What makes a company a great place to work?
This question is asked often, and the answer depends on the person seeking employment.
Maybe it’s amazing benefits, or high pay, or a close knit family atmosphere.
Perhaps it’s the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, a company that cares about the environment, or policies that allow enough flexibility to care for children.
Whatever a person is looking for in a company, there are companies that go above and beyond for their employees regardless of the skill level in a given position.
For these reasons, we decided to create a list of the 100 best companies to work for in the U.S. in 2012, and we chose to group them according to employee interest categories including the ones listed below.
- Large Companies (5k+ employees)
- Small-Medium Companies (15-5000 employees)
- Technology Companies
- Healthcare Companies and Hospitals
- Green Companies
- Best Companies for Working Mothers
- Best Companies for Working at Home / Remote Employees
- Colleges and Universities
- Non-profits
- “Best of the Rest”
Ranking the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For
The rankings are weighted based on a variety of factors including overall work environment, compensation, and special perks afforded the employees. We also take into account overall employee satisfaction, the greatest indicator of which is the rate of voluntary turnover. Most importantly, we looked for stable companies – companies whose dedication to their employees has helped them weather challenging economic times. Data was gathered based on publicly available information, and the final decision to include a company as part of this ranking was made by the BRG Editorial team. We invite you to check out the lists and get started finding the right company for you.
Click to get the details about each ranking.
The Top 10 Best Large Companies to Work For (5k+ employees)
1. Google – Internet Search, Web Application Development, Mobile App and OS development.
2. Net App – Data Storage
3. Wegmans Food Markets – Grocery
4. Edward Jones – Investment Firm
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers – Consulting
6. Marriott International – Hospitality
7. Nordstrom – Retail
8. Starbucks – Coffee
9. Publix – Grocery
10. Recreational Equipment (REI) – Retail
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Small-Medium Companies to Work For (15-5000 employees)
1. Nugget Market – Regional Grocery Chain
2. DPR Construction – Construction
3. Build a Bear Workshop – Novelty Toy Manufacturer and Retailer
4. Umpqua Bank – Bank
5. Plante Moran – Auditing
6. Hasbro – Toy Manufacturer
7. NuStar Energy – Energy
8. Perkins Coie – Law Firm
9. TDIndustries – Construction
10. FactSet Research Systems – Investment Firm
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Technology Companies to Work For
1. Facebook – Social Network
2. Microsoft – Software and Computer/Mobile Operating System Development
3. SAS Institute – Software Development
4. Intuit – Software Development
5. Adobe – Software Development
6. Intel – Hardware Development and Manufacturing
7. World Wide Technology – IT Services and Equipment Provider
8. Qualcomm – Mobile Telecommunications Technology Development
9. GoDaddy – Domain Name and Hosting Service
10. Hitachi Data Systems – Data Storage
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Healthcare Companies and Hospitals to Work For
1. The Everett Clinic
2. Scripps Health
3. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
4. Baptist Health South Florida
5. Novo Nordisk
6. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
7. Atlantic Health
8. Mayo Clinic
9. Meridian Healthcare
10. Ohio Health
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Green Companies to Work For
1. Intel
2. Starbucks
3. Johnson and Johnson
4. Kohl’s Department Stores
5. Whole Foods Markets
6. Lockheed Martin
7. Carnegie Mellon University
8. Cisco Systems
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. TD Bank N.A.
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Employers for Working Mothers
1. Accenture
2. Lego Systems
3. Johnson and Johnson
4. Booz Allen Hamilton
5. American Express
6. Yale University
7. Bank of America
8. Cornell University
9. Genentech
10. SC Johnson
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Colleges and Universities to Work For
1. University of Kansas
2. Iowa State University
3. Brigham Young University
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
5. Brown University
6. Michigan State
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Cornell University
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. North Carolina State University
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Companies for Working from Home / Remote Employees
1. Deloitte
2. Cisco
3. Intel
4. Accenture
5. Teach For America
6. Pricewaterhouse Coopers
7. Brocade Communications Systems
8. S.C. Johnson
9. Stryker
10. American Fidelity Assurance
(View details about this list.)
The Top 10 Best Non-profits to Work For
1. Teach for America
2. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
3. The Mayo Clinic
4. Wounded Warrior Project
5. Brighton Center
6. SightLife
7. Alzheimer’s Association
8. Grand Rapids Community Foundation
9. Natural Resources Defense Council
10. Make-a-Wish Foundation of America
(View details about this list.)
The Top “Best of the Rest” Companies to Work For
1. Dreamworks Animation
2. Valve
3. Rackspace Hosting
4. Ultimate Software
5. Baker Donelson
6. Bright Horizons
7. Zappos.com
8. Navy Federal Credit Union
9. Costco
10. Salesforce.com
11. Autodesk
12. General Mils
13. Mercedes Benz USA
14. Darden Restaurants
(View details about this list.)