Richest People Under 40

Net Worth of America's Richest Rises After 2 Years of Decline


NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 19 - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is once again in the top spot in Forbes magazine's annual list of America's richest people.




(AP) -- The magazine says that after two years of decline, the net worth of the nation's 400 wealthiest individuals rose 10 percent to $955 billion this year from 2002.
Gates' fortune increased by $3 billion to $46 billion this year. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen held third place, with his net worth rising $1 billion to $22 billion dollars.
Investor Warren Buffet kept the number two position, although his wealth was unchanged at $36 billion.
Forbes says the surge in collective net worth was largely due to gains in Internet stocks and tech fortunes. For example, Jeff Bezos of Seattle-based Amazon-dot-Com saw his fortune expand by more than $3 billion to $5.1 billion as the stock of
the online retailer skyrocketed.
After Gates and Allen, here are the other Northwesterners on the Forbes list, listed with their rank on the overall list, age, net worth, hometown and source of wealth:

Idaho
76, Simplot, John Richard and family, 94, $2.4 billion, Boise, potatoes, microchips

Montana
111, Washington, Dennis, 69, $1.8 billion, Missoula, tugboats

Oregon
318, Boyle, Timothy, 54, $800 million, Portland, Columbia Sportswear
31, Knight, Philip H., 65, $5.8 billion, Beaverton, Nike
357, Wendt, Richard, 72, $700 million, Klamath Falls, building supplies

Washington
11, Ballmer, Steven Anthony, 47, $12.2 billion, Redmond, Microsoft
32, Bezos, Jeffrey P., 39, $5.1 billion, Seattle, Amazon.com
278, Edson, John Orin, 71, $960 million, Seattle, Leisure Craft
385, Green, Joshua III, 67, $630 million, Seattle, inheritance, banking, real estate
224, Jannard, James, 54, $1.1 billion, San Juan Islands, Oakley
244, McCaw, Bruce R., 56, $1 billion, Seattle, telecom
95, McCaw, Craig O., 54, $2 billion, Seattle, telecom
224, McCaw, John Elroy Jr., 52, $1.1 billion, Seattle, telecom
244, Simonyi, Charles, 55, $1 billion, Medina, Microsoft