You’d think the richest people in a place like North Carolina would be old-school textile magnates or tobacco heirs living in crumbling mansions. Honestly? Not even close. If you look at the list of billionaires in North Carolina, what you actually find is a high-tech powerhouse. We’re talking about a group of people who basically built the modern software industry and the backbone of global clinical trials.
Most of them aren't flashy. You won't see them on TMZ. But their impact on the state's economy is massive.
The Tech Giants Living in Cary
It’s kind of wild that a single suburb like Cary, North Carolina, holds more billionaire wealth than some entire states. This is mostly thanks to James Goodnight and John Sall. They co-founded SAS Institute back in the 70s. Jim Goodnight is consistently the wealthiest person in the state, with a net worth that often hovers around the $16 billion mark depending on the market's mood.
He’s a PhD who still shows up to work.
Then you have Tim Sweeney. He’s the genius behind Epic Games. If your kids (or you, let’s be real) have ever played Fortnite, you’ve contributed to his roughly $5 billion to $7 billion fortune. Sweeney is a bit of a local legend, not because he buys yachts, but because he buys mountains. He’s spent a huge chunk of his wealth purchasing thousands of acres of land in the North Carolina mountains just to make sure they never get developed.
Why the Research Triangle Park (RTP) is a Billionaire Magnet
It isn't a coincidence. The concentration of wealth in the Raleigh-Durham area is a direct result of the "brain gain" started decades ago.
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- Education: UNC, Duke, and NC State provide a constant stream of talent.
- Infrastructure: The state invested heavily in making the Triangle a biotech and tech hub.
- Cost of Living: Even for billionaires, the lack of a "New York price tag" makes growing a company much easier.
Banking and Real Estate: The Charlotte Power Players
While the Triangle has the tech nerds, Charlotte is where the money moves. Ric Elias, the CEO of Red Ventures, is a name you should know. He’s a billionaire who survived the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane crash, which he says completely changed his perspective on business and life. Red Ventures is a marketing and media behemoth that owns brands like CNET and Bankrate.
Then there is the banking royalty. The Holding family, led by Frank Holding Jr., runs First Citizens Bank. Their wealth is tied to the long-term stability of the Raleigh-based banking empire, which skyrocketed in profile after they acquired much of the failed Silicon Valley Bank in 2023.
The Full List of Billionaires in North Carolina
People often argue over the exact numbers because private company valuations change daily, but as of 2025 and 2026, these are the heavy hitters:
James Goodnight Net Worth: ~$16.5 Billion
Industry: Analytics Software (SAS)
Location: Cary
John Sall Net Worth: ~$7.8 Billion
Industry: Software (SAS)
Location: Cary
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Tim Sweeney Net Worth: ~$5.1 Billion
Industry: Gaming (Epic Games)
Location: Cary
Roy Carroll II Net Worth: ~$2.6 Billion
Industry: Real Estate
Location: Greensboro
Carroll is the guy who reshaped the Greensboro skyline. He started with apartment complexes and moved into high-end mixed-use developments.
Dennis Gillings Net Worth: ~$2.1 Billion
Industry: Healthcare/Clinical Trials
Location: Durham
He founded IQVIA (formerly Quintiles). If you’ve taken a prescription drug lately, there’s a good chance Gillings’ company managed the trials that got it approved.
The Holding Family (Frank Jr., Olivia, Carson) Net Worth: ~$1.2 - $1.5 Billion each
Industry: Banking (First Citizens)
Location: Raleigh
What Most People Get Wrong About NC Wealth
A lot of people think these billionaires are just "lucky." But if you look at someone like Dennis Gillings, he was a professor of biostatistics at UNC before he ever started a business. These are academic-driven fortunes. North Carolina wealth is largely "intellectual capital" converted into cash.
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Another misconception? That they all live in gated compounds in Charlotte. In reality, Greensboro and Cary are the secret headquarters for the state's elite. Roy Carroll II, for instance, has stayed fiercely loyal to Greensboro, proving you don't need to be in a "Tier 1" city to build a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio.
The New Money on the Horizon
Keep an eye on the EV sector. With companies like VinFast and Wolfspeed pouring billions into "Battery Belt" plants in North Carolina, the next generation of billionaires in North Carolina probably won't be software developers. They’ll be the ones manufacturing the chips and batteries that power our cars.
How to Track This Wealth Yourself
If you’re trying to keep tabs on where the money is moving in the Tar Heel state, don't just look at the Forbes 400. That list is often lagging. Instead, watch the SEC filings for First Citizens BancShares or the land acquisition records in the western part of the state.
- Follow the Business North Carolina annual "Power 100" list; it often catches the "stealth" billionaires who haven't quite hit the national radar yet.
- Monitor Triangle Business Journal for major private equity exits.
- Check the NC Secretary of State filings for new LLCs tied to known family offices in the Charlotte area.
Understanding the landscape of billionaires in North Carolina is really about understanding the shift from a tobacco economy to a data economy. It’s a blueprint for how a state can reinvent itself through education and specific industrial focus.