Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to pinpoint the organizations liked best by employees in our first-ever ranking of America’s best employers by state. To determine the list, Statista surveyed 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees. All the surveys were anonymous, allowing participants to openly share their opinions. The respondents were asked to rate, on a scale of zero to 10, how likely they’d be to recommend their employer to others. Statista then asked respondents to nominate organizations in industries outside their own. The number of businesses ranked in each state was dependent on two factors—the number of qualifying employers, and the size of the state’s workforce—and those with operations in more than one state had the opportunity to be listed multiple times. The final list ranks the 1,430 employers that received the most recommendations in each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia. This gallery highlights those employers that received the most recommendations.
- (tied) The Kroger Co.
Number Of States Ranked: 16
Industry: Retail and Wholesale
Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
The Kroger Co. engages in the operation of retail food and drug stores, multi-department stores, jewelry stores, and convenience stores. It also manufactures and processes some of the food for sale in its supermarkets. The Combination of Food and Drug Stores are the primary food store format. The Multi-Department stores are significantly larger in size than combo stores. In addition to the departments offered at a typical combo store, multi-department stores sell a wide selection of general merchandise items such as apparel, home fashion and furnishings, electronics, automotive products, toys, and fine jewelry. The Marketplace Stores are smaller in size than multi-department stores. It offers full-service grocery and pharmacy departments as well as an expanded general merchandise area that includes outdoor living products, electronics, home goods, and toys. The Price Impact Warehouse stores offer a ‘no-frills, low cost’ warehouse format and feature everyday low prices plus promotions for a wide selection of grocery and health and beauty care items. The company was founded by Barney Kroger in 1883 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH.
- (tied) TJX Companies
Number Of States Ranked: 16
Industry: Retail and Wholesale
Headquarters: Framingham, Massachusetts
The TJX Cos., Inc. operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States and worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX Europe. The Marmaxx segment sells family apparel including footwear and accessories, home fashions including home basics, accent furniture, lamps, rugs, wall décor, decorative accessories, giftware, and other merchandise. The HomeGoods segment offers home basics, giftware, accent furniture, lamps, rugs, wall décor, and decorative accessories. The TJX Canada segment operates the Winners, Marshalls, and HomeSense chains in Canada. The TJX Europe segment operates T.K. Maxx and HomeSense chains in Europe. The company was founded by Stanley Harris Feldberg and Sumner L. Feldberg in 1956 and is headquartered in Framingham, MA.
- (tied) UnitedHealth Group
Number Of States Ranked: 16
Industry: Insurance
Headquarters: Minnetonka, Minnesota
UnitedHealth Group, Inc. provides health care coverage, software, and data consultancy services. It operates through the following segments: UnitedHealthcare, OptumHealth, OptumInsight, and OptumRx. The UnitedHealthcare segment utilizes Optum’s capabilities to help coordinate patient care, improve the affordability of medical care, analyze cost trends, manage pharmacy benefits, work with care providers more effectively, and create a simpler consumer experience. The OptumHealth segment provides health services business serving the broad health care marketplace, including payers, care providers, employers, government, life sciences companies, and consumers. The OptumInsight segment is health information, technology, services, and consulting company providing software and information products, advisory consulting services, and business process outsourcing to participants in the healthcare industry. The OptumRx segment provides pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services. The company was founded by Richard T. Burke in January 1977 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.