[4][5] The three most prominent living members (Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton) have consistently been in the top twenty of the Forbes 400 list since 2001, as were John (d. 2005) and Helen (d. 2007) prior to their deaths.

The majority of the family's wealth derives from the heritage of Bud and Sam Walton, who were the co-founders of Walmart.

As of December 2014[update], the Waltons collectively owned 50.8 percent of Walmart.

The Walton Family Foundation primarily focused on charter schools, but it later extended its program to include environmental issues, particularly water-related.

[8] In 2016, Alice and Jim Walton put a $250 million grant towards building charter school facilities.