Richest People In Colorado: Who Tops The Billionaires List?

Colorado is the most active state in the country. The combination of beautiful weather, job opportunities, and scenic views has proved irresistible to Americans who want to live in that state. With this welcoming environment, it's not surprising that most affluent people live in the state. You'll find that some of the richest people in Colorado even top the billionaire list.

Colorado ranks fifth among states in the likelihood of its residents becoming billionaires. So, how many billionaires are in Colorado? It has around twelve well-known billionaires whose accounts and net worth have grown.

They have played a great role in shaping the global economy, politics, and philanthropy in the state. But who tops the list of the richest people in Colorado?

Famous richest people in Colorado

The rich almost always get richer. Several of Colorado's billionaires have proven to be an example of this. Their concentration is seen in finance investments and technology industries, which has boosted Colorado's economy.

To identify the richest people in Colorado, we gathered data from reliable sources like Forbes and Axios which provide estimates of their net worth as of 2024. Below is the data:

1. Philip Anschutz

• Age: 84 (as of 2024)
• Net worth: $15.3 Billion
• Residence: Denver
• Source of wealth: Entrepreneurship, real estate investments

Philip Anschutz is the richest guy in Colorado. He tops the billionaires list with a net worth of $15.4 billion. He currently resides in Denver and is 84 years old as of 2024. At six years old, Forbes reports that Philip used a wheeled stand built to sell Kool-Aid on a college campus.

Philip earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and built his fortune over five decades in oil, telecom, real estate, railroads, and entertainment industries.

The billionaire owns two five-star resorts, Sea Island in Georgia and Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. In 2010, he donated 400 Frederic Remington pieces to create the American Museum of Western Art in Denver.

2. John Malone

• Age: 83 (as of 2024)
• Net worth: $9.8 billion
• Residence: Elizabeth
• Source of wealth: Cable television

John Malone's $9.7 billion net worth makes him the second richest Coloradoan. Malone holds a doctorate and a master of science degree from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree from Yale University.

He became known as the "Cable Cowboy" for his media deals and complicated corporate structures. In 1973, he became CEO at 29 years old and worked as the right-hand man for Bob Magness, founder of cable TV firm TCI. In 1999, he sold TCI to AT&T for over $50 billion.

3. Mark Stevens

• Age: 64(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 6.5 Billion
• Residence: Steamboat Springs
• Source of wealth: Venture capital

Mark Stevens, 64, has a net worth of $6.5 billion. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Arts/Science from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science from the University of Southern California.

Mark lives in Steamboat Springs and invests in startups through his firm, S-Cubed Capital. For his first job at 16 years old, Mark Stevens worked as a cook at a Jack in the Box in California. He joined Sequoia in 1989 after stints at Intel and Hughes Aircraft and spent two decades at the venture capital firm.

He serves on the board of Nvidia, a fabless semiconductor firm, and owns a minority stake in the Golden State Warriors, an NBA basketball team.

4. Pat Stryker

• Age: 68(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 4.9 Billion
• Residence: Fort Collins
• Source of wealth: Medical equipment

Pat Stryker is worth 4.9 billion. She founded the Bohemian Foundation, which supports music, community, global, and civic programs. Stryker lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the billionaire has been redeveloping downtown real estate. She attended the University of Northern Colorado but dropped out and decided to major in medical equipment.

Stryker has given $225 million to charity over her lifetime, primarily through her foundation. In 2016, she and her brother, Jon Stryker, funded $10 million for the victims of racial terror lynchings.

Similarly, in 2017, her foundation offered to match Colorado donations to hurricane relief up to $3 million. Her grandfather founded Stryker Corp., which sold $18.4 billion medical equipment in 2022.

5. James Leprino

• Age: 86(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 2.1 Billion
• Residence: Indian Hills
• Source of wealth: Cheese

James Leprino owns the biggest mozzarella cheese-making company in the world, making around $3.5 billion in sales each year. His company, Leprino Foods, is the only cheese provider for major pizza chains like Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut. After graduating high school in 1956, he began working full-time with his father at his grocery store.

However, in 1958, bigger chain stores forced them to close, leading him to start the Leprino Foods cheese business with just $615. Today, they hold over 50 patents. These innovative steps created the "pizza cheese" commonly used in America today.

6. Steward Butterfield

• Age: 51(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.7 Billion
• Residence: Aspen
• Source of wealth: Slack messaging software

Stewart Butterfield is the CEO and co-founder of team-based messaging software Slack. Though he leads a tech company, Butterfield proudly majored in Philosophy, which he acquired from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Arts/Science from the University of Victoria. In July 2021, cloud software giant Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion.

Butterfield departed Salesforce in December 2022 amid an exodus of executives at the software giant. Butterfield and his wife, Jen Rubio, the founder of luggage startup Away, sold their San Francisco home in 2021 and moved to Aspen.

7. Thomas Bailey

• Age: 87(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.3 Billion
• Residence: Aspen
• Source of wealth: Money management

Thomas Bailey's net worth is $1.3 billion from mutual fund Giant Janus, which he founded in Denver in 1969. In 2001-2002, Thomas held his 12% stake in Janus to Stillwell Financial for $1.2 billion. While at Janus, he served as its CEO for 33 years until 2002.

He then became the chairman in 2003. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts/Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

8. Cargill Macmillan III

• Name: 64(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.3 Billion
• Residence: Boulder
• Source of wealth: Cargill

Cargill MacMillan III is one of the billionaire heirs to the Cargill riches. The family still owns roughly 90 percent of Cargill, which sold $114.6 billion in 2020 across food, agriculture, financial, and industrial divisions.

His great-grandfather, W.W. Cargill, founded the business in 1865 on the end of an Iowa railroad line. The Cargill-MacMillan family collects approximately 18% of net profits as dividends yearly.

9. Charles Ergen

• Age: 71(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.4 Billion
• Residence: Denver
• Source of wealth: Satellite TV

Where do most rich people live in Colorado? The richest community lives in Cherry Hills Village (the wealthiest city in the USA). The city is located outside Denver. Charlie Ergen is among the many billionaires who live in Denver. He is the co-founder and chairman of satellite and internet service company EchoStar.

In 1995, EchoStar went public and launched its first satellite, birthing pay TV subsidiary Dish Network. He holds a Bachelor of Arts/Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and a Master of Business Administration at Wake Forest University School of Business.

In 1980, Ergen sold satellite dishes out of the back of a truck in Colorado. In 1995 EchoStar went public and launched its first satellite, birthing pay TV subsidiary Dish Network. Ergen spun off Dish into a separate company in 2008 and remerged the businesses in December 2023, again under the EchoStar name. Today, Dish Network has more than 8 million subscribers.

10. Kenneth Tuchman

• Age: 64(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.1 Billion
• Residence: Denver
• Source of wealth: Call centre

After being one of the well-known millionaires in Colorado who founded the customer care outsourcing giant TTEC in 1982, Kenneth Tuchman's net worth has grown significantly, and he is now one of the billionaires in Colorado.

The call centre public company operates on six continents. At a young age, he sold puka shell necklaces to retailers. It led him to be one of the largest shell importers from the Philippines.

While still in his shell business, Tuchman enrolled at a junior college to study architecture but dropped out to pursue his business ventures. As of 2024, he is the majority owner of the $2.4 billion (revenue) company, which deals with customer inquiries via messaging, phone, and social media.

11. Gary Magness

• Age: 70(as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.3 Billion
• Residence: Denver
• Source of wealth: Cable TV, investments

Gary focuses on off-road racing, movie production, and philanthropy. His late father, Bob, started cable giant TCI, which merged with AT&T in 1999 in a $48 billion deal. Garry inherited half of it and his late brother, Kim, the rest. The billionaire collects vintage cars, owns Colorado cattle ranches, and invests in oil, gas, and real estate.

On the other hand, his wife, Sarah Siegel-Magness, has also made a fortune through their film company, Smokewood Entertainment, which produced the Oscar-winning Precious.

12. William Macmillan

• Age: 69 (as of 2024)
• Net worth: $ 1.3 Billion
• Residence: Eaglewood
• Source of wealth: Cargill

MacMillan is among the known related billionaires who own control of Cargill, Inc., which Forbes describes as "the largest private company in America." The firm, founded by W.W. Cargill in 1865, specialised in food, commodities, source ingredients and financial risk management.

William is the son of the late Cargill MacMillan Jr., a one-time senior vice president of the company, and nephew of Whitney MacMillan, who, according to Forbes, was the last family member to hold the CEO position before retiring in the mid-1990s. He served on Cargill's board of directors.

Wrapping up

The richest people in Colorado have earned the right to be on the billionaire list thanks to their significant net worth. They include Kenneth Tuchman, Gary Magness, William Macmillan, Thomas Bailey, Cargill Macmillan III, Charles Ergen, Mark Stevens, Pat Stryker, James Leprino, Stewart Butterfield, John Malone, and Philip Anschutz.

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The wealthiest individuals in Tanzania possess knowledge of trading and diversification. Realizing that the people who made the list have diverse interests across various economic areas rather than lone investments is simple. As a great example of ambitious business owners, check out some people who have made a reputation for themselves out of nothing in this article.

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A collage of Charlie Ergen at Google's annual developer's conference and Stewart Butterfield at the Viva Tech start-up and technology gathering

Richest people in Colorado

Philip Anschutz prior to the Los Angeles Galaxy's MLS match against Toronto FC at the StubHub Center