James Goodnight

James Goodnight (#246)

Global Rank #246

Country Rank #97

Country United States

Ninety-five percent of my assets drive out the gate every evening. It's my job to maintain a work environment that keeps those people coming back every morning.

$ 13 B
Software
United States
M
83 Years

Snapshot

Quick Facts

Global Rank #246

Country Rank #97

Net Worth $13.0B

Previous Worth $13.0B

Worth Change +$0.0B

Country United States

Industry Software

Age 83 Years

Gender M

Worth As Of May 4, 2026

Residence Cary, North Carolina

Citizenship United States

World Billionaires List United States Billionaires Software

Profile Data

Personal Stats

Age 83

Source Of Wealth Software, Self Made

Self Made Score 8

Philanthropy Score 1

Residence Cary, North Carolina

Citizenship United States

Marital Status Married

Children 3

Education Bachelor of Arts/Science, North Carolina State University; Doctorate, North Carolina State University; Master of Science, North Carolina State University

Net Worth Change +$0.0B +0.0% from previous worth

Previous Net Worth $13.0B

Current Net Worth $13.0B

Worth as of May 4, 2026

About Me

James Goodnight cofounded the analytics software firm SAS in 1976 with John Sall, whom he met while a PhD student at North Carolina State University. Goodnight has been at the helm since the company's inception, when it developed software to analyze agricultural data. SAS products are used by more than 80,800 organizations around the world; 2022 revenues were more than $3 billion. Goodnight and Sall, who is also a billionaire, founded private school Cary Academy together and co-own a country club and a hotel.

Achievements

Forbes List Highlights

A snapshot of the list placements and rankings connected to James Goodnight.

#238

Billionaires (2026)

#72

Forbes 400 (2025)

Ranked

The Richest Person In Every State (2025)

#30

Richest In Tech (2017)

Insights

Did You Know?

Goodnight considered taking SAS public in 1999 while the dot-com boom approached its peak, but resisted the urge and avoided the steep market drop.

SAS is best known for its employee-friendly programs like sports leagues, day care and an on-site pharmacy.

Wealth Growth

Net Worth Growth Over Time

Tracking James Goodnight's net worth journey over the years, highlighting key growth phases and financial milestones.

Worth Trend Net Worth Growth

Period Change Worth Movement

Current Net Worth: $13.0B (May 4, 2026)