These Are The Richest Women In American History

2. Judy Faulkner

Net worth (2025): approx. US$7.8 billion.
Judy Faulkner founded Epic Systems, a major US healthcare-software business, from a basement in Wisconsin in 1979. Over decades she built it into a powerhouse in electronic-medical-records systems, famously avoiding the limelight while quietly scaling the business.

What stands out: A self-made ascent in a highly regulated, complex industry where many shy away from taking risks.