Forbes this month released its latest ranking spotlighting the 250 Greatest Self-Made Americans honoring individuals who have demonstrated “grit, hustle and resilience” and measuring what it calls the “distance traveled,” separating those “who started with nothing from those with a big head start.”
Topping that list is media icon Oprah Winfrey, named America’s greatest self-made individual this year. The ranking offers a closer look at the country’s most driven success stories, including Jacksonville billionaire Shad Khan.
The release follows Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires List, published March 10, which highlighted the richest people across the globe and underscored Florida’s growing influence as a hub of wealth. Billionaires living in the state account for a combined net worth of at least $1.4 trillion, including tech giants Larry Page, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Among them, Khan — owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Kismet mega yacht — ranked among the top 200 richest people in the world.
Here’s a look at the top 50 individuals on Forbes’ Greatest Self-Made Americans list, and where Jacksonville billionaire Shad Khan ranks among them.
Who ranks in the top 5 of Forbes’ Greatest Self-Made Americans list?
According to Forbes this year, Oprah Winfrey — a television host, actress, author, and philanthropist — claims the top spot as America’s greatest self-made individual. She’s followed by oil and industrialist Harold Hamm, World Wide Technology founder David Stewart, Interactive Brokers CEO Thomas Peterffy and basketball superstar LeBron James.
Where does Shahid Khan rank on the top 50 of Forbes’ Greatest Self-Made Americans list?
Shad Khan, also known as Shahid Khan, ranked 21st on Forbes Top 50 Greatest Self-Made Americans.
Where does Jacksonville’s Shad Khan rank on Forbes 2026 billionaire list?
Shad Khan, the owner of auto parts supplier Flex-N-Gate and the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, made the list at No. 193, sharing a tie with James Dyson, known for being the creator of Dyson vacuums.
Shad Khan and James Dyson both have a net worth valued at 15 billion.
In 2025, Forbes reported Khan’s net worth at $13.4 billion, ranking him No. 175 in the world. The Jaguars owner’s net worth was reported at $12.2 billion in 2024, $12.1 billion in 2023 and $7.6 billion in 2022.
How did Shad Khan make his wealth, and what businesses does he own?
Shad Khan built his fortune primarily through his auto parts company Flex-N-Gate and his ownership of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the National Football League.
An immigrant from Pakistan and a trained engineer, Khan purchased Flex-N-Gate from his former employer in 1980. His breakthrough design — a one-piece truck bumper — helped propel the company’s growth. Today, Flex-N-Gate operates 76 plants worldwide and employs more than 27,000 people.
In 2019, Khan and his son, Tony Khan, launched All Elite Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that competes with WWE.
Khan has also invested in hospitality. He owns the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto and is developing the new Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Jacksonville, expected to open next year.
When did Shad Khan gain ownership of the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Khan bought the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 and the UK’s Fulham football club in 2013. He is also ranked No. 19 as The World’s Richest Sports Team Owners 2026 by Forbes.
Take a look at the top 50 Self-Made Americans
86% of top Greatest Self-Made Americans are billionaires. 92% are men.
Of the top 50 individuals on the list, only seven are not billionaires: Dolly Parton (No. 7), Bill Clinton (No. 8), J.D. Vance (No. 10), Clarence Thomas (No. 16), Sonia Sotomayor (No. 19), Yvon Chouinard (No. 34) and Omar M. Yaghi (No. 48).
What percentage of the American self-made billionaires are women?
Only four of the top 50 individuals are women: Oprah Winfrey (No. 1), Dolly Parton (No. 7), Diane Hendricks (No. 9) and Sonia Sotomayor (No. 19).
How did Forbes select The Greatest Self-Made Americans?
To begin, Forbes editors scoured the publication’s 109-year-old archive for “classic tales of entrepreneurial capitalism.” Then, beat reporters were asked for their ideas, and the publication canvassed AI, specifically ChatGPT and Gemini, for further feedback.
The names were then run past several judges: Kauffman Foundation CEO DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Inovalon founder Keith Dunleavy, former Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard, New Mountain Capital founder and CEO Steven Klinsky, Block cofounder Jim McKelvey and NextLadder Ventures CEO Ryan Rippel, according to Forbes.
Each individual was then ranked on a score of 1-10. Only individuals who ranked nine or 10 made the cut.
“While we put a heavy emphasis on rags-to-riches billionaires, we also included pioneering scientists, Supreme Court justices and others whose ‘wealth’ is measured in influence and impact, not just dollar signs,” Forbes wrote in its post announcing the list.
Doris Alvarez is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for The Florida Times-Union. You can get all of Jacksonville’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free Daily Briefing and News Alerts newsletters at jacksonville.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Shad Khan named to Forbes’ Top 50 Self-Made Americans list
Reporting by Doris Alvarez Cea and Greta Cross, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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