Many fans are curious about Jim Sinegal's financial success in April 2026. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What is Jim Sinegal's Net Worth and Salary?

James Sinegal was born on January 1, 1936, into a working-class Catholic family in Pittsburgh. His family moved to San Diego while he was in high school and he graduated from Helix High School. He got his AA degree at San Diego City College and his BA from San Diego State University in 1959. While he was in college, he got a job as a grocery bagger at FedMart. He discovered that he loved the retail business. He worked his way up at FedMart to executive vice president of merchandising and operations. From 1977 to 1978 he was vice president of merchandising for Builders Emporium. He was an executive vice president with the Price Company from 1978 to 1979. He was the protégé of Sol Price, the father of the warehouse club store concept.

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Jim Sinegal is an American business executive who has a net worth of $1 billion. Jim Sinegal earned his fortune as the co-founder and former CEO of Costco, the largest membership retail chain in the United States. Sinegal co-founded Costco with Seattle retailer Jeff Brotman in 1983. He retired as CEO in 2012 and retired from the Board of Directors in 2018. He was succeeded byCraig Jelinek. There are nearly 900 Costco locations worldwide and annual revenue exceeds $250 billion.

At the time he retired from the Board of Directors in 2018, Jim owned 1.3 million shares of Costco. At that time Costco stock was trading at around $200 a share, which meant his stake was worth $260 million. Up to that point Jim had already sold $120 million worth of shares over the prior two decades. It's not exactly clear what happened to those 1.3 million shares. According to the company's most-recent filings, Jim does not own a single share anymore under his own name. It's very possible he transferred ownership of those shares to a trust. It would be very bad for Jim if he sold his entire stake in 2018 when the stock was at $200. In April 2022 Costco stock briefly traded at $600. At that level 1.3 million shares were worth $780 million. At $500 a share, a recent rough average, that stake would be worth $650 million. In mid-2024, with Costco shares at $850, his stake would be worth $1.1 billion. Furthermore, 1.3 million shares would generate $1.117 million in dividends every quarter at the company's recent dividend price of $0.90. That's $4.68 million per year in dividends.

In 1983, Sinegal co-founded Costco with Seattle retailer Jeff Brotman. A decade later, Costco merged with the pioneer of the warehouse discount concept, the Price Company. Costco is now one of the largest retailers in the world. There are approximately 800 Costco stores in the world.

Jim's total compensation increased substantially when bonuses and stock options were awarded each year. For example, in an average year Jim might have earned a $200,000 bonus and $4 million worth of options.

Jim Sinegal famously accepted a relatively modest annual salary compared to his Fortune 500 peers. Jim's base salary was $350,000. Many executives of similarly-sized companies spent more per year on personal security. In 2010, Sinegal earned $3.5 million with his stock options factored in. The median salary and compensation for other Fortune 100 CEOs that year was $9.3 million.

Ultimately, Jim Sinegal's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.