Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Here are the Mass. residents who made the new Forbes list of 400 richest Americans
These nine Bay Staters found spots amongst the wealthiest Americans.
Forbes’ annual list of the 400 richest Americans includes nine Massachusetts natives.
“The 400 richest people in the U.S. are worth a record $6.6 trillion after getting $1.2 trillion richer over the past year amid surging stock markets and AI mania,” Forbes wrote.
Ranking from 27 to 382, nine Massachusetts residents all return to the list in new spots, some higher and some lower.
Elon Musk is the richest in America again with a $428 billion net worth, surging from a net worth of $244 billion in last year’s report.
Also near the top of the list are Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, ranking at third and fourth, respectively.
Advertisement:
In the Bay State, Abigail Johnson, the heir to the Boston-based Fidelity Investments fortune, is the state’s richest person yet again with a net worth of $35 billion.
To determine net worth, Forbes considers all the assets each person has, including company stakes, stocks, real estate, high-valued possessions, and more.
1. Abigail Johnson, age 63, $35 billion
Johnson moved up from 30th on the list to 27th, as her net worth increased to $35 billion from $31 billion last year.
She took over for her father as CEO of Fidelity Investments in 2014 and became chair in 2016.
Johnson’s grandfather founded the mutual fund giant in 1946. She worked there each summer while in college, joining full time in 1988 after earning her MBA from Harvard University.
Advertisement:
Johnson owns an approximate 29% stake in the company and as of March, the firm manages a total of $5.9 trillion in discretionary assets.
2. Edward Johnson IV, age 60, $14.2 billion
Another grandchild of Fidelity’s founder and brother of Abigail Johnson, Edward Johnson IV is the second richest person in Massachusetts and the 76th overall.
Down from 70th on the list last year, Johnson has a net worth of $14.2 billion from $12.6 billion in 2024.
Johnson serves as the president of Pembroke Real Estate, which is owned by Fidelity’s parent company, FMR, and according to Forbes, he holds a 9.56% stake in FMR.
The Johnson family donates to Harvard, Historic New England and the Institute of Contemporary Art.
3. Robert Kraft, age 84, $13.8 billion
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is the 78th wealthiest American with a net worth of $13.8 billion and six Super Bowl championship rings.
Kraft bought the NFL team in 1994 for $172 million and today, the team is worth $9 billion.
He also owns the MLS team the New England Revolution and a professional video gaming team in Boston that is within the Overwatch esports league.
4. Elizabeth Johnson, age 63, $12.3 billion
A third grandchild of the founder and sibling of the CEO of Fidelity is amongst the wealthiest Americans.
Elizabeth Johnson ranked 99th on the overall list with a $12.3 billion net worth.
Like her brother, Edward IV, she owns a 9.56% stake in FMR.
Advertisement:
She founded a stable for show jumping horses, Louisburg Farm, in Wellington, Florida in 2013.
5. Robert Hale, Jr., age 58, $5.8 billion
Jumping one spot up to the fifth wealthiest person in the Commonwealth, Robert Hale Jr. is the 246th richest person in the nation.
Hale is the CEO and founder of Granite Telecommunications, a wholesale telecommunications provider for businesses and governments in the U.S. and Canada. Amongst its clientele are two-thirds of the top 100 companies in America, the company told Forbes.
Hale has donated over $400 million to cancer research, educational institutions, and other causes.
6. Jim Davis & family, age 82, $5.2 billion
Jim Davis and the family behind New Balance dropped to sixth place with their net worth falling from $6.5 billion in 2024 to $5.2 billion in 2025.
Davis and his wife bought the small shoemaker in 1977 and turned it into a $6.5 billion dollar company based on sales.
His family owns 95% of the private company to date.
In college, he studied biology and chemistry in hopes of becoming a doctor until one of his professors told him to take up sales.
7. Phillip T. (Terry) Ragon, age 76, $4.2 billion & Alan Trefler, age 69, $4.2 billion
Tied at 352nd on the list with net worths of $4.2 billion are two software company owners: Terry Ragon and Alan Trefler.
Ragon founded InterSystems, a software company for healthcare providers and banks to analyze big data, in 1978. He has full ownership of the company that generates $1 billion in annual sales revenue.
Advertisement:
Ragon and his wife, Susan, also started the Ragon Institute, which is trying to develop a vaccine for HIV, after seeing the disease’s impact on a trip to South Africa in 2009.
The Ragons endowed the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard in a $200 million gift in 2019.
Alan Trefler started the software company Pegasystems in 1983, which streamlines business and enhances customer engagement. The company launched an app to track COVID amongst employees in 2020.
Trefler and his wife, Pamela, founded the Trefler Foundation, where they donate to public education and health care in Boston.
8. Amos Hostetter, Jr., age 88, $3.9 billion
Amos Hostetter Jr. is the last Massachusetts resident on the list at number 382.
Hostetter made his fortune by investing in what became Continental Cablevision in the 1960s and sold it to U.S. West in 1996 for $11 billion.
Through his family’s Barr Foundation, Hostetter has donated over $1.7 billion towards education, arts, and fighting climate change.
Also, he runs the early stage investment firm, Pilot House Ventures.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com