Jim Walton
American businessman; chairman of Arvest Bank Group
| Jim Walton
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 6 1948 (age 78 years old (as of 2026)
) |
| Occupation | businessman and banker |
| Known for | Chairman of Arvest Bank Group; Walmart heir |
| Education | University of Arkansas |
Jim Walton (born 7 June 1948) is an American businessman, chairman of Arvest Bank Group.[1] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Walton (listed together with family) 13th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$138.8 billion; Forbes gives the source of wealth as Walmart.[2]
Background
Born 7 June 1948; United States citizen.[1]
Education
University of Arkansas (bachelor’s in business administration).[1]
Career and companies
Youngest son of Sam Walton; chairman of Arvest Bank Group; sat on Walmart’s board for more than a decade until 2016.[1]
In its 2026 Forbes 400 profile text, Forbes stated: "Jim majored in business administration at the University of Arkansas."[1]
How the wealth was made
Inherited share of the Walton family’s roughly 45% Walmart stake, plus Arvest Bank.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this person in its annual World's Billionaires list in 26 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[3][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | – | – | 7 | 4.8 |
| 1997 | – | – | 8 | 6.5 |
| 1998 | – | – | 6 | 11.0 |
| 1999 | – | – | 6 | 17.3 |
| 2001 | 7 | 18.8 | 5 | 17.5 |
| 2002 | 6 | 20.8 | 4 | 18.8 |
| 2003 | 7 | 16.5 | 4 | 20.5 |
| 2004 | 6 | 20.0 | 4 | 18.0 |
| 2005 | 11 | 18.2 | 6 | 15.7 |
| 2006 | 17 | 15.9 | 6 | 15.7 |
| 2007 | 23 | 16.8 | 12 | 16.3 |
| 2008 | 26 | 19.2 | 4 | 23.4 |
| 2009 | 11 | 17.8 | 5 | 19.6 |
| 2010 | 15 | 20.7 | 7 | 20.1 |
| 2011 | 20 | 21.3 | 9 | 21.1 |
| 2012 | 16 | 23.7 | 7 | 26.8 |
| 2013 | 14 | 26.7 | 7 | 33.8 |
| 2014 | 10 | 34.7 | 7 | 36.0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 40.6 | 9 | 33.7 |
| 2016 | 15 | 33.6 | 11 | 35.6 |
| 2017 | 16 | 34.0 | 11 | 38.4 |
| 2018 | 14 | 46.4 | 11 | 45.2 |
| 2019 | 16 | 44.6 | 10 | 51.6 |
| 2020 | 8 | 54.6 | 11 | 62.1 |
| 2021 | 18 | 60.2 | 11 | 68.8 |
| 2022 | 16 | 66.2 | 10 | 57.9 |
| 2023 | 19 | 58.8 | 12 | 68.2 |
| 2024 | 18 | 78.4 | 13 | 95.9 |
| 2025 | 12 | 109.0 | 12 | 115.0 |
| 2026 | 12 | 143.0 | 12 | 128.0 |
Philanthropy
Walton Family Foundation (2024 assets $8.6 billion) — family involvement per Forbes; no specific personal gifts verified.[1]
Foundation-level: the following private foundation figures are taken from the IRS Form 990-PF data published by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Total assets are as reported at the end of each tax year; "grants paid" is the 990-PF line for contributions, gifts and grants paid.[4]
| Foundation | Tax year | Total assets, end of year | Contributions, gifts and grants paid | Contributions received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | 2023 | 5,714.1 | 641.3 | 569.8 |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | 2022 | 5,687.5 | 545.2 | 543.8 |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | 2021 | 5,583.3 | 665.1 | 653.8 |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | 2020 | 4,888.6 | 713.6 | 640.8 |
Foundation-level: the Walton Family Foundation says it awarded $548.8 million in grants in 2024.[5]
Political donations and public roles
Itemised contributions recorded by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Totals are lower bounds: only the top 100 records per name and cycle were retrieved, and memo entries are excluded.[6]
| Cycle | Total (US$, lower bound) | Records | Largest recipient committees (as filed with the FEC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $418,900 | 13 | Ohioans for Parental Choice ($350,000); NRCC ($35,500); Womack for Congress Committee ($5,800); French Hill for Arkansas ($5,800) |
| 2024 | $12,749,200 | 23 | Americans for Prosperity Action ($10,000,000); Senate Leadership Fund ($2,000,000); Fix Washington PAC ($500,000); America Strong and Free Action ($150,000) |
| 2026 | $3,003,300 | 55 | SLF PAC ($2,000,000); Texans for a Conservative Majority ($500,000); Charter Schools Action PAC ($200,000); NRCC ($88,600) |
Controversies and legal cases
Company-level (Walmart): on 20 June 2019 the SEC announced that Walmart would pay more than $144 million to settle SEC charges, and about $138 million to resolve parallel criminal charges with the Department of Justice, over Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations involving subsidiaries in Brazil, China, India and Mexico. The total was more than $282 million.[7] Company-level (Walmart): on 22 December 2020 the Department of Justice filed a nationwide civil lawsuit alleging that Walmart had violated the Controlled Substances Act in its pharmacies. On 28 August 2026 it announced a $50 million settlement resolving allegations that Walmart pharmacies illegally filled thousands of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.[8][9]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Jim Walton (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/jim-walton/) Forbes, live record, real-time timestamp 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Walton Family Foundation Inc (EIN 13-3441466) – Nonprofit Explorer record with IRS Form 990-PF financial data ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, IRS filings as processed by ProPublica; accessed 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Walton Family Foundation, Reports & Financials Walton Family Foundation, undated page (2024 figures), accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "WALTON, JIM / WALTON, JAMES"; 2024 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried with the same parameters; top 100 records per name and cycle; compiler filtered by employer/occupation and excluded memo entries from totals U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Walmart Charged With FCPA Violations (press release 2019-102) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 20 June 2019, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Justice Files Nationwide Lawsuit Against Walmart Inc. for Controlled Substances Act Violations U.S. Department of Justice, 22 December 2020, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Department of Justice, Walmart Agrees to Pay $50 Million for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions U.S. Department of Justice, 28 August 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.