PA's Richest Person Is Worth $77B And He's One Of The Nation's Biggest Political Donors

HAVERFORD, PA — The richest person in Pennsylvania is Jeff Yass, a Haverford resident with an estimated $77.8 billion, according to a new Forbes ranking of the richest person in every state.

A former professional gambler, Yass began trading on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in 1981, backed by billionaire hedge fund manager Israel Englander.

Six years later, Yass and a few of his old college friends founded trading firm Susquehanna International Group. Now headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, Susquehanna became a giant in options trading and making markets, growing into one of Wall Street's largest trading firms.

Yass, 68, is the 27th richest person in the world, according to Forbes.

Forbes gave Yass a "self-made" score of 8 out of 10 — a designation for billionaires from "middle-class or upper-middle class" backgrounds, such as Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

On the Forbes philanthropy scale, Yass scored a 1 out of 5 for donating less than 1 percent of his wealth to charity.

Yass has been one of the biggest donors in conservative politics. During the 2024 election cycle, Yass gave more than $100 million to Republican groups and campaigns.

When Donald Trump ran for president that year, he met with Yass — a major investor in TikTok — and went from supporting a TikTok ban to opposing it.

In 2026, Yass and his wife Janine have made more than $90 million in political contributions, including $20 million to the super PAC of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, $16 million to MAGA Inc.

New Rankings

Worth an estimated $1 trillion, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk topped the rankings for the fourth consecutive year. They are based on Forbes' estimates of individual fortunes, with net worths calculated as of Oct. 9.

This year’s ranking includes eight states with new names at the top, reflecting changes in wealth and, in some cases, where billionaires have chosen to live.

Across the country, Forbes identified billionaires in 46 states, down from 47 last year. The fortunes of America’s richest residents vary enormously, and some state leaders aren't billionaires at all.

Billionaires On The Move

Some of the biggest changes have less to do with making or losing money than with moving across state lines.

Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, formerly California residents, are now counted among the wealthiest people in Florida and Nevada, respectively. Forbes estimated their fortunes at $288 billion and $265 billion. Brin is Nevada's richest resident, while Page ranks second in Florida behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose estimated $381 billion fortune makes him the state's wealthiest resident.

Their moves come amid a proposed billionaire wealth tax facing California voters in November. Forbes reported that representatives for both men confirmed their new states of residence, although the publication could not independently verify the changes through residency documents.

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, whose fortune is estimated at $4.4 billion, also moved from California to New Mexico, making her that state's richest resident.

The departures helped reshuffle the rankings, although California still has more billionaires than any other state, with 255. New York follows with 153, Florida has 138 and Texas has 88

Pennsylvania ranks tied for eighth with 21 billionaires — four more than last year.

America’s Biggest Fortunes

Several of the country's best-known billionaires hold the top spots in their states:

• Texas: Musk, whose fortune Forbes valued at approximately $1 trillion for the ranking.
• Florida: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated $381 billion.
• California: Zuckerberg, who founded Meta, is worth an estimated $246 billion.
• Nebraska: Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, worth an estimated $147 billion.
• West Virginia: Former Intuit CEO and Marshall University President Brad Smith, worth an estimated $700 million.

Those fortunes are estimates, not cash sitting in bank accounts. Much of billionaires' wealth is tied to ownership stakes in companies and other investments whose values can fluctuate significantly.