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 Elon Musk or 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 that are residents of Illinois, using data from Forbes. Billionaires are ranked by net worth as of July 31. Forbes lists 24 billionaires in Illinois.
#20. Michael Polsky
– Net worth: $1.5 billion (#1,899 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: Electric power, Self Made
#19. Carl Thoma
– Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,803 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: investments, Self Made
#18. Byron Trott
– Net worth: $1.7 billion (#1,739 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Winnetka, Illinois
– Source of wealth: investments, Self Made
#17. Jerry Reinsdorf
– Net worth: $1.8 billion (#1,622 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: sports teams, Self Made
#16. Jennifer Pritzker
– Net worth: $2.0 billion (#1,496 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#15. Steven Sarowitz
– Net worth: $3.0 billion (#995 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Highland Park, Illinois
– Source of wealth: payroll software, Self Made
#14. Sheldon Lavin
– Net worth: $3.0 billion (#983 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Highland Park, Illinois
– Source of wealth: meat processing, Self Made
#13. Penny Pritzker
– Net worth: $3.1 billion (#948 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#12. Joseph Grendys
– Net worth: $3.3 billion (#893 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: poultry processing, Self Made
#11. J.B. Pritzker
– Net worth: $3.6 billion (#810 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Springfield, Illinois
– Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#10. Mark Walter
– Net worth: $3.8 billion (#746 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: finance, Self Made
#9. Eric Lefkofsky
– Net worth: $4.1 billion (#693 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Glencoe, Illinois
– Source of wealth: Groupon, investments, Self Made
#8. Ty Warner
– Net worth: $4.5 billion (#626 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Oak Brook, Illinois
– Source of wealth: plush toys, real estate, Self Made
#7. Thomas Pritzker
– Net worth: $4.8 billion (#572 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: hotels, investments
#6. Neil Bluhm
– Net worth: $5.2 billion (#499 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: real estate, Self Made
#5. Joe Mansueto
– Net worth: $5.6 billion (#457 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: investment research, Self Made
#4. Sam Zell
– Net worth: $5.7 billion (#450 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: real estate, private equity, Self Made
#3. Patrick Ryan
– Net worth: $8.4 billion (#235 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Winnetka, Illinois
– Source of wealth: insurance, Self Made
#2. Lukas Walton
– Net worth: $15.8 billion (#110 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: Walmart
#1. Ken Griffin
– Net worth: $26.4 billion (#50 wealthiest in the world)
– Residence: Chicago, Illinois
– Source of wealth: hedge funds, Self Made
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