### Lukas Walton Tops Illinois' Wealthiest as Forbes Ranks America's Billionaires

Billionaire Lukas Walton has emerged as the richest individual in Illinois, according to The Forbes 400, an annual list highlighting America's wealthiest citizens. This year's list reveals that the combined net worth of the top 400 billionaires has surged by nearly $1 trillion to reach an unprecedented $5.4 trillion. Remarkably, 12 billionaires now boast fortunes exceeding $100 billion.

At 38 years old, Walton, who is the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, holds a personal fortune estimated at $33.9 billion. This makes him not only the richest person in Illinois but also the youngest individual in the nation’s top 400, ranking 25th in the United States.

Elon Musk, the 53-year-old founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media platform X, continues to lead the national list with a net worth of $244 billion, despite a slight dip from $251 billion last year. Following Musk is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, whose wealth stands at $197 billion. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, 40, ranks third with a net worth of $181 billion.

Further down the list, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett maintain their positions in the top five, with net worths of $175 billion and $150 billion, respectively. Collectively, the 25 wealthiest individuals contribute over $2.5 trillion to the total wealth, with those at the very top seeing the most significant financial gains.

Among the notable women on the list, Alice Walton, another descendant of Sam Walton, remains the richest woman in the U.S. for the ninth consecutive year. Her net worth has surged to $89.2 billion, securing her the 15th spot overall. Alice Walton’s wealth benefited from a 41% increase in Walmart shares over the past year. The Forbes 400 includes 67 women this year, up from 60 in 2023.

Diane Hendricks, co-founder of ABC Supply, stands out as the wealthiest self-made woman with a net worth of $21.9 billion. Meanwhile, venture capitalist and real estate mogul Josh Kushner, 39, is the only other person under 40 on the list, with a fortune of $3.8 billion.

The average age of the members on The Forbes 400 is 70 years old, with the eldest being David Murdock of the Dole Food Company, who is 101 years old and worth $3.7 billion. The list also indicates a significant prevalence of self-made billionaires, comprising about 67% of the total.

This year, 23 new billionaires have joined the elite ranks. Among them are Todd Graves, creator of Raising Cane's with a net worth of $9.5 billion, and Peter Cancro, founder of Jersey Mike's Subs, whose fortune totals $5.6 billion.

On the other end, 30 individuals, including WWE's Vince McMahon, exited the list, highlighting the fluid dynamics of wealth. McMahon left his role as executive chairman of WWE’s parent company amid allegations, which he denies.

For the first time, there are more American billionaires who did not make the cut for The Forbes 400 than those who did. Notable names who linger just below the threshold include celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Oprah Winfrey.