Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images.
Being a billionaire isn’t what it used to be. As the rich get richer, the price of admission into the ranks of the Forbes 400 list of America’s wealthiest people keeps rising. It jumped nearly 18% in 2017 to $2 billion, up $300 million from a year ago. As a result of this sky-high entry point, a record 169 billionaires failed to make the cut, including 43 who would have made it last year based on the previous cutoff of$1.7 billion. And 13billionaires who made the ranks last year dropped out even though their fortunes remained the same or went up.
Among those who were on the cusp of makingthe 2017 Forbes 400were several Cargill heirs, Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola and new hedge fund billionaire Henry Laufer, all of whom were mere millions from joining the ranks. Other well-known billionaires who fell short include Monster Beverage CEO Rodney Sacks, FacebookCOO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter cofounder Ev Williams.
Below is the list of the 169 “almost made-it” individuals. Better luck next year.
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View galleryAlexandra Daitch
Net worth: $1.97 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Sarah MacMillan
Net worth: $1.97 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Lucy Stitzer
Net worth: $1.97 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Katherine Tanner
Net worth: $1.97 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Vincent Viola
Net worth: $1.96 billion
Source of wealth: Electronic Trading
Tomas Hagen
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Insurance
Laufer Henry
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Catherine Lozick
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Valve manufacturing
Jonathan Nelson
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Private equity
Tor Peterson
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Commodities
Phillip T. (Terry) Ragon
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Health IT
Amy Wyss
Net worth: $1.95 billion
Source of wealth: Medical equipment
Leslie Alexander
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Source of wealth: Houston Rockets
James Dinan
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
John Kapoor
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Source of wealth: Healthcare
Jennifer Pritzker
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Source of wealth: Hotels, investments
Charles Zegar
Net worth: $1.9 billion
Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP
Herbert Allen Jr. and family
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Nicolas Berggruen
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Bharat Desai
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: IT consulting
Jeffrey Gundlach
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: investments
Hamilton James
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Craig McCaw
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Telecom
Linda Pritzker
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Hotels, investments
Brian Roberts
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Comcast
Rodney Sacks
Net worth: $1.8 billion
Source of wealth: Energy drinks
James France
Net worth: $1.75 billion
Source of wealth: Nascar
Louis Bacon
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Timothy Boyle
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Columbia sportswear
Sanford Diller
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Robert Duggan
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Pharmaceuticals
Mario Gabelli
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Money management
Stewart Horejsi and family
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
George Joseph
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Insurance
Jim Justice II
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Coal
Edward Lampert
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Sears
Rodney Lewis
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Sears
Miguel McKelvey
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: WeWork
Gary Michelson
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Medial patents
Kevin Plank
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Under Armour
Antony Ressler
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
Henry Swieca
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Kenneth Tuchman
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Source of wealth: Outsourcing
William F. Austin
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Hearing aids
William Berkley
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Insurance
Francis Biondi
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
David Booth
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Mutual fund
Ron Burkle
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Supermarket, investments
Robert Fisher
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: GAP
William Fisher
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: GAP
Paul Foster
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Oil refining
Timothy Headington
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Oil, gas
Brian Higgins
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge funds
Alexander Karp
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Software firm
William Koch
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Oil, investments
Marc Lasry
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge funds
Thai Lee
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: IT provider
Billy Joe (Red) McCombs
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate, oil, cars
Charles Munger
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
Nelson Peltz
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Roger Penske
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Cars
Sheryl Sandberg
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Facebook
Leonard Schleifer
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Pharmaceuticals
Ben Silbermann
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Pinterest
Thomas Steyer
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Jim Thompson
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Logistics
Todd Wagner
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Online media
Charlotte Colket Weber
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Source of wealth: Campbell soup
Christopher Goldsbury
Net worth: $1.55 billion
Source of wealth: Salsa
Carol Jenkins Barnett
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Publix supermarkets
Aneel Bhusri
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Business software
David Einhorn
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Stephen Feinberg
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Private equity
Martha Ford
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Ford Motor
Seth Klarman
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Manuel Moroun and family
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Transportation
Mark Pincus
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Online games
Fayez Sarofim
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Money management
William Stone
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Software
Evan Williams
Net worth: $1.5 billion
Source of wealth: Twitter
Bill Alfond
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Shoes
Susan Alfond
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Shoes
Ted Alfond
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Shoes
Steve Case
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: AOL
John Edson
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Leisure Craft
John Farber
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Chemicals
Victor Fung
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Trading company
Alan Gerry
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Cable Television
Tomilson Hill
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Michael Jordan
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Charlotte Hornets, endorsem*nts
Michael Krasny
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Retail
William Lauder
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Estee Lauder
James Leininger
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Medical products
David Lichtenstein
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Gary Magness
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Nicholas Pritzker II
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Hotels, investments
Jerry Reinsdorf
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Sports teams
Brian Sheth
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Evgeny (Eugene) Shvidler
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Oil, gas, investments
Peter Sperling
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Education
Kevin Systrom
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Instagram
Wilma Tisch
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Diversified
Kenny Troutt
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Telecom
Dan Wilks
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Natural gas
Farris Wilks
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Natural gas
Richard Yuengling Jr.
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Source of wealth: Beer
William Ackman
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Edmund Ansin
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Television
Herb Chambers
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Car dealerships
Darwin Deason
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Xerox
Anne Gittinger
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Nordstrom
Ryan Graves
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Uber
Sidney Kimmel
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: retail
Isaac Larian
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Toys
Cargill MacMillan III
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Martha MacMillan
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
William MacMillan
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Cargill
Craig Newmark
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Craigslist
Forrest Preston
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Health care
Alexander Rovt
Net worth: $1.3 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Vincent MacMahon
Net worth: $1.25 billion
Source of wealth: Wrestling
Thomas Bailey
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Money management
Charles Brandes
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Money management
Steve Conine
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Wayfair
Henry Engelhardt
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Insurance
Donald Foss
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Credit Assistance Corp.
Robert Friedland
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Mining
Donald Friese
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Manufacturing
B. Wayne Hughes Jr.
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Storage facilities
Irwin Jacobs
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Semiconductors
Mitchell Jacobson
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Industrial equipment
Thomas James
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
Gail Miller
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Basketball, car dealers
Jerry Moyes
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Swift Transportation
Bruce Nordstrom
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Nordstrom
Michael Price
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Niraj Shah
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Private equity
Lynsi Snyder
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: In-N-Out Burger
Marc Andreessen
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Venture capital investing
Sara Blakely
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Spanx
Robert Citrone
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Hedge fund
Jamie Dimon
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Banking
Paul Fireman
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Reebok
Christopher Flowers
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Richard Hayne
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Urban Outfitters
Jon Huntsman Sr
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Chemicals
Richard Kayne
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
John Martin
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Pharmaceuticals
Eren Ozmen
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Aerospace
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Consumer goods
Steven Roth
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Chris Sacca
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Venture capital inveting
Jayshree Ullal
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Technology
Stephen T. Winn
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Drew Houston
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Dropbox
Nancy Lerner
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
Norma Lerner
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
Randolph Lerner
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
William Macaulay
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Energy investments
George Marcus
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Lowell Milken
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Investments
Martin Selig
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Evan Sharp
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Pinterest
Bryan Sheffield
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Oil and gas
Axel Stawski
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Real estate
Michael Steinhardt
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Finance
James Truchard
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: National Instruments
Sandy Weill
Net worth: $1 billion
Source of wealth: Citigroup
