Richest billionaires in Illinois
The first billionaire ever is thought to be Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller back in 1916, or perhaps Henry Ford in 1925.
Fast forward some 100 years to 2021: As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage, a record-breaking 660 people became billionaires globally, growing the previous year's number by 30%.
While the U.S. is home to the most billionaires out of any other country, Americans are somewhat split in their feelings on the billionaire class. According to Pew Research Center data, people in the U.S. became somewhat more critical of billionaires between 2020 and 2021.
Although support for individual billionaires like Bill Gates is relatively strong, many Americans view the ultra-rich—as a group rather than as individuals—negatively. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world's first trillionaire by 2026.
The U.S.'s wealthiest billionaires are mostly concentrated within just a couple of industries: finance and investments, and technology. Other wealthy sectors include food and drink, fashion and retail, and media and entertainment. Stacker compiled a list of the richest billionaires who are residents of Illinois, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of March 24. Forbes lists 23 billionaires in Illinois.
#20. Jennifer Pritzker
- Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,531 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#19. Jerry Reinsdorf
- Net worth: $2.2 billion (#1,341 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: sports teams, self made
#18. Justin Ishbia
- Net worth: $2.5 billion (#1,205 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: private equity
#17. Byron Trott
- Net worth: $2.6 billion (#1,133 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Winnetka
- Source of wealth: investments, self made
#16. Steven Sarowitz
- Net worth: $2.7 billion (#1,119 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Highland Park
- Source of wealth: payroll software, self made
#15. Penny Pritzker
- Net worth: $3.1 billion (#920 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#14. Sheldon Lavin
- Net worth: $3.1 billion (#910 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Highland Park
- Source of wealth: meat processing, self made
#13. J.B. Pritzker
- Net worth: $3.6 billion (#774 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Springfield
- Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#12. Joseph Grendys
- Net worth: $3.8 billion (#732 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: poultry processing, self made
#10. Elizabeth Uihlein (tie)
- Net worth: $3.8 billion (#724 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Lake Forest
- Source of wealth: packaging materials, self made
#10. Richard Uihlein (tie)
- Net worth: $3.8 billion (#724 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Lake Forest
- Source of wealth: packaging materials, self made
#9. Eric Lefkofsky
- Net worth: $4.2 billion (#650 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Glencoe
- Source of wealth: Groupon, investments, self made
#8. Joe Mansueto
- Net worth: $4.4 billion (#614 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: investment research, self made
#7. Thomas Pritzker
- Net worth: $5.2 billion (#509 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#6. Sam Zell
- Net worth: $5.2 billion (#501 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: real estate, private equity, self made
#5. Mark Walter
- Net worth: $5.3 billion (#490 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: finance, asset management, self made
#4. Ty Warner
- Net worth: $5.4 billion (#482 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Oak Brook
- Source of wealth: plush toys, real estate, self made
#3. Neil Bluhm
- Net worth: $5.9 billion (#423 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: real estate, self made
#2. Patrick Ryan
- Net worth: $8.2 billion (#248 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Winnetka
- Source of wealth: insurance, self made
#1. Lukas Walton
- Net worth: $21.7 billion (#72 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Chicago
- Source of wealth: Walmart
