The 5 Richest Self-Made Women in the US Are Worth $7B+: How They Built Their Fortunes
There are now 43 self-made billionaire women in the U.S., according to Forbes' 2026 America’s Richest Self-Made Women List. While these women have built their fortunes across industries that include manufacturing, media and entertainment, the 2026 ranking reveals that technology is driving a growing share of these women's wealth.
While building materials entrepreneur Diane Hendricks remains No. 1 for the ninth consecutive year, the No. 2 spot now belongs to Daniela Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, which highlights how quickly the ranks are evolving.
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Here’s a closer look at the five richest self-made women in America in 2026 — and where their fortunes come from.
1. Diane Hendricks
Net worth: $21.7 billion
Source of wealth: Co-founder of ABC Supply, a building supplies wholesaler
Category: Construction and engineering
Hendricks has held the No. 1 spot for nine consecutive years, thanks to launching one of the largest wholesale building materials companies in the U.S.
2. Daniela Amodei
Net worth: $15.5 billion
Source of wealth: Co-founder and president of Anthropic, which builds large-scale artificial intelligence systems
Category: Technology
Amodei’s rise reflects the explosive growth of AI, with Anthropic emerging as a key player in the fast-moving generative tech space.
3. Judy Faulkner
Net worth: $9.6 billion
Source of wealth: Founder and CEO of Epic Systems, a medical-record software provider
Category: Technology
Faulkner built Epic into one of the most widely used electronic health records systems in U.S. hospitals and healthcare networks.
4. Thai Lee
Net worth: $8 billion
Source of wealth: CEO of SHI International, an IT provider
Category: Technology
Lee leads one of the largest minority- and woman-owned IT companies in the country, serving major corporate and government clients that include Boeing and AT&T.
5. Marian Ilitch
Net worth: $7.6 billion
Source of wealth: Co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza
Category: Food and beverage
Ilitch helped grow Little Caesars into a global pizza chain while also expanding into sports and entertainment ventures, including the Detroit Red Wings NHL team.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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