Sue Gross Net Worth

Sue Gross has an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Sue Gross profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1.3 billion in 2019.

Sue Gross is an American philanthropist and businesswoman known for foundation work and large-scale giving. She previously served as president of the William and Sue Gross Family Foundation, where she helped guide about $700 million in grants for healthcare, medical research, and education. Her board service has included the Dean's Cabinet of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at the University of California, Irvine, the Orange County Teacher of the Year program, and the Irvine Cove Community Board.

Her wealth is tied to investments, according to Forbes. A major turning point came in 2017, when she received roughly $1.3 billion in assets, including a $36 million house in Laguna Beach and part of a major art collection. After that, she sold a Picasso painting for $35 million and bought properties in Orange County. She also launched the Sue J. Gross Foundation in 2017 to support healthcare, education, and community programs.

How Sue Gross built her wealth

Forbes tracks Sue Gross in finance and investments, and says her fortune comes from investments. Her wealth base became public in 2017, when she received roughly $1.3 billion in assets. That package included a $36 million home in Laguna Beach and half of a large art collection. Those holdings gave her a substantial pool of property and financial assets that became the core of the fortune Forbes later tracked year after year.

She also reshaped those assets after 2017. Forbes notes that she sold a Picasso painting for $35 million and purchased a number of properties in Orange County. Real estate has remained an important part of her holdings, alongside art and other investments. Outside business, she has stayed active in philanthropy through the Sue J. Gross Foundation, which she started in 2017 after earlier work with the William and Sue Gross Family Foundation.

How Forbes' estimate changed

Sue Gross first appeared on Forbes' World's Billionaires list at $1.3 billion in 2019. Forbes then estimated her at $1.4 billion in 2020 and $1.5 billion in 2021. The figure rose to $1.6 billion in 2022 and stayed at that level in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Across those years, the public picture was fairly stable, with investments, art, and property forming the main parts of her wealth.

As of October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker put her at $1.9 billion. Forbes also used $1.9 billion on its 2026 World's Billionaires list. Its profile notes point to a fortune built from investments and supported by valuable assets she controlled after 2017. Those notes also mention her property buying in Orange County, showing that real estate has been one visible piece of the portfolio behind the higher 2026 estimate.