These Houston billionaires made Forbes' 2026 richest list
These Houston billionaires made Forbes' 2026 list of the richest Americans after oil, pipelines, autos, and hospitality fortunes lifted local wealth. Hilcorp chairman Jeffery Hildebrand leads Houston at $14.7 billion, followed by Richard Kinder, Dan Friedkin, Tilman Fertitta, and four Duncan family pipeline heirs.
Key Takeaways
- Hilcorp's Jeffery Hildebrand reclaimed Houston's No. 1 spot at $14.7 billion, ranking 88th nationally after a $4.7 billion gain.
- Richard Kinder ($12.9B), Dan Friedkin ($12.9B), and Tilman Fertitta ($12.3B) round out Houston's top four on the Forbes 400.
- Pipeline heirs Randa Duncan Williams, Dannine Avara, Milane Frantz, and Scott Duncan each cleared $11 billion.
- Forbes said the 400 richest Americans are worth $8 trillion, up $1.4 trillion year over year, with a $4.4 billion entry bar.
- Texas placed 43 people on the list; local reports put about 10 of them in Houston, including newcomer Cal McNair.
Who leads Houston on the 2026 Forbes 400?
Oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand, 67, is Houston's richest resident, the ninth-richest Texan, and the 88th-richest American. His fortune jumped $4.7 billion from last year to $14.7 billion.
He cofounded Hilcorp in 1990, one of the largest privately owned U.S. oil and gas producers, served as CEO until 2018, and remains chairman. That surge put him ahead of Kinder Morgan chairman Richard Kinder, who held Houston's top spot on the 2025 ranking.
Which other Houston fortunes ranked near the top?
Kinder, 81, is worth $12.9 billion, up from $11.1 billion, and ranks 100th nationally—the 11th-richest Texan. Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin, 61, matches that $12.9 billion estimate at No. 102, up from $9.7 billion; Gulf States Toyota sold $14.5 billion worth of vehicles in 2025, per Forbes.
Hospitality chief Tilman Fertitta, 69, is fourth in Houston at $12.3 billion and No. 110 in America. He owns Fertitta Entertainment and the Houston Rockets, bought the WNBA's Connecticut Sun with plans to relocate as the Houston Comets in 2027, and serves as U.S. ambassador to Italy.
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How did the Duncan heirs and newcomers fare?
Enterprise Products pipeline heirs remain a Houston bloc: Randa Duncan Williams ranks 124th at $11.7 billion; Dannine Avara and Milane Frantz tie at 128th with $11.6 billion each; Scott Duncan ties at No. 137 with $11.3 billion.
Houston Texans owner and CEO Cal McNair debuted at No. 218 with $7.7 billion after taking the principal stake from his late mother, Janice McNair. Energy executive George Bishop of The Woodlands ranks No. 380 at $4.5 billion.
According to the official Forbes 400 ranking of America's richest people, it now takes $4.4 billion to crack the list—underscoring why Houston's energy and deal-making fortunes still matter on the national stage.