Want to know who is the richest person in each state?
For the first time in its 98-year history, Forbes has compiled the data and published it on April 29. Up until now, the publication released "The World's Billionaires" list, an annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people, since 1987. But this breakdown of the richest person in every state is a new, more specific take on the wealthy.
Now inquisitive people across the nation are free to compare their own fortunes to those of the top dogs in their respective states.
For Maryland, where Money Morning operates, it's Ted Lerner -- an 89-year-old self-made real estate tycoon worth $5 billion. Lerner is a lesser-known name on this list. You may find names like New York's David Koch, Washington's Bill Gates, or Nebraska's Warren Buffett more recognizable.
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Before you start fishing below, here are a few interesting tidbits Forbes noted:
- Only 10 out of 50 of the richest people on this list are "largely do-nothing heirs." The rest are either self-made or inherited but vastly grew their wealth.
- 10 fortunes on the list rank among the largest 20 in America.
- Only six states have no billionaires -- Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Vermont.
- The richest rich person on the list is Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates, with a $78.8 billion fortune. In fact, Gates is currently the richest person in the world. Between 2013 and 2014, he tacked a whopping $15 billion onto his total wealth -- $1.5 billion more than the entire GDP of Iceland in 2014.
- The poorest rich person is Robert (Bob) Gillam, founder of investment management firm McKinley Capital Management LLC.
Now, go forth and behold who is the richest person each state has to offer right now -- and exactly how they cashed in...
Show Me the Money: Who Is the Richest Person in Each State?
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*Data compiled by Forbes, April 29, 2015.
| State | Name | Net Worth | Origin of Wealth | |
| Alabama |  |
Garry Drummond | $980 M | Drummond Company Inc. - Coal |
| Alaska |  |
Robert Gillam | $320 M | McKinley Capital Management LLC - Money management |
| Arizona |  |
Bruce Halle | $6 B | Discount Tire Co. Inc. - Tires |
| Arkansas |  |
Jim Walton | $37.6 B | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) - Retail |
| California |  |
Larry Ellison | $52.8 B | Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) - Computer technology |
| Colorado |  |
Charles Ergen | $18.2 B | Dish Network Corp. (Nasdaq: DISH) - Satellite television provider |
| Connecticut |  |
Ray Dalio | $15.4 B | Bridgewater Associates - Hedge funds |
| Delaware | |
Robert Gore | $675 M | L. Gore & Associates Inc. -Gore-Tex |
| Delaware | |
Elizabeth Snyder | $675 M | L. Gore & Associates Inc. -Gore-Tex |
| Florida |  |
Micky Arison | $7.4 B | Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) - Cruises |
| Georgia |  |
Anne Cox Chambers | $17 B | Cox Enterprises - Media |
| Hawaii |  |
Pierre Omidyar | $8.1 B | eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) - Online auctioneer |
| Idaho | |
Scott Simplot | $2.3 B | J.R. Simplot Co. - Frozen French fries and fertilizer |
| Illinois |  |
Ken Griffin | $6.6 B | Citadel LLC - Hedge funds |
| Indiana |  |
Carl Cook | $6.7 B | Cook Group - Medical devices |
| Iowa |  |
Harry Stine | $3.4 B | Stine Seed - Agriculture |
| Kansas |  |
Charles Koch | $42.7 B | Koch Industries Inc. - Diversified |
| Kentucky |  |
Wayne Hughes | $2.5 B | Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) - Storage |
| Louisiana |  |
Tom Benson | $1.9 B | Owner, New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans |
| Maine | |
Bill Alfond | $1.2 B | Dexter Shoe Co. - Shoes |
| Maine | |
Susan Alfond | $1.2 B | Dexter Shoe Co. - Shoes |
| Maryland |  |
Ted Lerner | $5 B | Lerner Enterprises - Real estate; Owner, Washington Nationals |
| Massachusetts |  |
Abigail Johnson | $13.4 B | Fidelity Investments - Money management |
| Michigan |  |
Hank & Doug Meijer | $10.1 B | Meijer Inc. - Supermarkets |
| Minnesota |  |
Whitney MacMillan | $4.7 B | Cargill Inc. - Agriculture |
| Mississippi | |
Leslie Lampton | $1 B | Ergon Inc. - Oil refining, chemicals |
| Missouri |  |
Jack Taylor | $12.7 B | Enterprise Holdings Inc. -Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
| Montana |  |
Dennis Washington | $5.8 B | Washington Companies - Construction, mining |
| Nebraska |  |
Warren Buffett | $70.2 B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) - Multinational conglomerate |
| Nevada |  |
Sheldon Adelson | $29.7 B | Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) - Casinos |
| New Hampshire | |
Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli | $1 B | JAB Holding Co. - Consumer goods |
| New Jersey |  |
David Tepper | $10.4 B | Appaloosa Management - Hedge funds |
| New Mexico | |
Mack C. Chase | $650 M | Mack Energy Corp. - Oil |
| New York |  |
David Koch | $42.7 B | Koch Industries Inc. - Diversified |
| North Carolina |  |
James Goodnight | $7.5 B | SAS Institute - Software |
| North Dakota |  |
Gary Tharaldson | $930 M | Tharaldson Motels Inc. - Hotels |
| Ohio |  |
Leslie "Les" Wexner | $7.5 B | L Brands Inc. (NYSE: LB) - Retail (The Limited, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and more) |
| Oklahoma |  |
Harold Hamm | $13.3 B | Continental Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLR) - Oil & gas |
| Oregon |  |
Phil Knight | $22.9 B | Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) - Athletic apparel |
| Pennsylvania | |
Mary Alice Dorrance Malone | $3.2 B | Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) - Food |
| Rhode Island |  |
Jonathan Nelson | $2.1 B | Providence Equity Partners Inc. - Private equity |
| South Carolina | |
Anita Zucker | $2.2 B | Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) - Retail (Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and more.) |
| South Dakota |  |
Denny Sanford | $1.4 B | United National Corp. - Banking, credit cards |
| Tennessee |  |
Thomas Frist, Jr. | $8.2 B | Hospital Corporation of America - Healthcare |
| Texas |  |
Alice Walton | $36.4 B | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. - Retail |
| Utah |  |
Jon Huntsman | $1.1 B | Huntsman Corp. (NYSE: HUN) - Chemicals |
| Vermont |  |
John Abele | $600 M | Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) - Medical devices |
| Virginia |  |
Jacqueline Mars | $26.8 B | Mars Inc. - Candy |
| Washington |  |
Bill Gates | $78.8 B | Microsoft Corp. - Computer technology |
| West Virginia |  |
Jim Justice, II | $1.7 B | Justice Companies Inc. - Coal; Greenbrier Resort |
| Wisconsin |  |
John Menard, Jr. | $9.1 B | Menard Inc. - Home retail |
| Wyoming |  |
Christy Walton | $39.1 B | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. - Retail |
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