10 Wealthiest Black Americans Worth Over $1 Billion

There’s wealth, then there’s wealth. Achieving billionaire status is not something that comes easy.

In a world of just about 8 billion people, less than 3,000 have managed to secure the elite status of being a billionaire. Of those, there are less than 20 black people who’ve achieved this status. It takes a lot of savviness, a penchant for making smart financial decisions, and sometimes, a good start.

We’ve scoured the data and come up with a list of 10 black Americans whose net worth is $1 billion or more, in no particular order.

1. Jay-Z

If you know anything about music, you’ve likely heard of Jay-Z. He’s one of the most successful musicians of his era, having won 24 Grammy Awards and sold more than 140 albums.

Jay-Z has used his wealth to grow even more wealth by investing in a streaming service, and starting an entertainment agency, a clothing line, and a series of exclusive bars. His penchant for staying busy has earned him $2.5 billion.

2. LeBron James

LeBron James needs no introduction. One of the greatest basketball players in the world, he has plenty of championships and two Olympic gold medals to his name.

James’ success has also led to several endorsements with companies like Intel, PepsiCo, and Kia. He’s also invested and owns a media company. He’s currently worth $1 billion.

3. Tyler Perry

The name Tyler Perry is synonymous with drama. As in, stage and television drama. Perry is an extremely successful producer, actor, and playwright who has harnessed his talents and turned them into a success story.

Perry owns a very large production studio in Georgia, where “The Walking Dead” was filmed. He is worth a cool $1 billion.

4. Tope Awotona

Awotona moved to the United States from Nigeria when he was 12 and became a citizen. He initially worked as a sales associate and used this to develop a scheduling app, Calendly. Spending his life savings on that worked in his favor.

Calendly is now valued at $3 billion and Awotona, himself, is valued at $1.2 billion.

5. Tiger Woods

Woods’ recent years may have been marred by his many controversies, but he is still a very talented golf player. It’s this sport that has propelled him to his significant wealth.

Woods has won a stunning 15 major championships and landed scores of endorsements, all of which have helped pad his bank account. Today, the golf pro is worth an estimated $1.1 billion.

6. Oprah Winfrey

“You get a million, and you get a million,” is something we’d all love to hear Oprah say, and she could certainly afford it. Winfrey is well known for her namesake show that aired for 25 years, but she used that as a platform to launch other endeavors, such as her own network, O Magazine, and a production company.

Additionally, Oprah is a talented writer and producer. For her many talents, she has a net worth of $2.8 billion.

7. Michael Jordan

Look up a list of basketball greats and you’ll immediately see Michael Jordan’s name. He remains one of the most recognized players in the world, known for his superhuman ability to jump to the net.

Between his lucrative contracts and endorsement deals with Nike, and his ownership of a NASCAR team, Jordan has amassed a wealth of $3 billion.

8. Alexander Karp

There’s a lot of money to be made in software, especially if you create a program that’s used by millions worldwide. Karp made his money from investing and founding his firm, Palantir Technologies, which focuses on big data analysis. He overcame dyslexia to succeed.

He regularly contracts with governmental agencies, which use his data for intelligence purposes. Karp’s net worth is currently $1.9 billion.

9. Robert F. Smith

The richest black American is none other than Robert F. Smith. He originally started as an investment banker but took that knowledge and then formed his own equity firm, Vista Equity Partners.

Smith’s wealth exceeds a stunning $9 billion, but he’s very generous with his money. In fact, he pledged to pay off the student loan debt for Morehouse College’s 2019 graduating class.

10. David Steward

Steward may not be known by many, but his company World Wide Technology is. He founded the firm, which provides a variety of technology services such as cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and more, in 1990.

Since then, Steward has amassed significant wealth. He’s the second-richest black American, valued at $7.6 billion.