America's Richest Self-Made Women

Forbes has compiled its first ever list of the nation’s top 50 most successful women as measured by their net worths. The exclusive freshman class includes entrepreneurs, CEOs, entertainers, designers and even an author.

To compile net worths, we valued the individual’s assets, including the value of stakes in public companies, on May 15, when we locked in stock prices. We valued private companies by speaking with an array of outside experts and conservatively comparing them with public competitors. To be eligible for this list, women had to have substantially made their own fortunes and be US citizens or permanent residents. In cases where they started businesses with, and still share with, their husbands, we’ve assigned them half of that combined wealth. We attempted to vet these numbers with all list entrants. Some cooperated; others didn’t.

To view the Full List