14 Illinois Billionaires Make Forbes 400 List For 2017

Forbes magazine has released its annual list of the 400 richest Americans, and 14 billionaires from Illinois made the list — same as last year, although one Chicago billionaire dropped from the list, and the Land of Lincoln contributed the youngest newcomer.

Forbes noted that the price of admission to the list jumped nearly 18 percent to $2 billion. There were 26 billionaires on the 2016 list who fell off, and 22 newcomers made the list for the first time. One of the notable names that fell of the list is Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank.

To come up with the rankings of the 400 richest Americans, Forbes journalists started with a list of about 600 people considered strong candidates. Forbes looked at public records, news stories and ,when possible, interviewed the candidates in person or via phone. All types of assets were taken into account, and Forbes also factored in debt.

One of the notable losers on the list was President Donald Trump, Forbes says. According to Forbes, Trump’s fortune fell $600 million to $3.1 billion. Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross fell off the list altogether when he filed disclosure forms showing he had a net worth of less than $1 billion.

These are the Illinois billionaires who made the list:

1. Topping the list again this year is Ken Griffin, 48, whose net worth is an estimated $8.5 billion ($1 billion richer than last year). He moves up several spots, jumping from No. 57 in 2016 to N0. 52 this year. A self-made hedge fund manager from Chicago, he first started trading in his Harvard dorm room in the 1980s, using $265,000 in seed money from family and friends. He was also reportedly involved in one of the biggest private art sales ever, buying one Willem de Kooning piece and one Jackson Pollock from David Geffen in 2015 for a grand total of $500 million.

2. The second-richest Illinoisan once again is Sam Zell, a 76-year-old Chicagoan with a net worth of $5.1 billion. Zell is the son of a Polish grain merchant, completed all of his schooling at the University of Michigan and invests in diverse sectors including energy, transportation, hospitality, finance, healthcare and communications. Zell ranks 115th on the national Forbes 400 list, up two spots from last year.

3. Thomas Pritzker, 67, moves up 14 spots on the list this year, coming in at No. 22 with a net worth of $3.8 billion. Pritzker is the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, having inherited his 17 percent stake in Hyatt, as well as several other assets built up by family members. Pritzker lives in Chicago.

4. Coming in at No. 206 is the youngest newcomer on the Forbes List, 31-year-old Rishi Shah with a net worth of $3.6 billion. Shah, a college dropout who lives in Chicago, is the co-founder and CEO of Outcome Health, which places iPad-like tablets and large-format touch screens in doctors' waiting rooms and offices.

No. 5. Jay Robert (J.B.) Pritzker, 52, another Hyatt Hotels heir, comes in at No. 219 on the list, dropping from No. 190 in 2016 with a net worth of $3.4 billion. JB Pritzker keeps it in the family by running his private equity and venture capital firm the Pritzker Group with his brother, Anthony, who now lives in Los Angeles and shares the No. 219 spot. Pritzker is just one of 11 Pritzker family members who are billionaires, including Karen Pritzker of Connecticut, who is No. 132 on the Forbes list. This spring, JB announced his bid for Illinois governor, saying he intends to run in the Democratic primary.

No. 6. Neil Bluhm, 79, another Chicago billionaire, comes in at No. 226 on the list with a $3.3 billion net worth. A self-made real estate tycoon, Bluhm grew up in a cramped Chicago apartment, but it’s safe to say he’s not facing the same living conditions today, though he still lives in the city. Bluhm owns some of Chicago’s most famous buildings, as well as the majority of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox.

No. 7. Joseph Grendys, 55, the self-made head of Koch Foods, comes in at No. 278 with a net worth of $2.9 billion. Grendys lives in Chicago, and his company works for Walmart and Burger King, though their products can be found all over the place. Fun fact: Grendys still lives in the modest, split-level home that he grew up in.

No. 8. Three Illinois billionaires tie for the No. 302 spot with a $2.7 billion net worth: Another Pritzker family member from Chicago, Jean (Gigi) Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and a Hollywood film producer (in her repertoire are films "Drive" and "Ender's Game"), and alongside her brother she owns TMS International, a steel-mill-servicing company; Patrick Ryan, 80, of Winnetka, the chairman and CEO of Ryan Speciality Group; and Ty Warner, 73, of Oak Brook, a self-made college dropout, creator of Beanie Babies and owner of high-end hotels across the country.

No. 9. Penny Pritzker, 58, another Hyatt Hotel heir and Chicagoan, ranks at No. 315 with a net worth of $2.6 billion. She served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama.

No. 10. Mark Walter, 57, of Chicago drops to No. 324 on the list, down from No. 290 last year, with a net worth of $2.5 billion. He is the CEO of Guggenheim Partners LLC, and his investment group purchased the LA Dodgers for $2.2 billion in 2012.

No. 11. Joe Mansueto, 61, of Chicago snagged the No. 350 spot on the list with a $2.3 billion net worth. Mansueto is the former chairman and CEO of MorningStar, a financial information company. He stepped down earlier this year.

No. 12. Eric Lefkofsky, 48, of Glencoe comes in at No. 359 on the list, with an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion, up from No. 374 last year. He is the chairman of Groupon, though he focuses more today on his successful startup Tempus. Lefkosky started his first business selling carpets after a girlfriend dumped him his freshman year of college. Another Pritzker family member, Daniel, ties with Lefkofsky, but lives in Marin County, California.

Chicagoan Jennifer Pritzker, who made the list last year, has increased her net worth — $1.89 billion compared with $1.76 billion last year — but, at under $2 billion, is not included on the 2017 list. The world's only known transgender billionaire, she worked as an Army lieutenant colonel before dedicating her time to the Tawani Foundation, where she works to preserve military history.

>>> Click here to see the full list.

Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff) contributed to this article.

Photo: Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin, Chicago's richest billionaire. Larry Busacca / Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment