Gayle Benson Net Worth

Gayle Benson has an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Gayle Benson profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $2.9 billion in 2019.

Gayle Benson is an American businesswoman who owns the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. She became the principal owner of both teams in 2018, after the death of her husband, Tom Benson. Before that, she worked in interior design and later ran her own decorating business, Gayle Bird Interiors, Ltd. She also started GMB Racing in 2014, a thoroughbred horse racing company that added another business to her portfolio.

Her wealth is tied mainly to the Saints, which Forbes places in the sports industry, along with ownership of the Pelicans. Gayle Benson built part of her career through interior design starting in the 1970s, then moved into sports ownership after inheriting the teams. She and Tom Benson married in 2004. She also entered another business line in 2017, when Tom and Gayle Benson finalized a deal to buy a majority share of Dixie Brewing Co.

How Gayle Benson built her wealth

Most of Gayle Benson's fortune comes from owning major sports franchises in New Orleans. She became owner of the Saints and Pelicans in 2018, taking control of the NFL and NBA teams after Tom Benson died. Those assets made her one of the small group of female owners in both leagues. Forbes ties her wealth to the New Orleans Saints, and the value of those holdings is the main driver behind her fortune today.

Her career did not start in pro sports. Benson worked as an interior designer beginning in the 1970s and later continued with her own business, Gayle Bird Interiors, Ltd. She also founded GMB Racing in 2014, expanding into thoroughbred horse racing. In 2017, she and Tom Benson also completed an agreement to buy a majority share of Dixie Brewing Co., adding another business interest outside football and basketball.

How Forbes' estimate changed

Forbes estimated Gayle Benson's net worth at $2.9 billion in 2019 on its World's Billionaires List. Over the next several years, that figure kept rising as her sports holdings remained the center of her wealth. Forbes later published estimates of $3.2 billion in 2020, $3.4 billion in 2021, $3.8 billion in 2022, $4.7 billion in 2023, $6.1 billion in 2024, and $7.1 billion in 2025.

By 2026, Forbes raised its World's Billionaires List estimate to $7.9 billion. On Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker, her fortune later reached $11.2 billion as of October 20, 2026. Based on the available details, the clearest explanation is that her wealth remains closely connected to the value of the Saints and her broader ownership stakes, with sports assets staying at the heart of her financial picture.