The 16 industries that have made America's richest people, from tech to trucking

Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, and Diane Hendricks are the richest people in America in their respective industries.

Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/WireImage; PATRICK T.

FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Finance and tech have minted the most billionaires in the US.

However, less obvious industries have also led to some of the US's biggest fortunes.

The common denominator of massive wealth is being a founder (or, of course, an heir).

Finance and technology usually spring to mind when thinking of the world's most lucrative industries.

And that's for good reason.

They have been the source of wealth for nearly half of America's 400 richest people, as ranked and categorized by Forbes.

However, billion-dollar fortunes have been made in other sectors, too, ranging from trucking to pest control.

Business Insider has compiled data from the 2026 Forbes 400 list , which is an estimated snapshot of the 400 richest people in America as of September 4.

Forbes estimated each member's net worth using a variety of sources, including interviews, asset valuations, and deductions for debt, charitable contributions , and fund donations.

The following ranking is based on the 16 industries into which Forbes categorized each individual.

Business Insider calculated how many individuals went into each category to find which industries have minted the most of America's richest people .

It also compiled the richest person within each industry.