Business

Who are the richest people in NC and what are their net worths? Real-time data

Forbes magazine names the richest people in the United States for 2023.
Forbes magazine names the richest people in the United States for 2023. Forbes screen grab

North Carolina’s wealthiest person has seen an increased estimated net worth since Forbes released its annual billionaires list in April.

SAS co-founder and CEO James Goodnight, 80, ranked at No. 305 on the Forbes Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion, using March 2023 data. Goodnight has a real-time net worth of $9.5 billion dollars, as of June 20, 2023. His Real Time Billionaires ranking is No. 212 among the world’s wealthiest people.

Goodnight, who lives in Cary, co-founded SAS in 1976 with John Sall. The two met while Goodnight was a PhD student at North Carolina State University. The analytics software company, which is privately held, had 2021 revenues of $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Other facts about Goodnight:

Goodnight said in 2021 that he plans to take SAS public via an initial public offering by 2024.

On Forbes’ 400 Self-Made Score, ranking the richest people who “boot-strapped” their way to wealth on a scale of 1 to 10, Goodnight is ranked an “8.” (Those ranking an “8” are described as “self-made who came from a middle-class or upper-middle-class background.”)

Goodnight and SAS co-founder Sall also co-founded Cary Academy, a private school in Cary, and co-own the Umstead Hotel and Spa.

Forbes magazine gave Jim Goodnight of SAS a real-time net worth of $9.5 billion on June 20, 2023
Forbes magazine gave Jim Goodnight of SAS a real-time net worth of $9.5 billion on June 20, 2023 Forbes

Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney’s Real-Time Billionaire ranking

Tim Sweeney, founder of Epic Games in Cary, ranked No. 508 with a net worth of $4.7 billion in the April list.

His real-time net worth remained the same on June 20, 2023, but his real-time ranking fell to 595.

See the full list of Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires at forbes.com/real-time-billionaires

Who tops the 2023 Forbes World Billionaires list?

  1. Bernard Arnault and family: France, Fashion & retail, $211 billion
  2. Elon Musk: United States, automotive, $180 billion
  3. Jeff Bezos, United States, technology, $114 billion
  4. Larry Ellison, United States, technology, $107 billion
  5. Warren Buffett, United States, finance, $106 billion
  6. Bill Gates, United States, technology, $104 billion
  7. Michael Bloomberg, United States, media, $94.5 billion
  8. Carlos Slim Helu & family, Mexico, telecom, $93 billion
  9. Mukesh Ambani, India, diversified, $83.4 billion
  10. Steve Ballmer, United States, technology, $80.7 billion

See the full list of the world’s wealthiest people at forbes.com/billionaires.

This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Who are the richest people in NC and what are their net worths? Real-time data."

Brooke Cain
The News & Observer
Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy. 
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