The founding family behind industrial digger manufacturer JCB are the wealthiest people in the Midlands, according to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List.
has again placed Rocester-based Lord Bamford and his family as the region's wealthiest after a huge climb last year, up by £1.75 billion to £7.65 billion.
The second richest family in the Midlands, the Coates which owns Stoke gambling firm Bet365, saw their wealth dip by £1.32 billion to £7.46 billion, placing them 20th in the overall º£½ÇÊÓƵ list.
Completing the top five in the Midlands are Derbyshire's Sports Direct chief Mike Ashley, whose wealth dropped by £41 million to £3.79 billion, and John Bloor, the construction magnate and owner of Bloor Homes and Triumph Motorcycles which are based in Leicestershire.
His wealth is also down, by £92 million to £3.39 billion.
The Murray family, which has interests in fields such as plant hire, fire protection and Wolverhampton-based heat pump firm Andrew Sykes, enjoyed a boost in their wealth, by £68 million to £2.8 billion.
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The annual research has listed Ben Francis, co-founder of Solihull-based sports clothing brand Gymshark, as the richest person in the region aged under 40, with an estimated wealth of £725 million.
It places him as the fifth overall under 40 in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ while his school friend and Gymshark co-founder Lewis Morgan has an estimated wealth of £150 million, making him the third under 40 in the Midlands and 21st overall.
Staying with clothing, husband and wife team Dan and Melanie Marsden are the 20th richest under 40s. The co-founders of Solihull Lounge Underwear have an estimated wealth of £151 million.
This year's research reveals the largest fall in the billionaire count in the guide's 36-year history, from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 165 this year.
This year's list of 350 individuals and families together hold a combined wealth of £795.3 billion - a sum larger than the annual GDP of Poland.
Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber and David and Victoria Beckham all appear in the annual survey. The minimum entry for the list this year is £350 million.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: "This year's list suggests Britain's billionaire boom has come to an end.
"Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away. Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent.
"We'll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire and what that means for our economy.
"These may be harder times to create wealth but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways.
"This year's new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.
"We know many of our readers find such people, especially those from humbler backgrounds, very inspiring."
The full list for 2024 will be published in this weekend's Sunday Times newspaper.
