#787 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
– Source of wealth: venture capital, Self Made

#3. Charles Ergen
– Net worth: $4.0 billion (#689 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: satellite TV, Self Made

#2. John Malone
– Net worth: $9.3 billion (#196 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Elizabeth, Colorado
– Source of wealth: cable television, Self Made

#1. Philip Anschutz
– Net worth: $10.6 billion (#166 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Denver, Colorado
– Source of wealth: investments


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