14-04-2025
How do Georgia billionaires compare to Elon Musk? Forbes 2025 richest people list released
There's rich and then there's making the Forbes-richest-people list rich.
Forbes recently released its list of the richest people in the World in 2025 and a dozen of those billionaires hail from Georgia.
These people made their fortunes across a variety of industries, including tech starts ups, fast food companies and even pest removal. These Georgia billionaire's earn a combined net worth of $81.8 billion.
Elon Musk was named the richest person in the world, a comeback after being dethroned Bernard Arnault and family for several years.
A record 3,028 people around the globe making Forbes' annual list for 2025, 247 more than last year. The average fortune globally now stands at $5.3 billion, up $200 million from 2024, among those listed.
The U.S. has 902 billionaires. China, including Hong Kong, had 516, and India has 205.
Here's a look at the individuals from the Peach State who made the list and how they made their fortunes.
Leading the pack in Georgia, all ranking No. 213 in the world, is the trio behind Chick-Fil-A: the Cathy brothers, Bubba, 70, and Dan, 72, and their sister, Trudy Cathy White, 69.
Each of these individuals boast an impressive net worth of $11.4 billion.
Ranked No. 329, is Arthur Blank, age 82, who co-founded Home Depot. Blank is worth $9 billion. Blank is well-known not just for his retail success, but also as the chairman of the Atlanta Falcons.
Ranked No. 369, is John Brown, age 90, is worth $8.2 billion for his work with a medical device and software company called Stryker Corp. While his company was founded in Michigan, Brown lives in Atlanta.
Ranked No. 487, is Gary Rollins (age 80) and family, who controls Orkin, North America's largest pest control company by revenue, earning him a net worth of $6.9 billion. He and his family have lived on a farm in Cartersville.
Ranked No. 512, is Jim Kennedy, age 77, with a net worth $6.6 billion, served and chairman of Cox Enterprises from 2008-2021.
Ranked No. 634, Dan Kurzius, age 53, co-founded Mailchimp in 2001 and is worth $5.6 billion. He lives in Atlanta.
Ranked No. 717, Ben Chestnut, age 50, also co-founded Mailchimp with Kurzius. Chestnut is worth $5 billion.
Ranked No. 887, Neal Aronson, age 60, is the founder behind Roark Capital, which owns 30,000 sandwich shops of Jimmy John's, Arby's, Sonic, and Subway. Aronson is worth $4.1 billion and lives in Atlanta.
Ranked No. 2,623, Tony Townley, age 62, is the co-founder behing Zaxby's, with a net worth of $1.2 billion. He is a Watkinsville native who still lives in the city.
Ranked No. 2,933, Zach McLeroy, age 62, is worth $1 billion. McLeroy also co-founded Zaxby's.
Here are the top 10 billionaires in the nation according to Forbes:
Elon Musk, age 53: $342 billion
Mark Zuckerberg, age 40: $216 billion
Jeff Bezos, age 61: $215 billion
Larry Ellison, age 80: $192 billion
Warren Buffett, age 94: $154 billion
Larry Page, age 52: $144 billion
Sergey Brin, age 51: $138 billion
Steve Ballmer, age 69: $118 billion
Rob Walton and family, age 80: $110 billion
Jim Walton and family, age 76: $109 billion
For more information, visit
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgians on Forbes 2025 billionaires list. How they compare to Elon Musk
