The year that was 2020 was hard on most of us—but not the world’s wealthiest. While the Bezos and Kardashians among us have received the bulk of the headlines reporting out on Forbes’ annual billionaires list, a closer look at the real estate section highlights some impressive facts and figures as well.
Irvine Co.’s Donald Bren topped the list as America’s wealthiest real estate leader, with a $15.3 billion new worth, per Forbes. That’s down from $15.5 billion the year prior, and $16.4 billion in 2019.
Bren’s Irvine Co. owns more than 115 million square feet of real estate, largely in Southern California. That swath of space includes some 550 office buildings and 125 apartment complexes. Forbes also reports that Bren owns a 97 percent stake in Manhattan’s MetLife Building.
Bren comes in at no. 132 on this year’s list—compared to no. 63 last year. He trails some of Asia’s biggest real estate leaders, including Lee Shau Kee, no. 47 on this year’s list with $31.7 billion. Kee is considered to be Hong Kong’s second-richest businessperson, after Li Ka-shing, who’s worth an estimated $35.4 billion.