The Richest ‘Self-Made’ Women: Here Comes Taylor!

Forbes magazine's new list of "Richest Self-Made Women" are worth a total of $124 billion, 12% more than last year, and includes the money-making phenom that is Taylor Swift.

Forbes’ annual list tracks the wealthiest U.S. women’s net worth by calculating their individual assets, including their stakes in public companies. To qualify, women have to have built a substantial amount of their wealth on their own. Among them are entrepreneurs, computer scientists, media moguls, and entertainers.

Sixty-three women on the list saw their fortunes rise from the prior year. Only 29 of the 100 got poorer, and eight fell off the list. The majority of the list was women from California, although the number dropped by 4 people from last year to 38 in 2023.

With the top two largest fortunes were Diane Hendricks, co-founder of the roofing manufacturing company ABC Supply, and Judy Love, co-founder of the convenience store chain Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Both women started their businesses with their husbands.

The youngest of the group was Kylie Jenner, 25 — one of 11 women on the list under 40. Jenner has starred in multiple reality TV shows and founded the makeup line Kylie Cosmetics.

Among the wealthiest women were a number of celebrities, the highest paid of whom was, not surprisingly, Oprah Winfrey.

Notably, Swift amassed $170 million in the last year — the most of any celebrity on the list — bringing her total net worth to $740 million. That ranked her at No. 34, up from No. 48 last year. Swift broke records in late 2022 when her Eras Tour sold a record-breaking 200 tickets on Ticketmaster in a single day.

Newcomers to the group included Shonda Rhymes, the showrunner whose new series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” premiered on Netflix in May.