How many billionaires does Rhode Island have? It depends if you count summer homes.
Does Taylor Swift count as a Rhode Islander?
If so, the Rhode Island billionaires club got bigger last year.
Swift, the mega superstar singer – and NFL WAG – owns a $17-million mansion overlooking the Atlantic in Westerly's Watch Hill neighborhood. Swift has been known to stay there, so calling her a Rhode Islander isn't that big a stretch.
Forbes, which tracks billionaires worldwide, said Swift became a billionaire in October on the strength of earnings from her Eras concert tour and the value of her music catalog.
Dubbed the “Holiday House,” the Watch Hill mansion was bought by Swift in 2013, complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a past that ties it to the Standard Oil fortune. The songwriter spun the story of the house’s past — and the divorcee who lived there, Rebekah Harkness — into the song "Great American Dynasty” in her eighth studio album, "Folklore."
Swift's Westerly house occasionally makes the news when it's visited by trespassers.
Did any other Rhode Islanders make the Forbes billionaires list?
Jonathan Nelson, of Providence Equity Partners, is worth $3.4 billion and lives in Providence, according to the 2024 Forbes list of billionaires worldwide.
Forbes says that he founded Providence Equity in 1989, was CEO until 2021 and is currently executive chairman. His firm has invested in more than 170 companies, many in the media, communications, education and information industries, according to forms.
Larry Ellison, chairman and co-founder of software giant Oracle, also made the list with a net worth of $141 billion. He owns several mansions in Newport.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: How many billionaires does Rhode Island have?
