Over 1.3 million U.S. employees submitted confidential workplace surveys in 2025, and their feedback shaped the most contested best companies lists in years. With worker thriving rates hitting a decade-low of 46% by Q4 2025 and voluntary turnover cooling to 13% across industries, where someone works matters more than ever. This article compiles the latest statistics on the best companies to work for in the United States, covering rankings from Fortune and Glassdoor, average workweek data, work-life balance trends, retention patterns, and what actually drives employer rankings.
Best Companies to Work For in the United States — Key Statistics
- Synchrony Financial ranked #1 on the 2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, published April 1, 2026.
- Crew Carwash, a family-owned business with roughly 1,000 employees, topped Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2026 list with a 4.6 out of 5 rating.
- The average U.S. workweek across private nonfarm payrolls stood at 34.2 hours in both August 2025 and March 2026, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- U.S. voluntary turnover dropped to 13% in 2025, down from 17.3% in 2023, according to Mercer’s 2025 Workforce Turnover Survey.
- Companies on the Fortune 100 Best list earned 8.5 times more revenue per employee than the U.S. public market average, per Great Place To Work data.
Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For in the United States (2026)
Great Place To Work and Fortune released the 29th annual 100 Best Companies list on April 1, 2026. Rankings draw on nearly 640,000 confidential employee responses collected in 2025, representing workers at over 7.3 million U.S. employees. Only companies with at least 1,000 U.S. employees and active Great Place To Work Certification qualify.
Synchrony Financial claimed the top spot this year, followed by Hilton, Cisco, American Express, and Wegmans Food Markets. Nvidia placed sixth, Marriott International seventh, Accenture eighth, Delta Air Lines ninth, and World Wide Technology tenth.
| Rank | Company | Industry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synchrony Financial | Financial Services |
| 2 | Hilton | Hospitality |
| 3 | Cisco | Technology |
| 4 | American Express | Financial Services |
| 5 | Wegmans Food Markets | Retail / Grocery |
| 6 | Nvidia | Technology / Semiconductors |
| 7 | Marriott International | Hospitality |
| 8 | Accenture | Consulting |
| 9 | Delta Air Lines | Aviation |
| 10 | World Wide Technology | IT Solutions |
Source: Fortune / Great Place To Work, 100 Best Companies to Work For 2026 (April 2026)
The 2025 edition of the Fortune list — data collected in 2024 — was led by Hilton at #1. Edward Jones ranked 24th, Dow Chemical moved from #79 to #25, Capital One held its 14th consecutive appearance at #36, and PwC reached its highest-ever placement at #20.
Companies on the Fortune 100 Best list have posted an annualized stock return of 13.4% over 28 years, compared to 9.2% for the Russell 3000 Index. That translates to roughly triple the investment return for shareholders in publicly traded list members over the same period.
Source: Great Place To Work / FTSE Russell stock return analysis, 2026
Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in the United States (2026)
Glassdoor published its 18th annual Employees’ Choice Awards on January 21, 2026. Rankings are based entirely on anonymous employee reviews submitted between October 17, 2024 and October 16, 2025. Large companies required a minimum of 75 ratings per review category. No entry fees, nominations, or employer participation exist — the algorithm weights the quantity, quality, and consistency of reviews.
Crew Carwash, an Indianapolis-based family-owned car wash chain with around 55 locations, ranked first with a 4.6 award rating. The company placed second the previous year. Bain & Company and Google are the only two organizations to have appeared on every Glassdoor list since the award began in 2009. Google ranked 11th in 2026, Bain ranked 8th.
| Rank | Company | Notable Employee Feedback Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crew Carwash | Supportive leadership, career growth, team culture |
| 8 | Bain & Company | 18-year consecutive list appearance |
| 11 | 18-year consecutive list appearance | |
| 19 | RDSolutions | Flexible schedule, strong management and HR |
| 36 | Lockheed Martin | 4/10 schedule, generous PTO, flexible hours |
| 38 | Alaska Airlines | 2026 newcomer to the list |
| 70 | LongHorn Steakhouse | Work culture, scheduling, management support |
| 75 | Dutch Bros. | 2026 newcomer to the list |
| 80 | Bath & Body Works | Work-life balance, culture, supportive team |
| 94 | JPMorganChase | PTO, supportive management, tuition assistance |
Source: Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards, Best Places to Work 2026 (January 2026)
Technology remained the most represented industry on the Glassdoor list with 24 companies, but that figure has declined consistently — from 31 in 2024 to 26 in 2025 to 24 in 2026. Glassdoor’s chief economist Daniel Zhao attributed the drop to tech industry layoffs reducing employee satisfaction scores at major firms.
Manufacturing and retail gained ground on the 2026 list, while healthcare, biotech, and pharma saw fewer winners than prior years. Glassdoor also introduced five new industry-specific Top 25 lists in 2026, covering Tech, Healthcare, Biotech & Pharma, Manufacturing & Energy, and Consulting, Finance & Insurance.
Source: Glassdoor Best Places to Work 2026 — industry composition data
Average Work Week in the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average workweek for all private nonfarm payroll employees stood at 34.2 hours in March 2026 — a figure that includes both full-time and part-time workers. The same reading applied in August 2025. Over the prior 12 months, real average weekly earnings increased 0.4%, as hourly earnings grew 0.7% while average weekly hours edged down 0.3%.
Industry averages differ sharply from the overall figure. Manufacturing employees averaged 40.2 hours per week in March 2026. Accommodation and food service workers typically log far fewer hours, reflecting heavy part-time staffing. Mining and logging reported 45.5 hours per week as of mid-2023, the highest of any private sector category.
| Industry | Avg. Weekly Hours |
|---|---|
| All private nonfarm employees (overall) | 34.2 |
| Manufacturing | 40.2 |
| Mining & Logging | ~45.5 |
| Private Education & Health Services | ~33.4 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (March 2026) and Employment Situation reports
The BLS American Time Use Survey, released June 2025 and covering 2024 data, found that full-time employed people averaged 8.1 hours of work on days worked. On weekdays specifically, that figure rose to 8.4 hours. Among full-time workers, 87% worked on an average weekday and 29% on a weekend day. Men averaged 33 more minutes per day than women, a gap that partly reflects higher rates of part-time work among women.
Workers with higher education levels were more likely to do some work from home: 50% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher worked from home on days worked, compared to 18% of high school graduates. The share of all employed people who worked from home held near-steady at 33% in 2024, down slightly from 35% in 2023.
Source: BLS American Time Use Survey 2024 (released June 2025) and BLS Employment Situation, March 2026
Work-Life Balance in the United States
Gallup’s Q4 2025 workplace data recorded the lowest worker thriving rate in the organization’s trended dataset — 46% of U.S. workers classified as thriving, below the previous low of 48% and well under the 53% peak in early 2022. For the first time, more workers reported struggling (49%) than thriving. Employee engagement also fell to 31%, the lowest on record over the past decade.
A survey by SurveyMonkey found that 78% of workers say their job provides a healthy work-life balance. The same research found that 28% of employees ranked work-life balance as their top motivator at work — slightly above compensation at 27%. Among Gen Z workers, 32% named it the most important aspect of a job. A separate Gallup study covering 18,429 U.S. workers found that 62% do not have high-quality work schedules, and 27% are in jobs categorized as having low-quality schedules.
| Work-Life Balance Metric | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Workers who report healthy work-life balance | 78% | SurveyMonkey 2025 |
| Employees ranking WLB as #1 motivator | 28% | SurveyMonkey 2025 |
| Workers who experienced burnout at current job | 77% | Multiple surveys |
| U.S. workers without high-quality work schedules | 62% | Gallup / Jobs for the Future, 2025 |
| Workers who prefer hybrid or fully remote | 71% | Gallup 2024–25 data |
| Workers who say WLB is a deal-breaker in job search | 57% | Multiple surveys |
| Workers who have worked while sick in the past year | 74% | SurveyMonkey 2025 |
Source: SurveyMonkey Workplace Culture & Trends 2025; Gallup American Job Quality Study 2025
Remote work produced clear outcomes. Among workers with remote-capable jobs, 60% said they prefer a hybrid schedule per Gallup data, while roughly 10% want fully on-site work. Fully remote workers demonstrated notably higher retention rates — 94.2% versus 81.6% for office-based employees — and 78% reported better work-life balance. For a closer look at how workspace design affects day-to-day productivity, these desk setup ideas from real WFH professionals reflect how top remote workers manage their environments.
The Remote.com US Life-Work Balance Index ranked Maine as the top state for work-life balance in 2025, moving up eight places from 2022. Maine employees averaged 39.2 hours per week — below major states like New York and California. About 51% of U.S. employees reported feeling “used up” by the end of workdays, while the estimated share of workers in remote roles reached 22% of the total U.S. workforce in 2025.
Source: Gallup Q4 2025; SurveyMonkey Workplace Trends 2025; Remote.com US Life-Work Balance Index 2025
Best Companies to Work For and Employee Retention Data
The U.S. voluntary turnover rate fell to 13% in 2025 according to Mercer’s 2025 Workforce Turnover Survey — down from 13.5% in 2024 and a sharp drop from 17.3% in 2023. The accommodation and food services sector posted the highest monthly quit rate at 3.7% as of August 2025, translating to an estimated 44% annual voluntary quit rate. Finance and insurance had one of the lowest monthly quit rates at 1.2%, roughly one-third the rate of leisure and hospitality workers.
ConocoPhillips ranked as the top U.S. company for employee retention in 2025, with a median employee tenure of 11.8 years, according to Moorepay research covering over 3,100 major companies by LinkedIn profile data. The overall private sector median tenure in the U.S. is 3.5 years. The Eagle Hill Employee Retention Index closed 2025 at 105.0, up from 98.5 at the start of the year.
| Industry | Est. Annual Voluntary Quit Rate | Monthly Quit Rate (Aug 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food Services | ~44% | 3.7% |
| Retail & Wholesale | ~25% | ~2.1% |
| All Private Sector (avg.) | ~25% | 2.1% |
| Finance & Insurance | ~14% | 1.2% |
| Information / Tech | ~13% | ~1.1% |
| Federal Government | ~7% | 0.6% |
Source: BLS JOLTS August 2025 (seasonally adjusted); Mercer 2025 Workforce Turnover Survey
Gallup’s retention analysis found that engagement and culture account for 37% of departure reasons, while poor work-life balance accounts for another 31%. Pay and benefits — the factor most commonly assumed to drive exits — account for only 11% of departure reasons. Organizations with high engagement see 59% lower turnover and 23% higher profitability, according to Gallup’s State of the Workplace data.
Replacing an employee can cost between 50% and 200% of that person’s annual salary, per Gallup estimates. U.S. companies spent approximately $900 billion replacing voluntary departures in 2023, according to the Work Institute’s 2024 Retention Report. If you work from home and want to build a setup that supports long work sessions, this ergonomic home office guide covers science-backed adjustments that reduce fatigue and improve focus over time.
Source: BLS JOLTS data; Mercer 2025 Turnover Survey; Gallup State of the Workplace
Geographic Shifts in Top Employer Rankings
The Glassdoor 2026 list recorded a sharp geographic shift: San Francisco Bay Area representation fell to 13 companies, down from 23 in 2025. New York City rose to 10 companies, up from 6 in 2024. That redistribution reflects broader trends in where top-rated employers are headquartered and where employees report the strongest satisfaction.
The decline in Bay Area representation tracks with reduced tech industry presence overall. As tech companies implemented layoffs and RTO mandates through 2024 and 2025, employee satisfaction ratings at major Silicon Valley firms fell below the thresholds required for list eligibility. Meanwhile, financial services and manufacturing firms — more concentrated in New York and Midwest markets — gained ground.
| Metro Area | 2024 Companies | 2025 Companies | 2026 Companies |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | ~30+ | 23 | 13 |
| New York City | 6 | 6 | 10 |
Source: Glassdoor Best Places to Work 2026 report (January 2026)
The Fortune 2026 list reflects similar diversification. Only one of the “Magnificent Seven” tech stocks — Nvidia — appeared on the 2026 Fortune 100 Best list. Great Place To Work noted that the list’s long-term stock outperformance comes from diverse industry representation across financials, consumer discretionary, industrials, healthcare, and telecommunications — not concentration in mega-cap technology.
For workers spending more time at home as a result of these geographic shifts and hybrid arrangements, return-to-office vs. remote work statistics track how RTO mandates are reshaping where people work and which sectors are most affected. Workers building WFH setups can also find practical guidance in this roundup of WFH essentials from real remote professionals.
What Drives Best Companies to Work For Rankings?
Both Fortune and Glassdoor rankings center on employee-reported experience rather than company-submitted materials. The Fortune 100 Best list uses the Great Place To Work Trust Index Survey — 60 statements rated on a five-point scale plus two open-ended questions — covering trust in management, connection with colleagues, and loyalty to the organization. Companies with consistently high scores across demographic groups and job levels rank highest. The 2026 list drew on over 1.3 million surveys from companies employing over 7.3 million U.S. workers.
Glassdoor’s algorithm weights the quantity, quality, and consistency of reviews across six dimensions: overall satisfaction, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, diversity and inclusion, senior management, and work-life balance. Employees also rate their CEO and indicate whether they’d recommend the company to a friend. Neither process involves employer fees or nominations.
| Ranking Factor | Fortune (Great Place To Work) | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|
| Employee trust in leadership | Core Trust Index dimension | Senior management rating |
| Fairness and equity | Demographic group analysis | Diversity & inclusion rating |
| Career development | Included in Trust Index | Career opportunities rating |
| Work-life balance | Included in Trust Index | Standalone rating category |
| Compensation | Assessed via essay questions | Compensation & benefits rating |
| Minimum employee count | 1,000 U.S. employees | 1,000 employees (large company list) |
| Survey period (2026 list) | 2025 calendar year | Oct 2024 – Oct 2025 |
Source: Great Place To Work methodology; Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards methodology
One data point from Fortune’s 2026 analysis stands out: companies on the list reported that 81% of their employees have high levels of psychological and emotional health, compared to 56% at a typical U.S. workplace. Workers who feel psychologically safe are 44% more likely to feel confident in their leaders and more than twice as likely to remain with the company.
The financial case for workplace culture has also strengthened. The 100 Best companies on the Fortune list earned 8.5 times more revenue per employee than the broader U.S. public market average. Public companies on the list specifically reported RPE more than 9.4 times higher than market average. Over 28 years of tracking, these companies produced a total return of 3,174% compared to 907% for the Russell 1000. For workers building out home offices to stay productive in flexible arrangements, the Maker Stations newsletter features workspace tours from professionals navigating WFH careers at companies like these.
Source: Great Place To Work 2025–2026 analysis; Gallup State of the Workplace; SurveyMonkey 2025
FAQ
What is the #1 best company to work for in the United States in 2026?
Synchrony Financial ranked #1 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2026. Crew Carwash topped Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2026, earning a 4.6 out of 5 employee rating.
How does Fortune choose the best companies to work for?
Fortune partners with Great Place To Work, which surveys employees using a 60-statement Trust Index survey. Companies must have 1,000+ U.S. employees and active Great Place To Work Certification. Rankings are based entirely on employee responses, not employer submissions.
What is the average workweek in the United States?
The BLS reported an average of 34.2 hours per week for all private nonfarm payroll employees as of March 2026. Manufacturing workers averaged 40.2 hours. Full-time employees worked an average of 8.1 hours on days they worked, per the 2024 American Time Use Survey.
What is the U.S. employee voluntary turnover rate in 2025?
Mercer’s 2025 Workforce Turnover Survey recorded an average voluntary turnover rate of 13% in the U.S. — down from 17.3% in 2023. Accommodation and food services had the highest rate at an estimated 44% annually. Government had the lowest at approximately 7%.
What do employees value most in a top-rated employer?
Gallup data shows engagement and culture account for 37% of why employees stay or leave, with work-life balance adding another 31%. Pay accounts for only 11%. Trust in leadership, schedule flexibility, and career growth rank as top retention drivers across multiple 2025 surveys.
