How Many Billionaires Do We Have in Louisiana?

Remember when it used to be a really big deal if you heard about a millionaire? Growing up, especially in Louisiana, it wasn't that common that you would hear about a millionaire, much less ever actually meet one.

But according to the latest data, Louisiana is estimated to have over 87,500 millionaire households.  87,565 millionaire households to be precise....  Just in Louisiana.  That's incredible to me. In fact, surprisingly, Louisiana ranks 27th in the US in terms of millionaire households.

Of course, oil & gas is huge in our state, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that that's where a lot of them made their money.

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But to be a billionaire.  For most of us, a billion dollars is simply incomprehensible.  And the Billionaire's Club in Louisiana is a much smaller club.... by far.  In fact, there are only three listed according to Forbes as of late December 2024.

Here are the Current Billionaires in Louisiana

Gayle Benson- Net Worth $6.6 billion

Gayle Benson got her fortune the old fashioned way, she inherited it.  Gayle is the daughter of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson.  A New Orleans native, Tom Benson began owning automotive dealerships going back to 1956 beginning in San Antonio, TX.  He invested in banks, and owned several dealerships in New Orleans before buying the New Orleans Saints in 1985.

William (Bill) Goldring- Net Worth $7 billion

William Goldring is the third generation owner of the Sazerac Company based out of New Orleans, which manages Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, & Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, to name but a few.

Todd Graves-  Net Worth $9.1 billion

This has to be my favorite story.  Todd Graves is the owner of Raisin' Canes Chicken Fingers.  What makes his story so awesome is the fact that Raisin' Canes was a business plan Graves developed for business school at LSU with his frieng Craig Silvey.  They had the idea to develop a fast-food restaurant that focused only on chicken-tenders.  And they received the lowest grade in the class from the professor.  That's like the high-school basketball coach who told Michael Jordan to find another sport.