How to make the Forbes 400: These sectors offer the best odds

A good idea, perfect timing and a healthy dose of entrepreneurship help. But those who want to statistically maximize their chances of a place among America's 400 richest people should focus on working in the right sector. Which ones are those? MASTERS breaks them down.

The threshold to be among the 400 richest Americans has never been higher. Entry to the Forbes 400 this year required a minimum fortune of 4.4 billion dollars, compared to 3.8 billion dollars in 2025. The United States now has 590 billionaires who are not wealthy enough to make the list.

Together, the 400 richest Americans hold a record fortune of 8 trillion dollars. A large portion of that wealth is concentrated at the very top, with the twenty richest names collectively accounting for 4 trillion dollars, exactly half of the total wealth on the list.

Finance remains the biggest billionaire machine

Looking purely at numbers, finance and investments remains the most successful route. 108 of the 400 people on the list, or 27 percent, owe their wealth to this sector. This includes investment funds, private equity, venture capital, wealth management and other investment activities. Together, this group represents approximately 1.6 trillion dollars. Warren Buffett, with an estimated fortune of 144 billion dollars, is the wealthiest representative.

Technology follows with 88 billionaires, accounting for 22 percent of the Forbes 400. In numbers, tech ranks second, but financially the difference is enormous. This group collectively holds approximately 3.9 trillion dollars. Tech billionaires thus represent more than twice as much wealth as their finance counterparts.

AI creates a new generation

The speed at which AI fortunes are being created stands out. Technology has 88 Forbes 400 members this year, compared to 82 last year. At the same time, 14 new tech billionaires entered the list, more than from any other sector.

Among the newcomers are three co-founders of Databricks, six founders from Anthropic and OpenAI president Greg Brockman. With an estimated fortune of 25.5 billion dollars, Brockman is the wealthiest newcomer to the entire Forbes 400 this year. In total, more than a dozen of the new entries come from the world of artificial intelligence.

From chocolate to storage units

The path to billions does not run solely through Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Enormous fortunes have also been built with chocolate, supermarkets, real estate, sports clubs and energy. Food and Beverage ranks third on the Forbes 400, with 35 billionaires. The family behind Mars demonstrates how large a familiar consumer brand can ultimately become.

Behind that follow sectors such as retail, energy, real estate, media and sports. What stands out is that the source of a billion-dollar fortune does not always sound spectacular. Behind some fortunes lie companies in storage units, aircraft leasing, logistics or even pest control. Sectors that rarely make the headlines, but can become highly profitable when a company operates at scale.

Sports is also an interesting category. A football, basketball or American football club is often not where the original fortune was made. For many billionaires, a club is rather a later investment after wealth has been built elsewhere.

Yet the center of gravity is shifting increasingly toward technology. Traditional sectors continue to produce billionaires, but technology in particular creates new large fortunes at a rapid pace. Within that sector, artificial intelligence is currently the most important growth factor. The Forbes 400 thus shows not only where the most money is, but especially where new wealth is being created fastest.