How Many Black Billionaires Are There In The Us

So the other night, I’m at this dinner party—you know the type, where everyone’s trying to casually flex their Wikipedia knowledge—and a friend blurts out: “I bet there aren’t even ten Black billionaires in the US.” I nearly choked on my overpriced rosé. Because let’s be real: we all feel like Oprah and Jay-Z must have cloned themselves by now, right? But that little offhand comment got me wondering: how many Black billionaires are actually living and breathing on American soil right now?

Spoiler alert—it’s not ten. It’s not twenty. As of mid-2024, Forbes officially counts 13 Black billionaires in the United States. Yes, that’s it. Out of nearly 760 total U.S. billionaires—that’s barely 1.7%. Don’t worry, I had to double-take too. Let’s unpack that number like a bag of chips you didn’t mean to finish, but here we are.

The Billionaire All-Stars (You Know the Headliners)

First up, the legends. Robert F. Smith — $10.8 billion. You know him as the tech investor who paid off Morehouse’s student debt like it was a Dunkin’ run. Legendary move. Then there’s David Steward, founder of World Wide Technology, worth $14.4 billion. He’s the quiet king of logistics and supply chain—basically the guy who makes sure your Amazon package shows up, but with buy-a-sports-team levels of cash.

And of course, Oprah. She’s worth about $2.8 billion now—not her peak, but still enough to buy a small Caribbean island if she feels like it. Jay-Z clocks in at $2.5 billion, partly thanks to his champagne brand and that giant Tidal payout. Side note: Can we just admit that Jay-Z’s net worth grows faster than my list of unfinished Netflix shows?

The “Wait, They’re A Billionaire?!” Surprises

Here’s where it gets fun. Michael Jordan? Yep—billionaire. Actually, he’s worth about $3.2 billion, mostly from that Hornets sale and his Nike royalty gravy train. Remember when he was “just” a sneaker phenom? Also, Tyler Perry sits at about $1.4 billion. That’s right, the Madea-wearing, Atlanta-studio-founding, script-writing machine quietly crossed the 10-figure line.

Meet The 23 Black BILLIONAIRES Whose Combined Worth Is $96 Billion

Then there’s Strive Masiyiwa—wait, he’s Zimbabwean-born but now lives in the US—so he’s counted. Worth $3.4 billion from telecom and tech. And Michael Lee-Chin, Jamaican-Canadian-American, worth $2.6 billion from finance. See? It’s already getting complicated. We’re basically playing billionaire geography bingo.

The Brutal Math: Why Only 13?

Let’s be honest—you probably thought there were more, right? I sure did. Systemic barriers are the main villain here. Black entrepreneurs historically face less access to venture capital, fewer generational wealth transfers, and a lending system that’s, well, racially biased about who gets a “yes.” Think about it: you need a serious head start or a golden parachute to hit billionaire status in the US.

Here's The 22 Black Billionaires, And How They Made Fortunes

But here’s the ironic twist: the number is actually rising. In 2020, there were only 6 Black US billionaires. Now we’re at 13—that’s a 116% increase in four years. Not bad for a group that’s historically been told to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” while being handed broken boots.

So, What’s the Takeaway?

Next time someone at a party drops the “Black billionaires must be everywhere” line, you can casually toss out “Actually, it’s 13.” Thirteen. That’s the same number of flavors at a standard Baskin-Robbins. Which means we’ve still got a long way to go until we have a flavor for every state. But those 13 people are reshaping industries, from tech to entertainment to finance.

And if you’re feeling ambitious? Well, the next name on that list might be yours. Just don’t forget to buy your friends dinner. I hear the rosé is better on the billionaire’s tab.