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Names like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos have become synonymous with personal wealth in America.
But of the billions of dollars controlled by the country’s upper echelons of the population, a significant portion is actually held by powerful families.
A new report from Forbes ranks 54 families as the wealthiest families in America as of 2026.
Some of you may be familiar with, like the Walton family (Walmart) or the Pritzker family (Hyatt Hotels, Governor of Illinois), who are in industries that stay out of the limelight and pass their wealth from generation to generation.
Here are America’s wealthiest families who call the Atlanta metropolitan area home.
No. 8, Kathy family
You can thank the Cathy family for one of Georgia’s most iconic restaurants, Chick-fil-A.
The family’s wealth is currently valued at $40.2 billion, and Cathy’s began in 1967 when S. Tuyet Cathy founded the food chain in an Atlanta shopping mall. Since then, the chain has grown to more than 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, the majority of which are owned by franchisees.
Its wealth has been passed down through four generations, with family members serving as chairman, vice president, ambassador, and CEO.
No. 10, Cox family
The Cox Media family has a net worth of $38 billion through its ownership in Cox Communications, Cox Automotive (parent company of AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Manheim), and Cox Enterprises, which owns media outlets such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The family sold a majority stake in the TV station for $3 billion, according to Forbes, and it is run by Alex Taylor, the fourth generation of the Cox family, as chairman and CEO.
The FCC approved the $21.9 billion sale of Cox Enterprises to Charter Communications in February, but it still needs approval from California regulators.
No. 28, Winchester family
According to Forbes, the Winchesters are some of the newest additions to the list. This family ranks second as the richest new family on the list.
The Winchester family earned a net worth of $18 billion through the architecture and construction industry. Their names may not be as well known as Cathy and Cox, but their company, Quikrete, is the largest manufacturer of concrete and cement mixes in the United States and Canada.
The company was founded in 1951 by Gene Winchester in Columbus, Ohio, but moved its headquarters to Atlanta in 1981, shortly after Home Depot also moved to the city.
Although the company is no longer led by a family member, Gene’s sons still serve on the board of directors, and former president and chief operating officer Will McGill is now CEO.
No.44, Rollins family
After Wayne and John Rollins bought Orkin in 1964, the Rollins family made a fortune in pest control. The brothers were already making millions of dollars at local radio stations before diversifying into other markets.
The company has net assets of $12.7 billion, most of which comes from Rollins, which owns Orkin and Critter Control, making it the continent’s largest pest control company by revenue.
The family has sold $2.6 billion in Rollins stock since 2023, but still owns 35% of the publicly traded company.
Another Georgia family controls billions of dollars
A fifth family from Georgia also made the list.
The Carrollton, Georgia-based Richards family ranks 41st on Forbes magazine’s list of America’s richest families through investments in the cable and wire manufacturing industry.
Since founding Southwire in 1950, the company’s net worth has grown to $13.1 billion. The company remains 100% family-owned and accounts for half of all cable and wire production in the United States, materials used in power transmission.
Who was at the top of the list?
According to Forbes magazine, the families that topped the list of America’s wealthiest families are:
- Walton Family (Walmart)
- Koch Family (Koch, Inc., formerly Koch Industries)
- Mars Family (Mars Inc.)
- (Edward) Johnson Family (Fidelity)
- Cargill-Macmillan Family (Cargill Inc.)
- Pritzker Family (Hyatt Hotel)
- Duncan Family (Pipeline Industry)
- Kathy Family (Chick-fil-A)
- SC Johnson Family (Cleaning Supplies)
- Cox Family (Media and Communications)
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
