Walton family
{{short description|Family descended from the founders of Walmart}}
{{about|the Walton family, founders of Walmart|the television program|The Waltons}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{use American English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox family
| name = Walton
| coat_of_arms =
| coat_of_arms_size = 100px
| coat_of_arms_caption =
| image = SamWalton-1936.jpg
| image_caption = Sam Walton, founder of Walmart
| type = Business family
| etymology = Walton (surname); for "a place with the suffix tun ('town, farm, hamlet') and one of the prefixes wald ('a wood'), walesc ('foreigner') or walh ('farm worker')"
| origin =
| parent_family =
| founded =
| founder = Sam Walton (1918–1992)
| website = {{url|https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/|WaltonFamilyFoundation.org}}
| titles =
| distinctions = Wealthiest family in the world (US$432 billion; 2024)
| estate =
}}
The Walton family is an American family whose collective fortune derived from Walmart makes them the richest family in the United States,{{Efn|{{cite web | last=Hanbury | first=Mary | title=MEET THE WALTONS: How America's wealthiest family spends its Walmart fortune | website=Business Insider | date=2018-08-16 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-waltons-spend-their-fortune-2017-7 | access-date=2018-08-22}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/christy-walton/|title=Christy Walton & family|author=Bryan Rich|work=Forbes|access-date=May 10, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/walton-family-are-richest-us-254bn-net-worth-forbes-1508928|title=Walton family are richest in the US with $254bn net worth – Forbes|author=Jerin Mathew|date=July 2, 2015|work=International Business Times UK|access-date=May 10, 2016}}}} and, as of December 2024, the richest family in the world.{{Cite web |last=Pendleton |first=Devon |date=December 12, 2024 |title=World's Richest Families 2024 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-richest-families/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241216150809/https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-richest-families/ |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |access-date=December 19, 2024 |website=Bloomberg News}}{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Chloe |date=December 12, 2024 |title=The Walton family is the world's richest as soaring Walmart shares drive the heirs' net worth to $432 billion |url=https://fortune.com/2024/12/12/walmarts-walton-family-worlds-richest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219215654/https://fortune.com/2024/12/12/walmarts-walton-family-worlds-richest/ |archive-date=December 19, 2024 |access-date=December 19, 2024 |website=Fortune}}
Overview
The three most prominent living members (Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton) have consistently been in the top twenty of the Forbes 400 list since 2001, as were John ({{abbr|d.|died}} 2005) and Helen (d. 2007) prior to their deaths. Christy Walton took her husband John's place in the ranking after his death. The majority of the family's wealth derives from the heritage of Bud and Sam Walton, who were the co-founders of Walmart. Walmart is the world's largest retailer, one of the world's largest business enterprises in terms of annual revenue, and, with just over 2.2 million employees, the world's largest private employer.
The Walton family's wealth is majority held through the investment holding company Walton Enterprises.{{Cite web |last=Serwer |first=Andy |date=November 15, 2004 |title=THE WALTONS/ INSIDE AMERICA'S RICHEST FAMILY |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/15/8191093/index.htm |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=CNN Money}}
{{As of|2014|12|df=US}}, the Waltons collectively owned 50.8 percent of Walmart.{{Cite news|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wal-mart-says-walton-family-221221853.html|title=Wal-Mart says Walton family to sell shares to keep lid on stake|date=April 11, 2015|agency=Reuters}} In 2018, the family sold some of their company's stock and now owns just under 50%.{{Cite web|url=https://talkbusiness.net/2018/08/walton-family-disposes-of-432-million-in-walmart-stock/|title=Walton family reduces stock|last=Souza|first=Kim|date=August 23, 2018|access-date=September 30, 2019}} In December 2024, the Walton family's net worth was estimated to be US$432.4 billion.
Walton Family Foundation
In 1987, Sam Walton endowed a charitable foundation. The Walton Family Foundation primarily focused on charter schools, but it later extended its program to include environmental issues, particularly water-related.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2019/5/2/inside-the-walton-family-foundations-ambitious-and-unprecedented-effort-to-shape-the-future-of-the-colorado-river|title=Inside the Walton Family Foundation's "Unprecedented" Giving for the Colorado River|website=Inside Philanthropy|date=May 2, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-31}}
In 2016, Alice and Jim Walton put a $250 million grant towards building charter school facilities. The Walton Family Foundation created the Building Equity Initiative to provide charter schools with access to capital to create and expand their facilities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maureensullivan/2016/06/30/why-is-the-walton-family-foundation-putting-another-250-million-into-charter-schools/|title=Why Is The Walton Family Foundation Putting Another $250 Million Into Charter Schools?|last=Sullivan|first=Maureen|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-08-01}} This initiative was established after the foundation announced in 2016 that it would spend $1 billion over the next five years to expand "educational opportunity" by partnering with charter school operators, researchers, and education reformers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maureensullivan/2016/01/08/walton-family-foundation-aims-to-bolster-charter-schools-with-1-billion-in-grants/|title=Walton Family Foundation Aims To Bolster Charter Schools With $1 Billion In Grants|last=Sullivan|first=Maureen|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-08-01}}
Walton family fortune
File:Alice Walton (cropped).jpg
The Walton family fortune is broken down as such, as of February 2025:
- Jim Walton, $117.7 billion{{Cite web|title=Jim Walton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/jim-walton/|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- S. Robson Walton, $119 billion{{cite web|title=S. Rob Walton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/rob-walton/?sh=767282c6270b|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- Alice Walton, $109.8 billion{{Cite web|title=Alice Walton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- Lukas Walton, $40.9 billion{{Cite web|title=Lukas Walton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/lukas-walton/|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- Christy Walton, $19.9 billion{{cite web|title=Christy Walton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/christy-walton/|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- Nancy Walton Laurie, $16.1 billion{{Cite web|title=Nancy Walton Laurie|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/nancy-walton-laurie/|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=6 September 2024}}
- Ann Walton Kroenke, $13.4 billion{{cite web|title=Ann Walton Kroenke|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/ann-walton-kroenke/|website=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2024}}
Family tree
{{Walton family tree|state=e}}
Their immediate family includes Jim, Christy, and Lukas Walton.
Notes
{{Notes list}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Wal-Mart}}
{{Portal bar|United States|Biography|Business and economics|Companies}}
{{authority control}}
Category:American billionaires
Category:American businesspeople in retailing