Alice Walton

Alice Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton and, for the third consecutive year, the richest woman in the world. Forbes valued her fortune at about $134 billion in 2026, while Bloomberg's index put it above $150 billion; her wealth jumped sharply as Walmart's stock rose roughly 30 percent over the prior year. Unlike her brothers, she has never run Walmart, but she shares in the family's controlling ownership of the company.

The Walton family, through Walton Enterprises and related holdings, controls roughly 45 percent of Walmart - the largest private employer in the United States and the country's biggest retailer by revenue. That concentrated stake makes the family's collective wealth a direct function of Walmart's performance and gives it durable influence over a company central to American retail, supply chains, and low-wage employment.

Walton has directed much of her fortune into art and, more recently, health. She founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in 2011 and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, which opened its inaugural class of 48 students in July 2025 with a 'whole health' curriculum and free tuition for its first cohorts.

What they control

• A share of the Walton family's roughly 45 percent controlling stake in Walmart
• Walton Enterprises and family investment vehicles that hold the family's wealth
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a major cultural institution she founded and funds
• The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and a growing health-and-wellness philanthropy in Arkansas
• Significant philanthropic influence over Northwest Arkansas's economy and institutions

Key institutions & holdings

Key facts

• Only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton; the world's richest woman for a third straight year in 2026.
• Net worth estimated at about $134 billion (Forbes) to over $150 billion (Bloomberg) in 2026.
• Her fortune rose sharply as Walmart stock gained roughly 30 percent over the prior year.
• The Walton family controls roughly 45 percent of Walmart.
• Founded Crystal Bridges (2011) and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (first class July 2025).

Timeline

1. 1949Born in Newport, Arkansas, the only daughter of Sam and Helen Walton.
2. 2011Opens the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
3. 2024Crosses $100 billion in net worth, becoming the world's richest woman.
4. 2025-07The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine welcomes its inaugural class of 48 students.
5. 2026Tops the Forbes list of the world's richest women for a third consecutive year.

Controversies

Network

• Sam WaltonFatherFounded Walmart in 1962; source of the family fortune.
• Rob WaltonBrotherFormer Walmart chairman and co-heir.
• Jim WaltonBrotherCo-heir and steward of family financial interests.
• Walton familyCo-ownersCollectively control Walmart through Walton Enterprises.