The richest immigrant billionaires in Texas, according to Forbes

When Forbes began making plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, it was only natural that immigrants would be a major part of the story, according to the magazine’s executive editor Luisa Kroll.

“We wanted to look at it in a dispassionate way, but really talk with people about their success stories and the American dream–whether it was really still alive, and what it was that drew people.” 

There were 144 foreign-born billionaires living in the United States in 2026, worth more than $2.2 trillion collectively, Forbes found, compared with 125 immigrant billionaires in 2025 and 92 in 2022.

“There’s so many new people, so many interesting newcomers” on the list, said Tognini, himself an immigrant from Italy. “There’s been so much growth and change in the list.” 

Nearly half of the nation’s richest immigrants made their fortunes in technology, Tognini noted, but the list also includes people who work in finance, manufacturing and health care.

WEALTH: The three richest self-made women in Texas are seeing the AI boom boost their wealth, Forbes says

Nine of the men and women on the Forbes list of the nation’s richest foreign-born citizens live in Texas, and four are based in Houston. In Houston, immigration “is a defining feature of our economy and a key driver of growth,” the Greater Houston Partnership’s Julie McGowen noted in April. Nearly a quarter of the region’s residents are foreign-born, she noted, and immigrants make up about a third of the Houston workforce and own more than 40% of its businesses.

Here are the foreign-born billionaires in Texas: 

The wealthiest immigrant currently living in the United States, and the richest person in the world, is Elon Musk, who briefly became the world’s first trillionaire after his company SpaceX held its initial public offering in June. Originally from South Africa, Musk now lives in Austin, according to Forbes, and currently  has a net worth of about $781 billion. 

Tech entrepreneur Thai Lee, born in Bangkok, ranks as the No. 26 richest foreign-born citizen in the United States, with a net worth of about $8 billion. Lee, who lives in Austin, is the CEO of IT infrastructure company SHI International, which traces its roots to a small software reseller she and her ex-husband bought in the 1980s and is now considered one of the largest woman-owned businesses in the United States. Last month, Lee was recognized, in a different Forbes ranking, as one of the wealthiest self-made women in the United States. 

After immigrating from Hungary to New York as a child, Steven Udvar-Hazy took a job packing boxes in a warehouse for 30 cents an hour. He would go on to pursue a career in the aviation industry and is considered the creator of the airplane leasing industry. In a 2025 interview with Forbes, he said that his experiences as an immigrant fueled his drive as an entrepreneur. “When you live in an oppressed, totalitarian country like I did, and you have no money, there’s no sense of having a future or that life will get better,” he said. “The motivation level is just totally different than it is for a person that was born and raised here.”  Udvar-Hazy now lives in Westlake, north of Dallas, and ranks as the No. 55 richest immigrant in the United States, with a net worth of $4.6 billion. 

New to the 10-figure club is venture capitalist Luke Nosek, whose net worth crossed the billion-dollar mark as a result of the SpaceX IPO. Originally from Poland, Nosek moved to the Chicago suburbs in high school, studied at the University of Illinois and became a co-founder of PayPal. He now lives in Austin, according to Forbes, and the SpaceX IPO brought his net worth to $3.7 billion, making him the No. 64 richest immigrant in the United States.

Siblings Albert Chao, James Chao, and Dorothy Chao Jenkins of Houston rank at No. 72 on this list, with each having a net worth of $3.2 billion. Their parents, Ting Tsung “T.T.” Chao and Wei Fong, brought the family from Taiwan to Houston in the 1980s, where T.T., whose background was in petrochemicals, acquired a polyethylene plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. That business has grown into the chemicals giant Westlake Corp., a Fortune 500 company; all three siblings have held leadership roles at the company.  

As CEO of semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices, Lisa Su “has led one of the greatest recent turnarounds in the technology sector,” according to Forbes, as well as becoming the No. 79 richest immigrant in the U.S., with a net worth of $2.9 billion. Born in Taiwan, Su immigrated to New York City when she was 3 years old; she now lives in Austin, where AMD has a major presence, even as the company maintains its headquarters in California. Su was also recognized on Forbes’ ranking of the 100 wealthiest self-made women in the United States.  

Ranking No. 123 on this ranking with a net worth of $1.5 billion is Houstonian Ignacio Torras, an energy trader who has also made his mark on the city’s food and sports scenes. Originally from Barcelona, Torras emigrated to Brazil as a teenager before coming to Houston and pursuing a career in the chemicals industry. In  addition founding  and plastics distributor Tricon Energyin 1996, he is the restaurateur behind Houston’s Michelin-starred BCN, and in 2024 launched the Genuine Cup, a soccer tournament for adults with disabilities which will be held in Rice Stadium next week.