Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s net worth has jumped by $1 billion since first taking office and now stands at $4.2 billion overall, but his vast fortune pales compared to the state’s wealthiest individual, a new report by Forbes Magazine shows.
The two-term Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate was among nearly 30 Illinoisans to land on Forbes’ 2026 World Billionaires list, a coveted status symbol for those rare wealthy few whose bank accounts number 10 digits and longer.
Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel empire, has been on that list since 2010. And even though he had a major jump in his net worth over the last year, he dropped in the overall rankings of the richest people in the world.
According to Forbes’ list, Pritzker ranks 1,108th in wealth globally. His current estimated net worth of $4.2 billion is about $500 million more than he was worth last year and $1 billion dollars more than he was worth at the start of his governorship in 2019.
Despite the increase in his wealth, Pritzker saw a slight drop in Forbes’ ranking. Last year, Pritzker ranked 979th richest in the world.
The governor’s office did not respond to a WBEZ request for comment from Pritzker about his placement on Forbes’ list.
The governor is among at least 28 Illinoisans on the Forbes list, but he isn’t close to being the state’s richest resident.
That place is held by Lukas Walton, the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton and part-owner of the retailing behemoth he inherited following his father’s death in 2005.
Walton, of Chicago, is worth an estimated $44.4 billion and saw the value of his overall financial portfolio increase by a whopping $6.5 billion from 2025, Forbes reported.
His wealth ranks 40th overall globally.
The second-richest person in Illinois is Charlie Mills, chairman of Medline, which is a private distributor of medical supplies in the U.S. Mills’ father and uncle started the company in 1966.
Mills, who is from Winnetka and ranked 279th globally, appeared on the Forbes list for the first time this year and is estimated to be worth $10.6 billion.
Ranking No. 3 among Illinois’ financial elite is real estate tycoon and gambling magnate Neil Bluhm. He owns marquee Chicago properties like 900 North Michigan and the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, and has a financial stake in the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. Bluhm’s rank on the Forbes’ global list of billionaires is 422nd.
Bluhm, of Chicago, has an estimated net worth of about $9.4 billion, jumping about $2 billion from last year, the magazine reported.
Founder and Executive Chairman Patrick Ryan of Chicago-based Ryan Specialty Holdings, a wholesale brokerage and specialty insurance firm, is the fourth-richest person from Illinois.
Ryan ranks 461st with an estimated net worth of $9.15 billion. He saw a drop of nearly $4 billion from last year. Forbes also lists his residence as Winnetka.
Following Ryan is Ty Warner at 557th place, the creator of Beanie Babies and a resident of Oak Brook.
Warner sold Beanie Babies and invested in a high-end hotel portfolio that includes the Four Seasons in New York and a resort in Mexico. Warner has an estimated $8.6 billion net worth, marking a nearly $2 million increase from last year.
Each of the top five richest individuals from Illinois made both Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list and the 400 Richest Americans list.
This year, for the first time since 2010, Pritzker did not make the Forbes 400 list. The lowest net worth on that list this year came in at $4.4 billion, and Pritzker was about $200 million short.
The world billionaires list also included Uline owners Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein and other members of the Pritzker and Mills families.
Also included is Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, CEO of investment firm Guggenheim Partners. He ranks in 528th place with an estimated $7.3 billion net worth. His portfolio jumped more than $1 billion since last year. Walter lives in Chicago.
Another Chicago baseball tycoon made the list: White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia.
Ishbia, who could take control of the potentially playoffs-bound South Side baseball team as early as 2029, has a net worth of $6.36 billion. That’s up from $5.1 billion last year, Forbes reported.