PERSONAL WEALTH More billionaires than ever make Forbes 400 list

Eddie DeBartolo Jr. is ranked as the 234th richest American.
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NEW YORK -- It looks like the U.S. billionaire's club isn't quite as exclusive as it once was.
There are now 313 billionaires in the country, the largest number ever and a huge jump over the 262 counted last year, according to Forbes magazine, which released Thursday its annual ranking of the 400 richest Americans.
The combined net worth of the 400 rose $45 billion and reached $1 trillion this year for the first time since 2000, before the dot-com bust wiped out billions of dollars in wealth.
DeBartolo family
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., 57, was ranked 234th with a net worth of $1.2 billion. DeBartolo, formerly of Canfield, now lives in Tampa, Fla., where he is overseeing a company that is developing shopping centers. His sister, Denise DeBartolo York, was not on the Forbes list.
In 2000, DeBartolo and his sister agreed to divide the fortune left by their late father, Edward DeBartolo Sr., a pioneer in shopping mall development.
DeBartolo York, who lives in Canfield and has a corporate office in Boardman, received ownership of the San Francisco 49ers football team, and her brother received real estate holdings and the family's ownership stake in Simon Property Group. Indianapolis-based Simon had earlier acquired the former DeBartolo Realty Corp., which ran the malls and shopping centers started by DeBartolo Sr.
Still on top
The biggest billionaire of all was again Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates, whose $48 billion in estimated wealth was up $2 billion from 2003. Gates was again followed by investor Warren Buffett with $41 billion, the list's biggest dollar gainer with a $5 billion increase, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who held the No. 3 spot though his net worth fell $2 billion to $20 billion.
Members of the Walton family, whose fortune comes from Wal-Mart Stores Inc., again swept spots four through eight, with each having estimated wealth of $18 billion.
The only tweak in the top 10 from last year came from Dell Inc.'s Michael Dell and Oracle Corp.'s Lawrence Ellison, now No. 9 and No. 10 respectively after swapping places from 2003. Dell stock has weathered the tech slump relatively well over the past year, giving Michael Dell a net worth of $14.2 billion. Ellison, whose stock has suffered, had $13.7 billion in holdings, a drop from $18 billion last year.
Newcomers to the list
There are 45 new names on the list, including Google's Sergey Brin and Larry E. Page -- also the youngest members of the 400 at 31. The two tied for No. 43 with $4 billion each after their company's stock went public in August.
Forbes senior editor Peter Newcomb attributed the overall gains in the list to the improving economy, as well as a good year in the financial sector and industries including food and wine.
Casino mogul Steve Wynn, who climbed to No. 215 from No. 377 last year, saw the largest percentage increase in wealth -- a 100 percent jump to $1.3 billion from $650 million.
Donald Trump's net worth edged up $100 million to $2.6 billion, despite the financial problems of his casino empire. But Trump slipped three spots on the list, falling to 74 from 71.