Willis Johnson Net Worth

Willis Johnson has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Willis Johnson profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $3.1 billion.

Willis Johnson is the founder and former chief executive of Copart, an automotive company known for online auctions of used and totaled cars. Before that, he worked at a Safeway grocery store and at his father's scrapyard in California. He later ran a dismantling yard near Sacramento. After serving in Vietnam and receiving a Purple Heart, he moved deeper into the salvage business and built the company that made his name in the industry.

Johnson started Copart in 1982 from a single lot in Vallejo, California. He had already bought his own junkyard in Sacramento in 1972. The company went public in 1994 and grew across the country. Copart later built an online bidding platform for wrecked cars in 1998. Johnson stepped down as CEO in 2010, after helping turn the business into a major player with more than 200 locations in 11 countries.

How Willis Johnson built his fortune

Johnson's wealth comes from Copart, the company he founded after years in the salvage trade. He began with one lot in Vallejo and focused on used and totaled vehicles. Over time, Copart expanded from a local operation into a large auction business. Its reach now spans more than 200 locations in 11 countries. Johnson still owns about 6% of the stock, tying much of his fortune to the company he started.

A key part of Copart's rise was moving vehicle auctions online. Johnson launched an online bidding platform for wrecked cars in 1998, opening the business to a wider market. That helped the company grow well beyond its early California base after going public in 1994. He led Copart until 2010, then handed leadership to Jay Adair, who had joined the company in 1989 at age 19 and later became executive chairman in 2024.

Forbes net worth updates

Forbes has tracked Johnson's fortune in the billionaire ranks for several years. Its estimate was $1.8 billion in 2021, then $1.9 billion in 2022, and $2.2 billion in 2023. By 2024, Forbes put his net worth at $3.1 billion, and it stayed at $3.1 billion in 2025. Those changes followed the value of his Copart stake, which is the main source of his wealth.

The most recent Forbes updates show a lower estimate. Forbes listed Johnson at $2.3 billion for 2026 on its World's Billionaires List. On Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker, he was at $1.7 billion as of October 20, 2026. Johnson is self-made, and his money is still closely linked to the automotive business he built around damaged cars, online auctions, and a long-running public company.