Meet America's Black billionaires

Kevin Winter // Getty Images They’re entertainers, media moguls, elite athletes, music artists, tech tycoons, and investors. Stacker compiled a list of the 10 richest Black Americans using data from Forbes. Individuals were ranked by their overall wealth ranking, with the richest person taking the #1 spot. America’s Black billionaires represent an array of industries and business ventures; however, over half of those on this list made the bulk of their wealth in the sports or entertainment industries. The people on this list are worth $27 billion combined, which is a lot of money–but that’s just one-eighth of the net worth of the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, at an estimated $218 billion. The United States is home to the most billionaires of any country represented on Forbes’ list of 2,640 billionaires in 2023. And yet, of the 1,000 wealthiest people in the world, only two are Black Americans. This wealth gap results from long-standing practices in the United States that denied Black Americans the ability to accumulate wealth while their labor often contributed to the wealth of white Americans. This dates back to slavery and continued with discriminatory practices in the housing and labor markets that have never been fully redressed. Despite these barriers, America’s Black billionaires have risen to the top tiers of financial success. #10. Tyler Perry Paras Griffin // Getty Images – Net worth: $1 billion – Global wealth rank: 2,593 – Age: 53 – Source of wealth: Movies, television Tyler Perry is a director, actor, producer, and writer who built his empire from movies and television. He owns 100% of his content, including the popular “Madea” franchise. Perry lives in Atlanta, where his 330-acre, 12-stage Tyler Perry Studios is located. #9. LeBron James Kevin Mazur // Getty Images – Net worth: $8 billion – Global wealth rank: 266 – Age: 60 – Source of wealth: Private equity The richest Black American is Robert F. Smith, who founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in software companies. Smith grew up in Denver and worked as a chemical engineer before earning his MBA. He started Vista Equity Partners in 2000, and it has posted annual returns of 30% every year. Data reporting by Elena Cox. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Abigail Renaud.