Which entrepreneur was Forbes’ richest self-made woman in the United States in 2022?

Diane Hendricks was Forbes’ richest self-made woman in the United States in 2022.

Forbes ranked Hendricks first on its 2022 list of America’s richest self-made women, estimating her fortune at $12.2 billion. Most of her wealth came from ABC Supply, the building-products distributor she co-founded with her late husband, Kenneth Hendricks.

The phrase “self-made” refers to the source and development of a person’s fortune, not to a claim that the person received no assistance or opportunities. Forbes uses its own assessment of business creation, ownership, and inheritance when assigning the category.

Hendricks is sometimes confused with Oprah Winfrey, who is among America’s most prominent self-made women, or Judy Faulkner, whose wealth comes from Epic Systems. Forbes’ list is specifically about U.S. women ranked by estimated net worth in that year.