AMERICA'S RICHEST SELF-MADE WOMEN

Bigger fortunes. More billionaires. Increasing impact. We mark the tenth anniversary of our annual list of America's most successful self-made women by celebrating how far they have come: There are 38 billionaires this year among the 100, with fortunes originating in everything from cars to cosmetics to Chardonnay. That's more than double the 18 we found in 2015. Minimum to make the cut? $350 million, up from $250 million a decade ago, when we ranked only 50 women.

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1. DIANE HENDRICKS

$22.3 billion

SOURCE: Building supplies

RESIDENCE: Afton, WI • AGE: 78

SELF-MADE SCORE:

Sales at Hendricks' building materials whole-saler, ABC Supply, slowed to $20.7 billion in 2024, up just 1.5% after three years of double-digit growth. She's the richest self-made woman in America for the eighth year in a row. A major Republican donor, she gave about $35 million to GOP-aligned groups in the 2024 election cycle and spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention, held in her home state of Wisconsin.

2. JUDY FAULKNER

$7.8 billion

SOURCE: Health care software

RESIDENCE: Madison, WI • AGE: 81

SELF-MADE SCORE:

Faulkner is the founder of electronic medical records firm Epic Systems, whose sales were up 16% in 2024 to a record $5.7 billion. In October, she told Forbes that she had begun regularly selling some of her shares back to the company, around $100 million a year, with proceeds going to her foundation, Roots & Wings, which had assets of $500 million as of 2023.

3. MARIAN ILITCH & FAMILY

$6.9 billion

SOURCE: Little Caesars Pizza

RESIDENCE: Bingham Farms, MI • AGE: 92

SELF-MADE SCORE:

Ilitch's fortune is up 50% thanks to the rising value of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and the inclusion of MLB's Detroit Tigers, which her son has run for eight years. She and her husband, Mike (d. 2017), made their initial fortune in pizza, cofounding Little Caesars more than six decades ago.

4. LYNDA RESNICK

$6.3 billion

SOURCE: Agriculture

RESIDENCE: Beverly Hills, CA • AGE: 82

SELF-MADE SCORE: