So, you want to know who wears the crown in the Lone Star State, the person with so much cash they could fill the Alamo with guacamole and still have enough for chips? Well, grab a sweet tea and pull up a chair, because the answer is a wild ride through oil, rockets, and one very famous haircut. As of this very minute, the richest person in Texas is Elon Musk—and yes, he is literally the guy who bought Twitter, renamed it X, and occasionally launches cars into space for fun. His net worth, which fluctuates more than a Texas summer temperature, is somewhere north of $200 billion. That’s enough money to buy every Whataburger in existence, plus all the ketchup packets, and still have change for a ranch.
Wait, Isn’t Elon from South Africa?
Good catch! Technically, Musk was born in Pretoria, but he chose Texas. In 2021, he famously moved Tesla’s headquarters from California to Austin, announcing he was “fleeing the swamp” of high taxes. Now, he lives in a humble $50,000 shipping-container home in Boca Chica, which sounds modest until you realize it’s just a tiny bedroom next to a spaceport where he’s building a rocket that could take you to Mars. It’s like living in a trailer park, except your neighbor is a giant stainless-steel skyscraper that goes boom every few months. But don’t worry—he also owns a massive ranch and a mansion in Austin that he probably uses to store his extra socks.
But Is He Even ‘Texan’ Enough?
Some purists grumble that a “real” Texas billionaire should have made their fortune in cattle, oil, or maybe cowboy boots. They point to names like Michael Dell (founder of Dell Technologies, worth about $90 billion) or the late Dan Duncan’s family, who own the energy pipeline empire Enterprise Products. But Musk has embraced the spirit with a vengeance. He drives a Cybertruck, which looks like a refrigerator on steroids, and he once smoked weed on Joe Rogan’s podcast—which is basically a Texas rite of passage. Plus, he has a habit of tweeting about the stock market at 3 a.m., which is exactly what I do after too much brisket.
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Let’s not forget the surprising facts. For instance, Musk pays no salary to himself from Tesla; he gets paid in stock options. So, technically, he’s the richest man in Texas and also the guy who could apply for a free lunch program. Also, his net worth sometimes drops by $50 billion in a single day—which is less than you spent on your last taco, but still a lot. That kind of volatility means the title “Richest Person in Texas” is a moving target. One month, it’s Musk; the next, it could be Miriam Adelson (casino magnate, $35 billion) if SpaceX’s next rocket explodes into a meme.
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If Musk ever decides to become a full-time Martian and relinquish his crown, a whole parade of Texans are ready to step up. There’s Alice Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, who lives in Fort Worth and owns a crystal-clear art museum that looks like a giant ice cube. She’s worth around $80 billion, which is enough to buy every pair of blue jeans in the state. Then there’s Jeff Bezos, who bought a $50 million mansion in Miami but still has a huge ranch in West Texas—because where else would you test a rocket engine? And let’s not forget Tom Golisano (Paychex founder) or Charles Butt (H-E-B grocery magnate), who runs the state’s favorite supermarket. If you’ve ever bought a bag of H-E-B tortillas, you’ve helped him build a castle out of chips and queso.
The One Thing They All Have in Common
Every one of these ultra-rich Texans shares a secret: they all obsess over property taxes. Texas has no income tax, which is why billionaires flock here like mosquitoes to a barbecue. But they pay through the nose on land and homes. Musk once complained that his Austin mansion’s property tax was higher than his rent on a Manhattan penthouse. The horror! Truly, the dream of escaping taxes is just a dream—like finding an empty parking spot at H-E-B before a snowstorm. At least they can afford the bill, while the rest of us just sigh and buy another lotto ticket.
What Is Considered Rich In Austin Texas at Ericka Terry blog
So, who is the richest person in Texas? For now, it’s Elon Musk, the guy who makes electric cars, shoots rockets, and occasionally sleeps on a couch in a factory. But remember: the list changes faster than the weather in April. Yesterday’s oil baron might be tomorrow’s broke memelord. If you want to join the club, my advice? Start a ragtag tech company, move to Austin, and never, ever sell your Bitcoin. And if you see Elon at a Whataburger, don’t ask him for a selfie—ask him for a ride to the moon.
Just don’t expect him to pay for your fries. That guy is all about the stock options.
